“The eye never forgets what the heart has seen”
-African Proverb
The start of the day is my favourite time in the Mara. There is a sense of peace, unless lions or hyena are active nearby, and excitement over what might happen as we leave camp in the dark. The light slowly starts to pick up, and if we are lucky, the sky will be filled by bright pinks, oranges and reds before the sun rises above the horizon.
Often we will have a plan, looking to find one of the big cats we ended the previous day with or have new intel on. But as we drive along we might find giraffe or elephant on the plains or herds of antelope and we will stop and watch and try and capture the beauty in front of us.
This section focuses on dusk and dawn out on the open plains, showing the beautiful light at this time of day as well as how little the bigger mammals can look under the Mara skies.
The Big Friendly Giant. One of those amazing Mara skies and I'm hanging out of my vehicle, trying to have my camera as low as possible to emphasise the size of this male giraffe at dusk.
Solitude. An elephant feeding at dawn, away from the rest of the herd.
On The Prowl. We found a pride of lions sheltering together in a rain storm late one afternoon. When the rain stopped, the lions started to move and headed off to hunt as the sun set behind them.
The Best Time Of Day. A lone rhino feeding at dawn.
Through The Tall Grass. One of those shots I love because it gives a sense of how big those skies are!
I've Got Your Back. This will have been one of the first sunrises this baby topi will have experienced. Topi are notorious for their great eyesight, and are used as the eyes of the Mara to spot any nearby predators.
The Pink Ladies. Ostrich females trying to impress the nearby male at dawn.
Ball of Fire. An elephant crossing the plain at sunrise.
Gold and Black. A wildebeest, looking like the world is on its shoulders, at dusk.
Sun Worship. A male giraffe at dusk.
Symmetry. Topi synchronising at dusk.
Twilight. A lone male giraffe makes his way down to the trees at the bottom of the hill at dusk. The pinks and purples in the sky were incredible.
Sunburst. We were so lucky to find this herd of elephant crossing the plain at sunrise. It was one of those mornings with no clouds in the sky and little colour, but I like the impact of the image in black and white.
African Skies. Migrating wildebeest at dawn. It is amazing to see the trails of wildebeest at migration time, but hard to reflect that in any one photo.
Three Of A Kind. Ostriches feeding at dawn.
Having A Laugh. Zebra have quite an unusual call, which I somehow confuse with hyena. It was great capturing them call against the dawn skies.
Family. A topi and her calf look across the plain at sunrise.
Picky Eater. A giraffe selects a snack from the floor as the sun sets behind.
Come Together. A herd of elephant in the blue hour.
Night Walker. A lone bull elephant crossing the plain at dusk. This image makes me think of their ancestors, the mammoth, for some reason.
Into The Light. This is from one of the most beautiful early mornings I have experienced in the Mara. The mix of colours in the sky was incredible and a kind giraffe chose to walk across the empty plain at the same time. An incredible start to the day.
Unforgettable. We found the amazing Fig before sunrise, in a tree where we'd seen her kill hanging from a branch the day before. As the sun began to rise, she began her descent, resulting in the unmistakable shape of a leopard against the early morning sky.
Calm. A lone elephant feeds at dawn in the Mara Triangle.
Out of Darkness Cometh Light. The afternoon was cloudy and it looked like there was little chance of a sunset. However, as the sun began to fall behind the hill, it found a gap in the clouds and the light illuminated a lone giraffe.
Mirror Image. Wildebeest watching each other's backs at dusk. It was one of those wonderful bright red skies!
A New Dawn. This is probably the only photo of a maribou stork that I own. They serve a great purpose - they are the undertakers of the plain - but are probably the ugliest bird I have ever seen!
Profile.
Sundowner Bites. I love having a sundowner, which for me is always a gin and tonic, whilst the sun sets. And hopefully we have some amazing wildlife in front of a colourful sky. Fortunately the bites we are given are better than the grass on the plains!
Follow The Leader. A herd of elephant on the move at dusk.
Positivity. One of those images that makes me smile. We were heading to find the five cheetah boys near Talek, but couldn't resist stopping for these two.
New Romance. A couple of topi watch as the sun rises.