Each year the Nambiti Management does controlled burns as part of its bush management programme. Various blocks are burnt on a 2-3 year cycle and, this year, it was all the areas in the south of the reserve where we are situated. The reason for the burning is to counter bush encroachment, to create suitable habitats for grazing animals and purely to promote good game viewing within Nambiti. If these areas were left to their own devices, the absence of fire would eventually mean that the build-up of dead material would create an unsuitable habitat for the animals. Added to that, should a fire eventually move through the area, due to the increased fuel load, it would be a more intense fire and it would in fact be more damaging.

The timing of the fires is also important. In Nambiti we usually burn in late August/September for a number of reasons. At this time, the grasses are still dormant but the rains should be coming soon. Ideally one should burn after the first spring rains so that the grass isn’t too dry and the fire therefore doesn’t burn too intensely. For the same reason a cool windless day is suitable.

Another reason for burning at this time of year is to eliminate the possibility of soil erosion. The grass should have enough time to grow back and provide good ground cover before the heavy summer rains which would otherwise wash away the top layer of soil. This year Nambiti had some good early rains which was wonderful timing after the fires and means that now we are surrounded by beautiful green areas. This, of course, is fantastic for the game viewing. Just days after the fires, we noticed an increase in the general game in the area and we now see large herds of animals attracted by the new growth. The cycle of life goes on around us every day but after a fire you can actually watch it happen right before your eyes.

- Ross Cairns, game guide at Nambiti Hills Private Game Lodge

Photo by Clinton Friedman

We all have to deal with stress in our lives and some of us have more issues than others. We could certainly all benefit from therapy. Nambiti therapy. A couple of days in the magnificent wilderness of Nambiti Private Game Reserve will work wonders at restoring your sense of balance and your perspective. Add to that some glorious time spent at Nambiti Hills Private Game Lodge being pampered with the most convivial and personal service, wonderful food and the restful privacy of the executive suites, each with their unique view across the reserve, and you will feel renewed and re-energised. What could be better?

Well, turns out, one more thing – a therapist in your room giving you the real treatment! Before your mind skips to where it shouldn’t, I’m talking about a spa treatment. This is a new addition to the many Nambiti Hills offerings. Nambiti Hills now has an in-house therapist who will give you an excellent spa treatment in the luxurious comfort of your own executive suite. As if just being at Nambiti isn’t relaxing enough, this just takes it to a new heavenly level!

Which leads to a bit of a conundrum. When is the best time to have your spa therapy? After the early morning game drive and brunch, so that you can relax and think of that herd of elephants you just watched crossing the river, or the jackals that skipped across the road in a blur? But then will you feel too relaxed to go out again on the evening game drive followed by the most sumptuous dinner out? Do you skip your early morning game drive, have your therapy early in the day, sleep and then, in a near trance state of complete equilibrium, do you head out for the evening safari? Or, and here’s a great idea, do you book in for an extra day at Nambiti Hills so that you can spend just one day hanging out at the lodge, completely chilled after a relaxing massage, sleep when you want, spend hours going through the many fascinating books available to you in the lounge, and relax on the deck doing all your game spotting with your binoculars?

I know which option I’d choose.

(By the way, you’re encouraged to make your spa therapy booking before arrival for obvious reasons but if you don’t you can always try and secure an appointment during the course of your stay.)

- Siobhan Gunning, writer and wildlife enthusiast

Photo by Brett Hoy

One of the greatest ways to truly see the nature and wildlife that surrounds you at Nambiti Private Game Reserve is through the lens of a camera. Raptors high in the sky, tiny insects caught in a web, gentle landscapes: All that nature has to offer takes on a new meaning when seen as a potential photograph. Don’t get me wrong, just being in the midst of such wild beauty is awesome in the true sense of the word and immensely gratifying. But when you’re armed with a camera you take that experience to the next level. You can not only capture some of that beauty and excitement, you can curate and edit it. You can save it for all time and share it with as many people as you want. Thanks to the Internet, if you upload your pics you can share them with millions of strangers and let them benefit, at least in part, from your wonderful experience at Nambiti.

How To Bring Movement To Your Still Photos
A photo presents a moment frozen in time. How do you bring life to that? By combining movement with that moment, inviting the viewer to study the image more closely.

Controlled blur

Officially as panning, this keeps the subject in focus whilst the background blurs, creating a sense of speed. To create this effect: 
• Take it slow. Use a slower shutter speed than you would typically use for a moving subject. For instance, you could capture a moment with a 500mm lens but shoot it at 125th of a second. Whilst the shutter speed may still sounds fairly fast, when combined with the magnification of a 500mm lens, it’s actually quite slow.
• Focus sharply on the subject. Remain sharply focused on the subject, moving or panning the lens with that subject as it travels horizontally.
• Keep the camera steady. Where possible, mounting your camera on a tripod. That said with current lens stabilization technology you can pan and keep your main image in focus while holding your equipment in your hands.
• Shoot lots of image. That way, there will certainly be some great images worth keeping.

Still subject, moving surroundings

Another technique for adding motion works with driving rain or other natural movement. Go for a slower shutter speed. This time the subject is stationary while the heavy rain is falling, creating movement across the digital capture sensor.
As the rain drives towards the ground it leaves a blurred trail, giving the feeling of movement. The animal or whatever it is you are shooting remains sharp, giving the eye something to easily focus on.

- Siobhan Gunning, writer and wildlife enthusiast

Photo by Clinton Friedman

Every time you go out on an early morning or early evening game drive around Nambiti Private Game Reserve, you will have numerous opportunities to take great wildlife photographs. Many of the Nambiti Hills game guides are photographers themselves and they will always do their best to get you up close and personal to whatever you want to shoot with a camera.

Whilst I personally have a long way to go in terms of developing wildlife photography skills, I grew up with parents who were avid wildlife photographers and endured many, many hours of sitting quietly in the middle of massive game parks waiting for the perfect shot. So I suppose I have learnt a thing or two that may be worth passing on. Please feel free to post your wildlife photography tips here, too, or on the Nambiti Hills Facebook page.

Between Nambiti Private Game Reserve and the Le Sueur Cheetah Project, you have some unique opportunities of both seeing much more game within a short period of time, and of getting closer to certain wild animals than you would in many other game parks or reserves. So please take advantage of this. And then share your great shots with the other guests when you get back to Nambiti Private Game Lodge. Don’t forget to also upload the best of your shots onto the Nambiti Hills website and social media pages.

In the meantime, here are 10 tips that will hopefully help you raise the bar of your own high standards of wildlife photography:

1. Know your camera gear and be prepared. For most of us, we’ll have to make do with what we’ve got in terms of camera equipment. We can’t all have the latest Canon with the massive kilometre-long telephoto lens (slight exaggeration). But, even if it is a simple point-and-shoot, understand the parameters of what it can do, how to hold your camera so there is maximum stability optimisation, how to set it for minimum depth of field, or for fast shutter speed, or whatever effect you are after. Make sure any distracting alert sounds and other beeps are switched off. And have a sense of the weather and lighting conditions you are driving into and how you can turn those to your advantage. Be prepared to be patient and also spontaneous, and know that even what is supposedly common wildlife can be vividly portrayed as an amazing subject.

2. Be patient, be persistent. Animals don’t work around the busy schedule of humans. You have to wait for your perfect and compelling shot. It could take days. It might happen sooner than you expect. So keep your camera ready at all times. Sometimes the most interesting shots are those that happen whilst you’re waiting for something else.

3. Backgrounds can be as important as your subject. Backdrops give context to your subject matter. Whilst you may choose to blur them and focus on an animal, you may also want to include part or all of the background to emphasize the starkness of the terrain or the size of the animal or something else.

Photo by Clinton Friedman

4. Follow the light. The earliest and later hours of daylight, when the sun falls on the subject less harshly, usually provide the best natural lighting for wildlife photography. It is also the time when diurnal animals are most active, so there is more chance of seeing wild animals during the beginning and end of the day.

5. Use motion blur. Well, not all the time, obviously, but an image that captures an animal in motion is always fascinating. It adds excitement and drama to your photography and helps tell (or imply) a story. Try panning in a creative way to capture the movement of the animals.

6. Be unobtrusive. You’d think that goes without saying but I’ve been on game drives when people have pulled out their cell phones and engaged in conversation with friends or family back home. Leave your cell phone back at the lodge! Really! The more you can quietly blend in with the environment and patiently observe what is happening, the more likely you will get that great candid shot.  Switch usual camera noises to silent if you can, and don’t use the flash. Besides, flashes scare and temporarily blind the animals. Be respectful. You’re in their territory.

7. Use a telephoto lens. Well, that’s if you’ve got one, of course. The advantage of a telephoto lens is it allows you to safely, from a distance, isolate your subject through framing. Which is the best way to capture a wild animal’s personality or essence.

8. Use manual focus rather than automatic. Again, your camera might not give you that option, unless it is a compact prosumer camera or a DSL. Manual focus allows you to focus on the animal whereas, with an automatic sensor, often the camera focuses on the environment which takes up the majority of the image, or gives equal attention to the animal and the environment so that neither stands out.

9. Put your camera in continuous shooting mode. Or burst mode. This helps ensure that you never miss that perfect shot.  Shoot a lot – the privilege that digital cameras affords us – because there’s more chance of getting that winning image. , even when you’re in doubt because you never know what will end up being the prize winner.

10. Compose your shot. Sure, your composition time is determined by the movements of the wild animal on which you are focusing, but look for rich textures and colours, and try and frame the photograph in a way that best tells a story. Shoot from interesting perspectives. Whatever it takes to create a compelling visual narrative.

- Siobhan Gunning, writer, wildlife enthusiast and snaps hotter