The morning wake-up call came very early; the knock on the door was at 5:00 am. However, I was already awake, eagerly anticipating my first-morning game drive. This morning, I would meet Aubrey Tseleng, who would be my guide for the rest of my game drives. Aubrey is a master photographer here at Mashatu; his work is stunning, and he guided me on the best ways to capture the essence of Mashatu. His knowledge of the reserve is boundless.
Our driver for the rest of the adventure would be Bellamy. Bellamy’s passion was finding leopards, and he was exceptionally skilled at it! He sometimes took us deep into the bush, providing us with amazing opportunities to see and photograph leopards. Our spotter, Ponsho, sat high in the back upper seat of the safari vehicle. He was a very skilled observer and spotter.
As the first light illuminated the 42,000 hectares of privately owned land, known as the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, we began to see all sorts of wildlife moving about. The silhouettes of giraffes’ necks stretched high into the trees as they grabbed breakfast. We saw a hyena returning from its night out and a myriad of other animals such as kudu, wildebeest, and zebra welcoming us as we drove out in search of photographic opportunities.
As I mentioned, Bellamy was fixated on finding leopards, and in no time, we found one. This was a highlight of the adventure: my first wild leopard photograph. It was sitting beneath the treeline, waiting for its prey. The trees framed it nicely, and even though it was in the shade with a bright background, I liked this image and how it was captured. We would have many opportunities to photograph leopards throughout the adventure, and some of my favorite images are from this first encounter. Aubrey, Bellamy, and Ponsho made a great team to be with.
Day three of a dream come true. (To be continued)
A special shout-out to Shem Compion and the C4 Photographic Safari Team for making this dream a reality. I look forward to working with you on my future tours to help make other photographers’ dreams come true.
If you’re interested in joining me on a future trip to this incredible destination, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for more information. I am planning a trip for April 3rd-12th, 2025.