Savanna sitters
Johan du Preez has made it his mission to
ensure Africa’s lesser-known residents are
allowed their time to shine
MISSION: Prove the lesser-known animals of Africa
are just as photogenic as the Big Five
PHOTOGRAPHER: Johan du Preez
LOCATION: Kruger National Park, South Africa
KIT USED: Nikon D800 and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8
WEBSITE: http://www.photox.co.za
INSTAGRAM: @johandu76I
am passionate about African
wildlife, especially the
animals that are not so well
known. Most people who
come to Africa want to see
the Big Five: the lion, leopard, elephant,
rhinoceros and buffalo. I’d rather
photograph animals and birds like the blue
wildebeest, southern ground hornbill,
white-headed vulture, baboon and lappet-
faced vulture. Most people don’t even stopto watch these animals, let alone
photograph them. I want to show that even
a completely common animal can make for
a fascinating picture.The opportune moment
Baboons are surely one of the funniest
animals [1]. You can sit for hours watching
them play or socialize. They aren’t hard to
find, but they can be quite dangerous. The
background is just as important as the
subject. This male was sitting on a ridge,
with the dry riverbed below. Because of
the number of vehicles that visit the park,
the animals are used to cars stopping next
to them, so it took around 20 minutes for
this male to turn his head in my direction.
I framed the photo from a slight downward
angle, which allowed me to capture the
riverbed in the background. Otherwise,the subject would have been positioned in
front of some trees, which wouldn’t have
produced the effect that I wanted.
This image [2] came about while I was
driving. I happened upon a fresh impala
carcass on the side of the road, and
decided to wait and see what might
appear. Before long it had attracted
some white-backed vultures and eagles,
but when the huge lappet-faced vulture
appeared, I sprung into action. Thankfully
I had opened all my vehicle’s windows, so
I could move quickly and capture the
image that I had in mind. I wanted to show
the huge size of this vulture against the
smaller species and the impala. When
I photograph wildlife, I always use
continuous autofocus.
The southern ground hornbill [3] is the
largest species of hornbill in the world.
These birds are always on the move and
searching for things to eat, from insects
to reptiles and even hares. I was watching
one coming from my right side and turned
my head for literally two seconds.
When I looked back there were three in
a row. The middle one caught a scorpion
and, as other wildlife photographers will
affirm, taking a shot almost becomes a
reflex; your fingers move over the shutter
button and you capture the image (that’s
why it’s so vital to know your camera).
Wildlife is unpredictable. You should
always have your camera at the ready.Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8
Exposure: 1/800 sec, f/4, ISO320YOUR STORIES
[1] Patience is key. It took 20
minutes for this baboon to
finally turn his head.