Dec

14

2014

Mala Mala Calendar 2015

Misc  Posted by / 0 comments

THANK YOU GREG & PIETER !

This is just a tiny blog, but for a big issue….

See, we sent in 9 photos for the Mala Mala photo competition, and were really very disappointed when we didn’t even make it in the top 10…. so we forgot all about it, well, sort of put it in the back of our minds. Till one day early August I got an e-mail : Mala Mala calendar 2015. Figured they wanted to sell me one of the calendars, opened it, and to my surprise they didn’t want to sell me one, but use one of my photos ! Yes, yes, yes ! I am going to be a famous photographer, someone has “discovered me”. Boy, I am so proud ! They even sent the email twice. As I opened the second one it turned out I was wrong again. They want to use another photo ! Even more proud now ! We still didn’t really believe it, decided to wait till we saw the calendar, had it in our hands…..and here it is.

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The good thing is, one photo is Jürgs, one is mine, so we can keep the discussion going as to which of the two of us is the better photographer. Judge for yourselves !

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The thank you part is the most important ! We couldn’t have done it without these two guys.

So here’s a very big thank you : to Greg du Toit, my absolutely favourite photographer. His photos are just something else, different, unique and inspiring. He showed me how to really use and be master of my camera, and inspired me to keep trying, wait for the light, and see with my eyes and heart.

Just as big a thank you to Pieter van Wijk, my favourite ranger ever. He tracked down and drove us to these wonderful animals, got us in prime photo position more than once, and to my opinion is one who truly sees with his heart.

In the following picture Greg and Pieter are the two pretty ones on the right !

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We owe you two a drink next time we meet, I hope it will be soon 🙂 🙂 🙂 !

Nov

22

2014

PILATUS : Photo workshop at 2132 m.

Nature / Photo workshop / Travel  Posted by / 0 comments

PILATUS :

Photo workshop with NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC photographers:

Florian & Salomon Schulz

We know this guy, went to a multi media show he did on his travels to the Arctic last year, and we’re definitely hooked !

We visited an afternoon workshop last year, and as we saw this chance…we took it. Two days on the Pilatus, a 2132m/7000 ft high mountain in central Switzerland, learning from the pro’s and the best thing is, we are going to do night shoots and learn to do time lapse, Juergs favourites !

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So we left home a little early, hoping to take some photos before it got too crowded. An hour’s drive got us to Alpnachstad. The exit is well posted and the parking lot was easily found and half empty, good for us ! All right maybe this was because the weather was getting from average to rather lousy…. We got our tickets for the cogwheel railway. It goes up all 30 minutes, and we had of course just missed it, so we had plenty of time for a coffee before we could at last get up there.

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Nov

01

2014

Cheetah or Hyena ? Which do you like best ?

Wildlife  Posted by / 1 comments

Cheetah or Hyena ?

Which do you like best ? I believe most of you will spontaneously go for the cheetah, the sleek, athletic hunter, as compared to the hyena, the not so pretty and oddly proportioned hunter and scavenger, which even in Walt Disney movies is pictured as an ugly, stealing coward. But what if we look at the cubs ? All small animals are adorable, but as my ranger told me he was a big fan of the hyenas I didn’t quite believe him. That was till we got to the hyena den…

 Judge for yourselves, I bet you’ll have a hard time deciding !

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Cheetah…

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or Hyena ?

P.S. I am very proud and honoured that this blog is also featured as a blog for  Africa Geographic

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Oct

22

2014

AESCHER : a mountain restaurant

Nature / Travel  Posted by / 1 comments

This is a mountain restaurant, not like many others that I’ve seen. Location, location, location !

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This tiny restaurant at about 1450m above sea level is perched like an eagles nest at the bottom of a steep cliff. It is precariously set at a small ledge, from where there is a 600m drop down to the valley, rather a steep drop I must add. The views of course are no less than spectacular, and their chäs rösti, (a swiss national dish like a big hash brown with melted cheese on top) is so good, it alone is worth the hike up there. So we started our hike…

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Oct

08

2014

MALA MALA MAGIC

Nature / Wildlife  Posted by / 1 comments

MALA MALA : a photographers paradise

Mala Mala is a private game reserve in the Sabi Sand, bordering the Krueger Park in South Africa. I am a little prejudiced after three trips in 15 months, but I believe it is one of the best game parks in South Africa, if not the best, especially if you are into photography. I truly love to be here ! This place oozes old style British colonial charm, it is the old Africa, as I remember it from my youth in Kenya, and the wildlife sightings are phenomenal. I don’t know if our ranger Joe was so good, or if we were so lucky, probably a bit of both, but we have never had so many absolutely fantastic sightings, seen so many cubs and pups and young animals as we did this time. Maybe the champagne we started to drink at breakfast ( for good luck ) did work after all !

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You can still see it was an old hunting lodge

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The buffalo lounge where we meet before dinner

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Our bedroom with adjoining living room and his&hers bathrooms

Our first game drive started with a beautiful eagle, followed by a tiny elephant, this little one was so small it could easily walk under mums belly. It stumbled along, bumped into its mothers legs, tried to somehow use its trunk. We sat and watched for the longest time, totally adorable !

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