“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”
~Dorothea Lange
Trunk Curls
Leopard Relaxing
Nice Tusks
“When you look a wild animal in the eye, it’s like catching a glimpse into the soul of nature itself”
~Paul Oxton
Hyena on the Run
A Dazzle
Hello Baby
Lion Posing
“You know you are truly alive when you’re living among lions.”
~Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa
Lilac Breasted Roller
Rhinoceros Grazing
Lioness at Rest
Happy Hippo
Going Home
“I wish that all of nature’s magnificence, the emotion of the land, the living energy of place could be photographed.”
~Annie Leibovitz
AFRICA SMILED
– A poem by Bridget Dore, dedicated to Madiba (Nelson Mandela)
Africa smiled
A little
When you left.
“We know you,”
Africa said,
“We have seen
And watched you,
We can learn
To live
Without you,
But
We know
We needn’t
Yet.”
And Africa smiled
A little
When you left.
“You cannot
Leave Africa,”
Africa said.
“It is always with you,
There inside your head.
Our rivers run
In currents
In the swirl
Of your thumbprints;
Our drumbeats
Counting out your pulse,
Our coastline,
The silhouette of your soul.”
So Africa smiled
A little
When you left.
“We are in you,”
Africa said.
“You have not
Left us,
Yet.”
Wow 🥺 !!; That is seriously the best pictures I have ever seen.i am an aspiring nature photographer/ blogger. Please critic my post nature at it’s best and like it ☺️ !!!!!
Thanks so much, HappyOrbits. I’m happy you’re inspired by these– a thrilling trip. 🙂
Nature indeed is so beautiful!
In Africa, we were immersed in nature’s wonders. Glad you enjoyed these, Anusha. Thanks very much. 😊
I have a raincheck to visit a safari in Africa from a cancelled trip this past May. Your photos are inspiring!!
How exciting, Tinywanderer! So sorry it was planned during Covid, but hoping you get there when things are back to normal…someday. I would love to return- it’s life changing. Glad you found these inspiring- thanks so much.
Love safaris. Great photos
Thanks, ETB. Me, too. I hope we can do it again someday. Glad you enjoyed these.
Incredible Photographs!
Thanks so much, Sarwren. 😊
Hi, thanks for sharing another set of stunning images. I particularly like ‘A Dazzle; I have shared with all the appropriate attribution in place and a link to your original post; scheduled for Wednesday. Best Regards.
Thanks so much, Goff. Happy you enjoyed these favorite memories from our safaris in Africa, especially Dazzle. And thanks for sharing- much appreciated. 😀
My pleasure. Such a great set of stunning images. Have a wonderful day.
I hope to get back there one day.
That would be wonderful. Happy Day.
I hope it is OK that I shared this on my Blog Site.
Yes, of course. Thanks so much for sharing.
I am excited I found your Blog.
Thanks and your travel blog is terrific.
Amazing photography. Brings back memories travel .
Thanks so much, 100 Country. One of our most thrilling trips was safariing in Africa. I know you would agree!
Wow!!! Awesome pictures 👏
Thanks very much, WBH. A trip of a lifetime! 🙂
Exquisite pictures!!!
Thank you so much, Zelmare! 🙂
Those are some great photos. Would love to travel to Africa one day. I have been wanting to since my childhood (after watching Madagascar tbh).
Thanks so much, Philip and Helan. It truly is a thrilling life-changing experience. Glad you enjoyed these photos and I hope you visit Africa one day soon. 🙂
Fantastic. When and where did you go to Africa? (You know I spent my childhood there, right?)
Hi Brian, Yes, I do know about your time in Africa. We were there way too long ago- 2005. I would love to return. Someday. A true life-changing experience. Thanks.
Africa does change your life. It is a unique place. Were you in Botswana? I wonder from the elephants shot.
Thanks for sharing and for your visit.
Gorgeous wild💛👍
Thank you, Shikha. It was a thrill to photograph. 😊
Wow! Such amazing pictures of these African animals.
Hi Philip, Happy you enjoyed these. A thrill to photograph on this trip of a lifetime. Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂
Brilliant!
Beautiful photos of a beautiful place! It’s one of my dream places to visit! 😀
Happy you enjoyed these, Nuno. I hope you do a safari someday. It’s a life altering experience. Thanks so much! 🙂
Fantastic shots of so many animals!
Thanks, Kara. A life-changing experience to be on safari. Glad you enjoyed!
Such incredible shots!
Thank you so much, Alison. 😊
I see you found the Big 5. I love them all, but the giraffe is my favourite.
We did. I’m so glad you enjoyed these. That little giraffe was quite adorable. 🙂 Thanks very much, Lisa.
Wonderful photos.
Thank you, Timothy. Much appreciated. 😊
Gorgeous photos from the only way to travel these days Jane. Always such an uplifting treat visiting you. Have a great weekend 🙂
I’m so glad you traveled along with me, Andrew. Yes, dreaming is the way to stay hopeful. Thanks very much and wishing you a wonderful weekend, too. 🙂
Oh my goodness, Jane, what a spectacular series of African wildlife you have captured here. Truly magnificent. You have done such a great job of highlighting the creatures’ personalities. The leopard with his glare, resting against a tree; the first elephant close up with his curled trunk and marvelously wrinkly hide. The old male lion and his scratched-up face. Loved seeing down the throat of the hippo, and the “dazzle,” to use your word, of the zebra herd. Wonderful to see the Okavango Delta with the elephant herd walking through. I enjoyed the quotes very much too. Buy my favorite of all the photos, one that I actually felt a shiver go through me for the wild fierceness you had captured: the hyena.
Hi Jet, So pleased to read your reaction coming from your experienced eye. I have had a ball revisiting my images from Africa finding favorites and some happy surprises like the hyena image. He was on he way to finish up the remains of a kill.
I love that a herd of zebras is called a dazzle (or a zeal). Describes it perfectly.
I remember photographing that leopard for a long time as he lazed on the termite mound- which in a wide shot is about 20 feet high.
And the elephants to me capture the emotion and majesty of the African environment.
Thank you for your great comment and I hope you enjoyed traveling back with me. 🙂 Keep on staying healthy and safe. 💚
your photos are just amazing. That one of the hyena is beyond exceptional, thanks so much for sharing these
Thanks, Andy. I’m really enjoying going through this trip again. I appreciate you following my blog. Looking forward to heading over to yours.
thats very kind but my photos are not nearly to amazing standard of yours!
Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
Thanks, Chuck. 😊
These are wonderful captures of wild life animals. Love the “Trunk Curls”, “Leopard Relaxing”, “Nice Tusks”, “A Dazzle” are my favorites.
Thanks very much, YC. Those were exciting moments to capture. Happy you enjoyed! 😀
Nice leopard. And, the lilac breasted roller – talk about vivid colors on that one. The elephants might be the real story of Africa. The babies are being born without tusks, and the juveniles have been seen without them as well. If the biologists are right, it seems Mother Nature may have solved the ivory poaching problem.
Hope you’re doing well. 🙂
Thank you, David. Glad you enjoyed the photos. I hadn’t read that about their tusks. Will research. The recent unexplained die off of elephants is tragic.
Best to you and yours. 😊
I enjoyed this trip! Particularly “Nice Tusks” and “A Dazzle” – thanks again, Jane!
Thank you, Adam. Two faves. 🙂
Enjoyed the photos… k
Thanks very much, Kathy! 🙂
i think it’s great when you dream and that such pictures come out of it.
many greetings robert
Thanks so much, Robert. Dreaming surely helps boost the mood and think about better days ahead. Glad you enjoyed these. 🙂
Gorgeous wildlife shots Jane! I can certainly see why you are dreaming of Africa!
Thank you, Denise. It helps to calm the yearning for travel….you know the feeling! Hope all is well with you.
You must have had the best time! Your eye for composition didn’t fail you. There are so many memorable images here – but the last one is breathtakingly moving. Still, the horizontal flow of zebras, the straight-on regard of the lion, the Roller’s rainbow of colors in that quiet light…we might as well dream!
Hi Lynn, It was a life altering trip, for sure and I appreciate your thoughts…funny it was so long ago but I still hold onto certain compositional aspects in my work today. Thanks very much for taking them in and dreaming with me. Someday we will return to our adventures… 🙂
I do miss being able to travel…yes, one of these days we’ll be back on the road. 🙂
I think Annie would be pretty pleased with the effort you’ve made, Jane. The expressions on their faces are priceless. 🙂 🙂
Aw, thanks, Jo. It was good to look back on such a thrilling experience. Glad you enjoyed. 🙂 🙂
Thanks for sharing such a stunning set of images. Happy Day.
Thank you, Goff. Happy you enjoyed them. 🙂
My pleasure. Great images. Best Regards.
The lilac-breasted roller is familiar, not because I’ve ever been to Africa, but because we watched a television program the other day about nature photographer Todd Gustafson, who lives there. If you’re interested, you can watch “To the Ends of the Earth: The Birds of East Africa” online: https://www.pbs.org/video/to-the-ends-of-the-earth-birds-of-east-africa-fof80m/
Yes, he’s famous. Glad you liked the magnificent Roller. Thanks, Steve.
Hi Jane, it is obvious that you enjoyed the time spent in Africa with Tarzan – you have the photographic proof!! The weathered face of the “Lion posing” is magnificent. By the way in my latest post I “conquer” a wintry Africa during a hike
Hi Abrie, Glad you enjoyed these images. It was good to revisit and remember the amazing wildlife experience in your beautiful country. Will check out your post. Thank you.
What superb photos Jane. I do hope that I get back to Africa one day. What a place it is!
Alison
Thank you, Alison. Glad these brought back some good travel memories. We must keep dreaming… 🌈
So beautiful… as African wildlife is! I was in South-Africa for about half a year in total, travelled all around (also to Kruger park), and always feel a bit ‘homesick’ when seeing pictures like this or hearing African ‘nature sounds’… Gorgeous pictures!
Thank you, Noortje, and how wonderful that you spent so much time in South Africa! I’m happy these took you back to those adventures you had. Much appreciated – hope you are doing well.
Ah now, creatures I know well – and wonderful pictures of them too. Very good to see these creatures, including the magnificent Leopard pose, but perhaps my favourite here is the Lilac-breasted Roller, both an exceptional photo and a very well known, old friend. 🙂
Thanks very much, Adrian. (Sorry for my late reply) Glad these brought back some good memories of your Africa travels. It’s been fun to go through these again. 🙂
Marvellous!
Thank you very much, Graham. 🙂
These are such magnificent photos, Jane! They bring back wonderful memories, too!
Thank you, Lex. So glad they brought back great memories for you. Someday we will be able to travel again. Be safe and well. ☺️
My husband and I are scrolling through your post, Jane, and our jaws are dropping. These are stunning. Going on safari is truly life changing, isn’t it?
Many thanks to you and your husband, Susan. Happy you enjoyed them. It certainly is life changing. Remind me where you did yours?
We were there in 2015, Jane. We were in South Africa at Sabi Sabi and Lion Sands as well as Capetown and Johannesburg. Safari was the highlight, but a visit to the beautiful wine country of Stellenbosch was also a wonderful experience. Reminded us of our own wine country.
Wonderful, Susan. We were in Botswana and SA, Cape Town – we loved Stellenbosch, as well.
Lovely Pictures.
Thanks so much, Sri. I appreciate you stopping by.
Fabulous!
Sent from my iPad
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Thank you, Sue! 🙂 Miss you.
Utterly smashing images, Jane! Have to say I think you come pretty close to capturing “all of nature’s magnificence, the emotion of the land, the living energy of place”! What an experience that must have been.
Thanks, Gunta, that’s really nice of you to say. It was fun to go back and relive the thrill of being there. It truly was mind altering. 🙂
Stunning photography, Jane, of such incredible, amazing animals of Africa! ❤
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Donna. Thanks so much. ❤️
amazing shots, Jane! closer than I may be comfortable with !!!!! 😉
Thanks, friend. My trust 200mm lens protected me! Glad you traveled along today. 💚
Just amazing, Jane! So proud of you!
Thank you so much, Fabio. Happy you enjoyed these. Great memories.😊
Wonderful images!
Thank you, Nes. I appreciate you stopping by. 😊
Amazing collection of images Jane!
Thanks very much, Brian. Glad you enjoyed these. 🙂
Fascinating images out of Africa!
Thank you, Peter. I’m enjoying revisiting my images. Brings back such wonderful memories. Appreciate you traveling with me. 🙂
Great pictures and great detail. I’m beginning to think you’ve had some experience 😁
Thanks, Poetpas. I may be getting the hang of it…I’ll keep working. 😃
Thank you for these wonderful pictures! You ( and Tina) have taken me to so many places that I will never have a chance to visit, but your wonderful photography makes me feel like I have experienced the best! Thank you.
Thank you, ML. Appreciate you traveling along. Great to hear from you and hope you are doing well. 😊
such beauty you’ve captured in your wildlife photography Jane…the eyes…the textures all lovely ~ thanks for sharing ~ smiles Hedy ☺️
Thank you very much, Hedy. Hope you are doing well. 🙂
Beautiful images. That lion staring directly at the camera is magnificent. And elephants are just wonderful. Thanks for sharing these memories.
Thanks so much, Jude. I was mesmerized by his gaze (he was probably sleepy…) Elephants are incredible creatures that carry such deep emotions and memory. I’m happy you enjoyed this collection. 🙂
I did. The best thing I ever did in my life was to go on a 26 day camping trip around southern Africa. I really just wanted to see other countries and hadn’t even considered the wildlife I would get to see. Absolutely incredible.
Camping! That takes on a whole new meaning in Africa. How marvelous, Jude. Did you have many close encounters?
If you fancy reading about it the trip is here in four parts: Part One – https://traveltalk.me.uk/2013/12/05/oranges-in-the-fishfish-in-the-orange-snippets-from-an-african-diary/
I’d love to! Thanks for the link. 😊
Sharing immediately! Too good to keep to myself. Thanks!
Thank you, Bob! Appreciate it and I am happy you enjoyed these. 🙂
Nothing short of spectacular! Such impressive photos.
Thank you so much, Cloverandivy. A trip of a lifetime and it was fun to revisit these images and wonderful memories.
Great collection Jane.
Thanks very much, Carolyn. 🙂
Amazing wildlife photography but it was the words you chose to highlight the photos that really made me linger when viewing them, soaking up their atmosphere.
Thanks so much, Amanda. I’m pleased you enjoyed the quotes along with the images. The words help inspire me as well. Appreciate you stopping by. 🙂
Wow, the photos are clear and dynamic🙌
Each one of them unique and kinda telling its own story. Well done 👌
Hi Ujjawal, Thank you very much. I’m happy you see the storytelling in the images. Much appreciated. 🙂
Outstanding images Jane 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you, Joe. It’s been great to go back through them and relive those moments. Happy you enjoyed them. 🙂
Some lovely images…..and that giraffe looks like he’s smiling at us!
Thank you, Sue. Isn’t that “little” giraffe adorable? Glad you enjoyed these. 🙂
Absolutely!
👌👌👌👌👏
Thanks very much, Traveller! 🙂
Marvelous shots, Jane. The intensity of the big cats’ gaze is visceral!
Thank you so much, Eliza. Yes, the cats are intense. I have a vivid memory of my heart pounding when a pride circled our jeep. A true thrill! 🙂
Apex predators will do that to you, haha!
Indeed!
A very nice series of Africa photos. It reminds me my two African trip, Kenya and Namibia. I like all your pictures but love zebra image the best.
Thanks very much, Stephen. I’m so glad you’ve been to Africa and I bet your photos are fantastic. Glad you enjoyed this, especially the Dazzle. Much appreciated. 🙂
Such wondrous wildlife captures, Jane. I love the ‘dazzle’ of zebra. So descriptive. The lilac-breasted roller must be one of the prettiest birds on the planet.
Happy you enjoyed these, Sylvia. Agree! That little bird is a marvel, as is all the wildlife there. Thank you so much for viewing. 🙂
Lovely, amazing photos, Jane! 🥰
Thank you very much, John. I am enjoying revisiting this trip. It was life changing. Glad you enjoyed. 🙂
Lovely pictures. Does make me nostalgic of a time when we could plan trips without restrictions. So looking forward to being able to start exploring the world again but it feels it will take a long time before it happens. Stay safe & healthy. (Suzanne)
Thank you, Suzanne. So true. It’s hard to imagine the freedom and joy of traveling right now. Photographs help keep the memories alive. Warm wishes to you and Pierre for safe and healthy days, as well. 🙂
All pics are amazing!
Thanks so much, Ankar. I have such wonderful memories of Africa. Glad you enjoyed these. 🙂