It was great to find ourselves back on Zimanga private game reserve with new guests at the start of June, so soon after our previous visit and with a full seven nights ahead of us to enjoy the exciting photographic benefits this growing reserve in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal brings to the table. Welcomed by a big bull elephant as soon as we got through the gate, we were certain his greeting was a favourable omen for our visit. The close encounter certainly got us into ‘big game mode’.

Up close with one of Zimanga’s big bulls

From that moment on our feet didn’t hit the ground as days were spent game driving, photographing in the famous Bence Máté-designed hides, and downloading and refuelling back at Doornhoek Lodge – which we had to ourselves and quickly made our home from home in the bush.

What makes Zimanga special for wildlife photography, whether in the renowned hides or on game drives, is the opportunity to get down low when photographing iconic African safari subjects. And to spend the time that’s required with them, as situations develop, to take your images to the next level.

Capturing subjects behaving naturally at very close range in the bush, at intimate eye-level, and with backgrounds dropping away cleanly and beautifully, isn’t that easy in many conventional reserves. The chance to spend time with subjects, drive off-road to track them over distance where necessary, and the luxury of letting a photographic opportunity develop and play-out fully is a treat. With only three vehicles at any one time operating on the reserve, and guides keenly aware of photographer guests’ requirements, we’re able to position perfectly for our photography – something a lot of other destinations can’t easily deliver.  This visit proved a perfect illustration of how this extra flexibility and photographic access helps us get better pictures.

Rough and tumble: Zimanga’s lions at play

The lions turned out to be the headline performers, with three curious lion cubs just at that mischievous and playful stage and two big males coming into their prime, so that’s where we put the bulk of our time and photographic effort. When we found the youngsters climbing trees and play-fighting, or when one of the males was following a lioness’ scent in the hope that she was in oestrus, baring his canines in perfect demonstration of the ‘flehmen grimace’, there we were with cameras cocked.

Male lion demonstrating ‘flehmen grimace’: testing the air for a female in oestrus

When we found the pride just finishing a warthog kill, socialising by the river, and, later, when they’d just taken territorial control of the dam area, our guide got us in the best spot for a dynamic low perspective on them. And then again, when we came across them early one morning on their pre-dawn patrol and we could spotlight them dramatically in the darkness, looking truly predatory, then, of course, that’s where we spent time getting our captures right.

Male lion on the dam wall

Night hides were quieter than usual, but we enjoyed visits from some magnificent Cape buffalo bulls

With so many great lion sightings, the fact that the night hide sessions were quieter than usual due to late rains, and the wild dogs were off limits for a few weeks, barely seemed to matter. (The dogs were temporarily confined to a boma (large bush enclosure) until they’d bonded successfully with two new females that had been brought to refresh the gene pool of the Zimanga pack. This is a necessary part of wild dog conservation in South Africa. Extremely endangered, wild dogs are managed by conservationists as a single metapopulation, with dogs being moved around in a controlled way in the wild to mimic their natural dispersal to keep their blood lines fresh.)

Later in the trip, when it appeared that a distant elephant bull might walk into the perfect position for a fantastic silhouette shot right at the end of the day, our guide was immediately alert to the potential and abandoned ‘plan A’ without question. Taking control of the situation he was able to drive off-road in time to get us all into a great position for the light, and for nailing some cracking shots. This included giving helpful suggestions re: art direction and technical assistance on creative use of white balance in-camera for those who wanted it, while at the same time negotiating the rugged and bumpy terrain.

Dialing down the white balance enhances the dusk effect in this elephant image

When the hippos were busy in the water at sunset, there we were again, in the best place for pictures, spending the dying moments of the light sitting low on the edge of the water (in Egyptian goose poo when needs must!), photographing the resident hippo pod gloriously backlit as they yawned, blew water spray or ‘porpoised’. On one occasion the short-lived, but wonderfully violent splashing of the big male was nailed by one quick-thinking, fast-fingered guest much to the envy of everyone present, and those back at the lodge when word got around.

Back-lit hippo in Zimanga’s biggest dam

When tawny eagles locked talons in front of the scavenger hide, or were perched low enough for flight shots out on the reserve and we could carefully drive the right side of them for the best light to get the moment of take-off, then that’s what we did. When waterbirds were posing contre-jour in the lagoon hide in the morning, or busy hunting in golden light in the afternoon, we had the best seats in the house for the action. When the Zimanga elephants allowed an approach close enough for us to experiment with sculptural side-lighting, and extreme close-ups, in the low-raking light of late afternoon then, again, that’s what we photographed… and so much more.

Grey heron at lagoon hide

It was a visit that seemed to sum up Zimanga  (which means ‘something amazing’), allowing us to make the very best of great photographic opportunities whenever Mother Nature was kind enough to let her magic happen… and that’s really not a bad way to while away a week of your time.

Three cheers to Calvin Kotze for fantastic guiding, off-road driving, photography guidance and the corny in-drive commentary. Cheers too to Ester – the braaibroodjies were delicious – and to Dudu and the rest of the friendly Doornhoek team for making us all feel so at home. And a special mention and thanks to Jono Warburton, standing in for Calvin on our first couple of days and doing us proud yet again. Thanks as always to Charl and Mariska Senekal for going the extra mile.

Not forgetting a final cheer for our group of guests who made our time on Zimanga fly with their good company and bad jokes.  GH we will never forget your press-ups in the wild. W&T – where were you hiding that never-ending stash of chocolate? CS – please bring the cafetiere again next time for the night-hide sessions. PS and RT – a new comedy duo is born, if a decade or two late…

Yellowbilled stork, lagoon hide

Secretarybird settling at roost

Vervet monkeys at the lagoon hide

Tawny eagle taking flight

Close encounter of the furred kind: female cheetah

Warthogs at the scavenger hide