"Finding Diamonds in Dubai"

Diamonds and Africa … it’s a well known combination!! But earlier this year I went overseas looking for the brightest diamonds I could find. I found them in the sands of the Arabian peninsular … in Dubai.

Living in the African bush is a privilege. It's something I relish every day of my life. That said,  it has a bitter taste at times when I consider that, each and every day, the greed and cruelty of the human species destroys it just that little bit more. It's because of this that I dedicate much of my "spare time" to conservation work and specifically the plight of the rhino, which as everyone knows has now reached a crisis of global proportions. I live my life surrounded by rhino and yes, I'm able to go out each and every day to observe and enjoy them. It's enabled me to forge a strong bond with the species and no matter how many times I see them they never fail to stir emotion in me. They are so prehistoric in their form, yet so gentle in nature. But as each day passes they slip slowly towards extinction just because we (a minority of the human species that is) have discovered a supposed “medical / recreational purpose to their horn". Social media abounds with campaigns to "Save the Rhino" and good causes reach for your cash in every direction you look, and yet the species day by day is edging towards that precipice from which there will be no return. So if the will is there, why are we not getting the results?

What has heartened me in the past year is just how much people do care. But the fact remains that in many parts of the world the true extent of the crisis is not truly known and understood. Now that might sound crazy to some folk, but my experience of travelling and speaking with foreign audiences has shown that to be the case. When people are educated and understand the crisis that is befalling the rhino in it's final stronghold of Southern Africa, they want to help, they react with a passion and they reach out  and want to share the burden with those of us on the front line of conservation. And that is how I discovered my Diamonds in Dubai ...

In February of this year I had an opportunity to visit Dubai and address a large audience on the work undertaken by myself and my colleagues at Rhino Revolution in Hoedspruit. We are a "front line" rhino conservation programme running both anti-poaching and community eduction initiatives. My message was clear .... There is too much "hung ho" talk about "shooting poachers" which to be frank achieves nothing ... they will just keep coming and filling the shoes of the last guy. Tackling the crisis at the coal face requires us to focus on community eduction and schools programmes, as well as equipping ranger teams in the field with the tools required to protect themselves as well as the rhino population. 

The people of Dubai rallied around and turned up in droves to learn first hand of the scale of the problem, and to generate much needed funding of which every cent, I assured them, would be spent on making a difference for the future of the rhino in South Africa. In most instances with overseas audiences it kind of stops there ... but not in Dubai. An action group was convened by Patsy Stagman and a working party involving the kids at JES, one of Dubai's premier English schools, as well as concerned members of the Dubai public. Result? The momentum continues to grow long after my return to South Africa. Dubai based corporations have stepped up and provided ongoing and generous commitment to our programmes. Media and advertising companies have donated time and skills to  sharpen the message and build on the support. Aside from raising much needed funds, the level of awareness on the plight of rhinos in the wild continues to grow and grow. The people of Dubai gave me back the heart that I was beginning to lose .. they showed me, demonstrably, that the people of the world DO care and together we can make a difference. We can rectify what many people have already accepted as the inevitable .. the demise of the white and black rhino in Southern Africa. 

Words cannot express the gratitude and admiration all of us at Rhino Revolution have for our friends in Dubai. Because of your efforts, kids in the community have benefited from conservation and sports programmes they previously would not have had a chance to enjoy. Poachers have been apprehended using equipment YOU provided. Rhino's lives HAVE been saved beacuse you cared enough to say "This isn't Africa's problem .. it's a  World problem and we are not going to sit back and watch”!!

They truly don’t come better and brighter than you guys. Thank you all so much.

“ANTics” in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve.

Have you ever wished that you could spend just a little more time “going back to school” and learning something not because you “have to” but because you “want to”. Education for many of us was a hardship of our youth, but like many others over the years, I have learned what a privilege learning really is and how fortunate I am compared to many others. My teachers from my dark school days would keel over and die at the thought of me saying that, but if that in itself didn’t finish them off, the thought of me being entrusted with the education of others, as I am now, certainly would!!

Most people would assume that one of the greatest privileges of working as a professional guide and wildlife photographer is the variety of wonderful places that one gets to visit in pursuit of your work, and the amazing wildlife encounters that go with it. True enough, but for me the wonderful people I encounter day to day, who care passionately about conservation and who truly want to learn …. they are what make me get out of bed like a coiled spring in the morning!!

I have recently returned from the Sabi Sands guiding a group of young aspirant field guides. A group of people who made me once again realise what a privileged life I have doing what I do. For many years now I have been associated with Africa Nature Training, firstly as a student in my own right, but in more recent years as a guide working on primarily their Level 1 FGASA (Field Guide of Southern Africa) teaching their students the mammal, ethology (mammal behaviour), and ecology aspects of their curriculum.

Looking the part is one thing, and hey do these students look fantastic here as they prepare for their “on the job” working assignments, but the level of study and practical experience required of a guide in training is often not fully appreciated and understood by many of their future guests. It is a privileged job that you chose as a result of your passion for wildlife and conservation. The rewards may not be huge in monetary terms, but oh boy, the magnificent sunsets you get to experience almost daily make life in the city undertaking a more “traditional” occupation just unthinkable.

Africa Nature Training has been turning out some of the best field guides in the industry now for over 12 years. The guides and teachers who mentor the students over the course of their studies are some of the most experienced and knowledgable in their fields and are united by one thing … a passion for the bush and a passion for sharing their knowledge. Home base is the magnificent Nkombe Camp, managed superbly by husband and wife team, Channyn and Conrad, along with their staff Benny and Mandla. What makes this place so special is the fact that students and staff live their daily lives  alongside the wildlife with no fences securing the camp. Problematic you might have thought? Not at all. Yes, we have frequent visits from elephant, lion and leopard in particular, but you soon learn that these animals are as wary of us as we are of them and when given justifiable respect they will happily ignore everything going on in the camp, and go about their own business. It never fails to take your breath away whenever you get a visit though!!

Morning and afternoon lectures focus on everything from trees, grasses, mammals, birds, insects etc. through to weather, astronomy, geology and navigation. Hard work in itself but the students also need to learn to deliver a practical guided experience to paying guests. FGASA is a guiding qualification above all else and thus there is rightly a large emphasis on managing both the enjoyment and safety of your guests whilst they are on safari.

Training students to “get in tune” with their environment might seem a less obvious part of the curriculum. Guiding skill is not just about having a sharp pair of eyes, but it’s about being able to get in touch with the full spectrum of your senses, being able to touch, smell, hear and generally “feel” the bush”. Probably, the quietest and most pensive time I get to spend with the students. But I do enjoy it!! A good hour of peace and quiet as the students immerse themselves, blindfolded, and left to savour all the bush has to throw at them!! Don’t worry though, their safety is paramount and a rifle bearing guide is never too far away!!

So next time you are on safari, take time out to get to know your guide and really enjoy your time with them. He or she has invested a huge amount time, expense and passion into becoming sufficiently qualified to share your safari experience with you. Without exception, they had to excel to earn the right to occupy that driver seat in your game vehicle. They too know that their lifestyle is a privilege, and sending you home with memories that will last a lifetime is THE most rewarding aspect of their job.

To Matt, Jamie, Rianna, Carmie, Ralph, Elzaan, Dionne, Frederik, Morgan and Herman … thank you for the special time we enjoyed in the Sabi Sands. You were a fine bunch of students and will be a credit to Africa Nature Training when you graduate in a few weeks time. Thanks also to Lorraine Doyle at Africa Nature Training for once again “trusting” me with her students for a few weeks!! I hope I didn’t let you down!!

I wish you all the very best of luck with your forthcoming assessment and examination and hope to have the privilege of having you guide ME when you are snapped up by the lodges in the near future!! Good luck guys ……

Gallery Fun!!

One of the greatest pleasures you get as a professional photographer is standing back and watching others enjoy your work hanging on the wall of a gallery. I have always loved preparing for exhibitions. Despite the stress and the pressure, it’s a fun and exciting time. Having said that, perhaps the greatest thrill is preparing for a gallery showing and being able to share it with your family. My family visits are sporadic but often lengthy (too long my family think sometimes as they count the days until my return to Africa!!).

So when it came to starting to discuss the possibility of exhibiting at The Joe Cornish Galleries in Northallerton; North Yorkshire here in the UK I was really excited. The gallery is a photographers dream and is on my doorstep at home in the Yorkshire Dales countryside. Dreamy British landscapes by Joe Cornish himself adorn the walls across two floors of a beautifully historic house in this market town which in itself is steeped in medieval British history.

Joe Cornish is a British landscape photographer of legendary proportions. His work is the staple diet of those people who love National Trust properties the country over and his work is published widely across the globe. Very few landscape photographers will have honed their craft without reference to some of Joe’s sublime and dramatic compositions of the British wild open spaces. He is the author of several books and is a regular contributor to many photographic magazines and journals. Want to go on one of his workshops or courses .. best you book early. They are always a sell out!!

During a visit over Xmas I got the opportunity to meet with Joe's business partner, Joni Essex, and his Gallery Manager, Jo Rose, to discuss the possibility of my exhibiting my work at his gallery as a visiting photographer. We went through my portfolio, drank amazing coffee and eat stupendous cakes from the Gallery cafe which in itself is just another excuse to make a trip to the gallery!! The result is that I will be exhibiting there in early 2015 with a collection of my images from my years in the South African wilds. Something I’m looking forward to doing very much.

Today, my son Will and I took a visit to the gallery in order for me to sign my prints that will be exhibited as part of an Africa Week exhibition starting this weekend. It’s a nice pre-cursor for my own exhibition next year and it will be exciting to see and feel the spirit of Africa in the air of this Yorkshire market town during the course of next week. He should have been at school but said he was feeling “unwell” today so missed classes to spend some time seeing what his dad actually does for a living!! You know it is really nice getting to share the final results of my work with my family. They get to spend time with me in the field often enough, but aside from social media, often don’t get to see my exhibited work as it’s mostly outside of the UK. Today was as much treat for me as it was for him!!

Let’s hope the images do well next week and that the people of North Yorkshire and beyond get a taste for Africa, and a taste for my work. I’m so looking forward to my “full on” exhibition here next year. If you are looking for something really different to experience next week during your time in the Yorkshire Dales why not head over to The Galleries and take a look at what’s on show by a number of artists who share one common passion … a love affair with Africa

For more information on Joe Cornish and the Joe Cornish galleries go to http://www.joecornishgallery.co.uk for more details.

New Beginnings

I live a blessed life ….. I’m as near in charge of my own destiny as I believe it is possible to be. I have a passion for wildlife, for conservation in general and work tirelessly through my photography to highlight the plight of endangered species, generate global awareness to the conservation challenges of the 21st century .. whilst at the same time generating a living doing what I love most.

The purpose behind my blog is bring an insight into what I get up to each and every day, whether that be on photographic assignments or just being out and about at my home on Leadwood Game Reserve in Hoedspruit, South Africa with friends and clients, or with my family in North Yorkshire in the UK. It’s a personal way for me to effectively keep an electronic diary as well as share with my friends and family the world over what I’m getting up to (well most of it!!).

My Office and Home on Leadwood Game Reserve; Hoedspruit; South Africa

My photographic work is well documented on Facebook and in the printed media, but I thought it would be fun to bring together a very personal blog that can recount my adventures on shoots in the most beautiful of natural places, and the stories of the people I meet along the way.

Many people imagine the world of a wildlife photographer to be glamorous and generally a fun way in which to get out and about with a camera and earn a living. The reality is very different. There are big pressures to the job, it’s unconventional in may respects, and it carries with it long periods away from family and friends and plenty of unsociable hours. But it brings with it a freedom, a vehicle with which to express your deepest creativity and an acknowledgement that unlike many people you are lucky enough to be living your dream.

Yes there will be many photographic related discussions, you’d expect nothing less. There will be debates on the challenges of in particular rhino conservation which is a big part of my life. But most of all there will be an insight I hope into the day to day routine of living my life in the bush and all that goes with that, photographic or otherwise. I hope you will enjoy following my adventures ….

"Going Head to Head"