Sharp Focus January 2025

FROM THE CHAIR

January 2025

Welcome to a brand-new year of photography!

As we embark on another exciting chapter, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on why we love this art form. For each of us, the reasons are unique—whether it’s the thrill of capturing a fleeting moment, the joy of creative expression, or the simple pleasure of seeing the world through a different lens. Photography teaches us to appreciate beauty, embrace lifelong learning, and find moments of stillness in a fast-moving world.

So, as we set our photographic goals for the year, let’s challenge ourselves. Can you lose yourself in a book of striking images? Will you wander with your camera, snapping away just for the fun of it? Are you willing to wake before dawn or stay out late in pursuit of the perfect shot? Photography isn’t just about technique or gear; it’s about passion, curiosity, and the hunt for compelling images.

This year, let’s make a conscious effort to reconnect with what fuels our love for photography. Take more photos—not just for projects or portfolios, but for the pure joy of it. Experiment, explore, and embrace the unexpected. Most importantly, let’s support and inspire one another on this journey. Here’s to a year filled with creativity, discovery, and unforgettable photographs!

Warm regards,

Betzi

 

KGALAGADI – an inspirational submission from Dante Parisi

A few years ago, Pat Scott showed us some of the images she captured in the Kgalagadi and highly recommended that we go there. She explained that the main gate was 1 100km from Cape town and that the park extends for several hundred kilometers in two basic directions northwest to Namibia and northeast to Botswana and that you traverse South Africa and these two countries as you travel in the park. A 4×4 is recommended as the park is a dune desert in essence with gravel roads criss crossing it. We were quite uncertain having never ventured with a 4×4 vehicle let alone navigated sand dunes! However, the adventure spirit in us got the better of our fear of the unknown and we went. Since then, we have visited many times spending over 5 months in total in the park to date.

This semi desert park offers, dunes, grass land, as well as trees with many rocky outcrops as well as a comprehensive series of waterholes, camping sites, chalets and some picknick areas with toilets where you can get out of your vehicle, naturally at your own risk. The park has two basic rules obey the gate opening and closing times, respect the animals and do not get out of your vehicle except as above.

This gives you the freedom to explore the whole park at your own pace, the slower you drive the more likely you are to spot the animals. Drive a lot go to the extremities and visit the secluded small camps as this provides the full experience as well as increases the odds that you see unique interesting behavior. You are completely in charge of your whole itenary including what and when you eat! The park limits the number of visitors and is large, so you are not inundated with traffic or swamped at the sightings. Having said this, it can get a bit hectic sometimes and you need to be patient. Use your knowledge of the typical behavior to position yourself and you will be amazed at how often you go where few if any are and that it tuns out to be a great spot to get the action. The park has an abundance of animals that you can observe usually close up as they go about their daily life. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, oryx, springbok, wildebeest, giraffe, kudu, eland, honey badgers, black backed jackal, meercats, lots of snakes, scorpions as well as a plethora of birds encompassing many raptors as well as the migratory ones. Owls, eagles, kites, buzzards, bee eaters, herons, ostrich, falcons, etc.. It is really known as an exceptional bird watching park. You also do not know what will enter the park from Botswana and Namibia as climate changes and lack of fencing allow the free movement of animals. A real adventure, as you never know what awaits you around the next bend.

The birthing season is exceptional as you can see springbok and wildebeest giving birth relatively close.

One basically follows the 4 main roads two that go north and two the cross east to west as you go from one waterhole to the next. This seems like a simple recipe, but the trick is patience and constant vigilance as well as looking at the notice board at the main camps to see what is currently being spotted and where. Also chatting to fellow photographers, much can sometimes be learnt.

We have found that being patient especially at the waterholes, like Polentswa are very rewarding. Another important skill that one develops is to learn the typical behavior of the various animals and as many have set routines and places they visit so you can place yourself in the best position with the highest possibility of seeing unique and exciting animal behavior. Following the herd is not always best unless it is a herd of wildebeest huddled in a group, often in a circle with the adults on the outside and the youngsters hidden inside, as the cheetahs are definitely near and hunting!

Being a desert the climate is very varied with temperatures ranging from -20 to +50 degrees Celsius, so not a “walk in the park”, but this provides variation and different animal behavior which make for interesting photography. We have found December and January very rewarding but is usually accompanied by extreme heat and sometimes heavy rains and flooding. We have seen the Kgalagadi barren, burnt as well as covered by the green Doring boss plants that produce a prolific number of yellow flowers that many animals eat.

Something that is very special are the lion prides. There at least 5 separate ones some say even 7. The males are huge and majestic with their traditional black manes, the females are also larger than normal and do not take any nonsense from anyone as Johann Kloppers’s “Snot Klap” can attest to. The loving nature of the lions especially the bond between mother and cub is exceptional. Seeing them hunt or a leopard hide her cub while she hunts and then seeing the hunt, after which the carcass is dragged up a tree and the female then goes to the cub’s hiding spot and makes a unique call that the cub responds to and runs to meet her are exceptional scenes that with patience and dedication can be witnessed. We were lucky to see this at Marie Se Gat where the hiding place on the cub was in a bush next to out vehicle some 50cm from my door. The cub was completely hidden, still and totally silent until the mom called. This was a complete surprise and a cherry on the top of this visit.

Sometimes one is not able to capture all with the camera for a plethora of reasons, but this is also very special as you see it and it makes an indelible memory one that you never forget and one that makes the journey and coping with the climate worth it and make us return when we can. It IS important to just look sometimes!

The climate changes also produce fires, lightning and thunderstorms which add another dimension to the experience and photographic opportunities with interesting unique landscapes. Photographing in the Kgalagadi is challenging as you can not exit your vehicle and you are restricted as to where you can go, the other challenge is the backgrounds, which are often very domineering cluttered and messy, which can easily downgrade a good picture. I have learnt from experience of processing many images and take special conscience of the likely background before I take images and often reposition to improve this. However, sometimes this is impossible, and I then take the images especially if they are special ones or I simply observe and savor the behavior. The light is often challenging as the animals come out earlier in the morning before it gets hot or are active later. Having said this the two golden hours are very often spectacular in the perfect glowing light, but it does not last very long in the Kgalagadi, which is a pity as it is an absolutely magical time!

One of my goals is to capture the “moment” and this requires time and effort to study your intended subjects, patience, some equipment and endurance work to anticipate, maneuver and waiting for the moment. Most importantly you must comprehensively work the scene, look for incoming animals as this often provides added action and interest. Often when the first burst of action is over many depart and the remaining few are very often treated to some more great action as animals also need to rest and regroup or they simply await the arrival of their next opportunity. The more you learn the less important your equipment becomes as one can get closer and be in the perfect position as you get better at anticipating the behavior. We have been exceptionally close to lions, leopards, cubs of both, snakes, herds of springbok and wildebeest, Bateleurs, Tawney eagles, to name a few, making the experience absolutely sublime. I remember photographing two lions mating and once finished the female strode over to my vehicle and passed right next to my open window looked me straight in the eye and simply carried on, (my fellow photographers in the surrounding vehicles thought that I was going to be eaten!!!) scary but exhilarating and shows that if you do not provoke or interfere with them they will ignore you and simply continue with their life’s activities, providing you with unique experiences that will forever be imbedded in your memory.

A big thanks to Pat and Johann Kloppers, and others that have shared their sighting and experience whilst in the park for their advice. We encourage all to do the same as there are a few that do not have this spirit, and it is sad.

Here are some images that hopefully inspire and make you want to travel and experience this amazing unique place. Click to enlarge.

Dante Parisi
November 2024

Evaluation of Digital Images – Jan 2025

Winners of Digital Image of the Month – Jan 2025
Please click on images to enlarge.

Evaluation of Theme Images – Jan 2025

Winners of Theme Image of the Month – Jan 2025
Please click on images to enlarge.