I am back on my blog

Well, hello friends.
It's been a while.
And by that, I mean it's been almost 18 months since my last post on here.

I am sorry, I truly am.

Due to personal changes in my life I had just been unable to process any photos, write any blogs or engage meaningfully with my photography for the past 2 years. The main reason has been me studying towards an MBA and focusing on my career (which is not full-time photography, surprisingly). The level of effort required to do well in an MBA while carrying on your normal work and raising a family, combined with the amount of screen-time I was having, resulted in me using the free/spare time I did have for relaxation, family-time or sleeping!

I am on the back-end now. A few more months and this season will be behind me. How do they say? The only constant in life, is change.

My photography has not totally stagnated, though. I have been able to sneak away to a couple of short trips to the Kruger National Park and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, as I am accustomed to doing for my normal family vacation safaris. I had to put on hold any hospitality services and photographic guiding, and hope to be able to rekindle that in the near future.

For now - rest assured that I will be rekindling my love of telling wildlife stories, sharing photographic knowledge and engaging in meaningful conservation conversations both here on my blog and on my various social media channels. You would have noticed a spike in my activity on Instagram and Facebook over the last week or two as well.


Here's to more photography, and getting back to doing the things we love!

- Morkel -

Wildlife Storytelling 1 - The Essence of the Beast

We are, by nature, story-tellers. I don't care what your chosen medium of expression is - a good chunk of people alive today want to tell their story in their own way.

This is also true of wildlife photographers...

But what makes for better wildlife story-telling?
I often conduct workshops to inspire other wildlife photographers to tell better wildlife stories.

This is the first of a series of posts here on my blog where I will delve into some of the principles I discuss during these presentations. My hope is that it will inspire you to look at your own photographic voice and style, and try to steer away from just taking the same photos you've always taken, and the same photos that everyone else is taking.

Let's get started...

1. The Essence of the Beast

We've all got our photographic muse when it comes to wildlife photography. Not everyone is lucky enough to live on the continent of Africa, but some who don't live here are able to travel here on safari frequently. Nevertheless, for some it will be the polar bear, for others the tiger, for some it might even be the carmine bee-eater or the orca. 

It doesn't really matter...what matters is - are you able to convey something about that favourite species of yours through your photography? Are you able to show people not just what they would physically see in the frame of your photo, but also show them what else there might be?

I like to be able to show my viewers something about these fascinating subjects I get to photograph. Something deeper than the merely obvious. I like to show them something about the essence of the subject. The essence of the beast, as it were...

Case in point: the leopard.

Who doesn't love leopards?

While they are certainly my favourite big cat to be able to photograph, they are definitely not the one I most often see. Why? Because of their nature. Because of what leopards are.

Elusive.
Secretive.
Mysterious.
Powerful.
Seductive.
Stealth.
Silence.
Vigilance.

You get the point?
But do most photos of leopards in the wild show this?

Sure, it's great getting a chance to photograph a leopard in sweet light, lying prone on an open tree branch or termite mound, fully cooperating with the photographer. You can get plenty of those shots if you go to the right reserve/national park at the right time, and you have some luck on your side.

Yet, after seeing hundreds (if not thousands) of those photos in the photographic communities/forums that I am involved in - it has become rather "meh" to me.

What I am now looking for constantly is that image that shows off the qualities of this predator that I have listed. Or any other quality that's not obvious when doing a simple Google search for leopard photos.

In order to get those shots, you might need to forego your desire to have that golden light, with the cat on an unobstructed perch.

Consider this image. Does it not say infinitely more about the enigmatic leopard than the one I posted higher up in the post?

Nikon D3s  |  Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II  |  f4.0  |  1/250 SS  |  ISO-4000

I will now "drop the mic", and leave you be until the next post...

Morkel Erasmus

South Africa: Rich in National Parks

During my (relatively short, I might add) lifetime I have had the privilege of visiting the majority of South Africa’s national parks and game reserves. What a wealth of natural heritage we possess! 

When people from abroad look at some of the work in my photographic portfolio, they are amazed at the diversity of wildlife and landscapes that we have 'on our doorstep', so to speak. We need to appreciate it, conserve it and foster a love for this natural heritage among all South Africans from all walks of life.

If we don’t, we might just lose it before our children have the chance to see what we see now. Many iconic species of fauna are already at risk (think rhinos and wild dogs), and the constant threat of mining and industrial development in areas of pristine natural beauty is something that won’t go away soon.

Here are some scenes from a couple of well-known and lesser-known parks and reserves that are both accessible for people who self-drive and self-cater, and reasonably affordable.

Kruger National Park

A herd of buffalo on the Mphongolo River near Punda Maria in the Kruger National Park.

Everybody’s favourite reserve, this park spans a massive 2-million hectares (approximately) and contains beautiful scenery and fauna. The southern region is very popular and therefore can get very crowded. I prefer to visit the quieter and more scenic northern regions - and if you search my blog you will find numerous posts about my forays in to this iconic national park.

A young spotted hyena in the rain in the Kruger National Park.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park


If you are a keen wildlife photographer there is no better place, in my opinion, than the Kgalagadi. Remote, arid and teeming with life, this is a place where silence and serenity seep into your soul. This park is situated in the Kalahari desert, with wide open spaces and red soil. 


My blog archives have extensive posts and images from this place, as it's a favourite of mine.

A black-maned Kalahari lion strides across the vast expanse of the Kgalagadi.

A cheetah family playing on the red dunes of the Kgalagadi

Golden Gate Highlands National Park

A grand view over the sandstone formations of the Maluti mountains in the Golden Gate Highlands.

The jewel of the Eastern Free State, this park encompasses iconic sandstone formations, the Maluti Mountains, and a wide array of life forms like zebras, black wildebeest, many birds and small mammals, reptiles and insects.

The ungainly secretary bird - this one took off on the slopes of the Maluti mountains in the Golden Gate Highlands.

Mountain Zebra National Park

Cape mountain zebras - endangered but recovering well thanks to the MZNP.

This relatively unknown gem is a wonderful place to experience the Karoo as it once was - recent re-introduction of cheetahs and lions has made for an even bigger drawing card. It's got amazing backdrops and vistas, and the sense of space and solitude that is so typical of the Karoo.

Two blesbuck males duel at dawn on the escarpment of the MZNP.

Addo Elephant National Park

Two young elephant bulls test their strength at a waterhole in Addo.

Sporting the Big 5 (Big 7 if you count the great white shark and the Southern right wale in the ocean section), in a malaria free zone and close to the Port Elizabeth airport, this is a popular destination for people visiting the Cape area and wanting to add a wildlife experience.


Pilanesberg National Park

A pied kingfisher landing on a branch next to the Mankwe dam in Pilanesberg.

Though this park doesn’t fall under the mantle of the South African National Parks, it’s sometimes called a national park and is a very popular destination for nature lovers close to Gauteng.  Besides hosting the Big 5, the Mankwe Dam, with its large bird hide, is popular among birders and bird photographers.

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I hope that this quick overview has inspired you to visit more of the well-known and lesser-known wilderness areas left in our country. Get out, explore, photograph, conserve, and communicate!


Morkel Erasmus

An ode to the Impala

The Impala

Stately and graceful…and plentiful…this third quality I listed probably contributes to its undervaluation as a wildlife sighting or photographic opportunity. 

In areas like the Greater Kruger Park I will give you a surety of 100 to 1 in odds that your first sighting upon entering the park will be impala. They just seem to be there in limitless numbers. Yet these populous antelopes can also provide some interesting moments, if one dares to sit with them a while and observe instead of the customary drive-by. 

I get that many overseas visitors to Africa want to move on to “bigger things” given their often limited time in the reserves…but those that have a passion for watching natural history unfold will do well to spend some time with them next time you are in the field.

Here are some images I have captured of these antelopes over the years...

The last rays of daylight kiss and envelope this stately buck’s profile. 

These two young males show separate stages of horn development. 

A young fawn receives much-needed nourishment from its vigilant mother.

Those who have seen impalas in rut will know that the males can really have at it. The intensity is visible in the eyes here!

An impressive ram in the Mara Triangle (Kenya) against an oncoming storm.

Dwarfed by the immense woodlands of Mana Pools, Zimbabwe.

Close-up study of this graceful antelope in the best kind of light. 

So that is my humble tribute to the Impala in the form of a photo essay.
Which image did you like the most?
Drop me a comment below.

God bless you

Morkel Erasmus