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Mana Pools July 2016


vikramghanekar

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vikramghanekar

Hello Everyone,

I have been a silent member of ST for a long time now. I have not posted any trip report (I started one and never finished it) till now, out of pure lethargy and nothing else, all the time enjoying reading other's!

Thanks to some encouragement from Sangeeta, I am posting some of my images taken on a trip to Mana Pools in July 2016.

This was a photography trip arranged by Wild-Eye South Africa, hosted by Morkel Erasmus, a great photographer from South Africa.

The agenda for this trip was chasing the heavenly mana light, rather than chasing sightings (although we did chase a few sightings, albeit unsuccessfully). As a result you will find images of common subjects, presented in entirely different light (pun intended) :-).

Morkel was a superb host and teacher and we had a small (just 3 guests) but lively group. I don't think I have laughed and enjoyed so much on any other safari that I have ever been.

We stayed at a camp hosted by Tess Arkwright and Dave (they have a small operation called Mwinilunga Safaris), a great couple. We were guided by Kevin Lou, a Zim pro guide who was absolutely fun to be with and we always felt very safe with him.

After that preamble, here are a few images.

 

Can anyone help in putting images from my album (already uploaded on ST) here?

 

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AfricanQueen

@@vikramghanekar

Sorry that I cannot help you with the pictures.

With me it's the same: never have written a TR although I always wanted to, especially about Mana.

It's not that I'm lazy but I don't know how to do it and then I think, my pictures aren't as good as all the others and my English is not as good as to write vividly about all the animal sightings and encounters. Would be kind of boring most times...

 

But as I always like to read and look at the pictures of other STs I loved seeing your contribution today! Thank you very much!

On June 17th I will be on my way back to Mana and looking forward so very much....

Hope you will get help soon!

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Game Warden

@@vikramghanekar Vikram: hi, Matt here:

 

gallery_47328_1662_102742.jpg

So, if you go to your album, select an image and expand to its full size. Then right mouse click, copy the image URL, and then in your post click the icon which looks like a little polaroid, that will prompt you to insert the URL. Then, as I've done above, it will display. Helps to have two tabs open do swap between. Feel free to experiment in this topic.

 

Matt

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Thank you for posting! I love the photos, especially the elephant with egrets. Beautiful.

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vikramghanekar

@@Game Warden I tried the procedure but the link appears "broken" after posting.

I don't know why it's not working.

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vikramghanekar

gallery_47328_1662_62133.jpg

 

 

Elephant on the banks of Zambezi

 

@@Game Warden thanks, I got it

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vikramghanekar

I experimented with narrow apertures to create a star burst effect as these 2 bull elephants were feeding under a huge Ana tree.

gallery_47328_1662_62223.jpg

 

I saw number of Elands. We followed a pair of Elands through the forest. The male stopped for a moment to check out us.

gallery_47328_1662_11757.jpg

Edited by vikramghanekar
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Atravelynn

I like that view of your album being a link. Great shots.

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  • 2 months later...

So glad to see you active here, @vikramghanekar - lovely images! I am so sorry I did not see this sooner, but topics get lost very quickly on ST with so much new coming in all the time and if we're not on ST as often on as we'd like to be. Tagging people helps too.

 

Would love to hear more about your trip and see more pictures. Wonderful to have you posting finally.

 

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SafariChick

@vikramghanekar Lovely photos - would love to see more! I used to put mine on Flickr and then on here but with the new version of SafariTalk you can do it right from your computer if you like - at the bottom of where you type your post you'll see Drag files here to attach or choose files. I like that option.

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Thank you both, @Sangeeta and @SafariChick to help resurface this post. Vikram is such a gifted photographer! I am so sorry he does not take his time to upload all of his fantastic photos on the post. But at least the Milky Way and some of the elephants in dusky light should be posted in here since the size I can see in the gallery does not give them justice.

 

 

@vikramghanekar, if you could spare some time, uploading a photo directly to this post is so easy. Want to try again, with some "on-line" help?! Send me a PM. Safaritalk community will benefit from watching your photos!

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vikramghanekar

Thank you @Sangeeta and @SafariChick and @xelas.

Sorry I forgot about uploading the photographs.

Will do so now.

Vikram

 

Impalas lit up by the morning sunrays

 

59859c5ddca7b_ManaPools(1of1)-10.jpg.c79cd846a0d01733740dd9b0e9a4d2ae.jpg

 

This image of mine title "Flight of Angels" was selected for publication in Africa Geographic Yearbook 201759859c59066e2_ManaPools(1of1)-7.jpg.24acf5ce91717bf7be88da1adb01fa01.jpg

 

Zebras always make interesting Black and White images

59859c606e91f_ManaPools(1of1)-13.jpg.49f3af040683688789bcc63939853015.jpg

 

Elephants feeding under moonlight

 

59859c644d1f0_ManaPools(1of1)-16.jpg.85018865fa9153cbb21d960a4cb10d90.jpg

 

Managed to spend some time (all too brief though, we found him at dusk one day but didn't see him for rest of the trip) with Boswell and his family. Here he is doing what he does best

 

59859c6ddbee6_ManaforST9(1of1).jpg.eceeabea506c66f0b0f3c2e6e9efe8c4.jpg

 

Stayed at Mwinilunga Safari's camp at Trichilia. They pumped some water from the river behind the camp.

It was a magnet for elephant families especially those with young calves.

59859c6ae7603_ManaforST4(1of1).jpg.49664f7fc3ae708ebc884606ddf8b3a4.jpg

 

 

 

Here am I, watching elephants sitting in a shady spot in the camp. No better way to spend your afternoon. Photograph thanks to Morkel Erasmus.

ManaMbile3.thumb.jpg.cff5962ab7e74b45bc86cc205b43cfb3.jpg

 

 

Mornings and evenings were spent following bull elephants on foot. We did see lions once, but they were in a thicket ("Jess"). Not really good for photographs. Leopard was heard many times but never saw it. Wild dogs were denning in Mopane woodland and proved elusive.

Elephants were very co-operative though59859f5133bc9_ManaforST1(1of1).jpg.81f67e7f1806f3d72ce26ac18901e4c0.jpg

 

 

59859f463ed39_ManaPools(1of1)-8.jpg.1ff18f53fdc02325fff5664d2c8c5570.jpg

 

Reaching for the star(burst)s!

 

59859f49932ee_ManaPools(1of1)-9.jpg.27e97ac5ea6bcb6c6f1b94710bc12230.jpg

 

Serenity

59859f4cefb55_ManaPools(1of1)-11.jpg.2b9aeaf8c2086492d5a26ee6ac6e1c4c.jpg

 

 

Sometimes too close!

 

59859f4fcb91b_ManaPools(1of1)-15.jpg.7140c8efcc096064c9c34c2224f2e07f.jpg

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13 minutes ago, vikramghanekar said:

This image of mine title "Flight of Angels" was selected for publication in Africa Geographic Yearbook 201759859c59066e2_ManaPools(1of1)-7.jpg.24acf5ce91717bf7be88da1adb01fa01.jpg

 

 

Thank you so much, @vikramghanekar! Well, no wonder why this photo become my favourite one. Congratulations!

 

I can see you are a Nikon guy; full frame etc. Would you mind share details?

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vikramghanekar

Mana from the air

ManaMobile11.thumb.jpg.510829c93bd269012ca7a1b35cd99165.jpg

 

Manamobile12.thumb.jpg.a1fa50781ceaff5274f1790e4c6bb405.jpg

 

Mwinilunga Camp at Trichilia owned/hosted by Tess Arkwright and Dave. Simple, comfortable, fantastic hosting and great food.

manamob4.thumb.jpg.4fc6d1f1864657ed4482d6ee1bf2ca1c.jpg

 

Lovely sunsets from the camp!

manamob17.thumb.jpg.f924a6b796493c9bcf9be05f212883af.jpg

 

Bush TV. This is the part where everybody sits around the fire with drinks and keep staring at the fire AND become philosophical.

 

manamob18.thumb.jpg.ca85c1d229b5e14064c6155e12349569.jpg

 

Safari food is certainly the best that there is!

 

ManaMobile40.thumb.jpg.001beeb030ee564fb8461b1dee2d3a6c.jpg

 

Kevin, our guide. He used to be a Pro hunter till he "saw the light" :-) 

ManaMobile7.thumb.jpg.5e1f4a1b458219a4cb6bb9f9d3911d09.jpg

 

Morning coffee stop  around Sapi Pan

 

ManaMobile35.thumb.jpg.db9c6b3bc8651a2f3a4005bd9e4480b0.jpg

 

Photographing the ancient giant. Huge baobab with a big "cave"

Essential to throw a stone or two before taking a peek into the cave, just to make sure there's no leopard there.

ManaMobile37.thumb.jpg.e0079543a5e2bc572a8df5825b55b8da.jpg

 

Photographing in the mopane forest. It will be so easy to get lost here. There are no landmarks. Just mopane monoculture.

Antonio seems to have some sleep left in him while I evaluate my experiments with wide angle. PC: Morkel Erasmus

 

ManaMobile46.thumb.jpg.00f43ca790ffb196e9b671ed4c4fdb96.jpg

 

Thrilling to get close to elephant bulls. PC: Morkel

manamob6.thumb.jpg.5570979069a5c757d6f26002c6c944aa.jpg

 

 

On our last day. A group photo

From L to R:

Kevin (Guide), Antonio (Angola), Vikram (India), Ian (South Africa), Dave (Camp owner) and Morkel (South Africa- Photography Guru)

 

ManaMobile3.thumb.jpg.20d6aff8124d26f473a109f9e53136f2.jpg

 

 

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vikramghanekar

@xelas Nikon D500 Nikon 300 f/2.8 lens, Manual Mode, f 4 1/800s ISO 280 Thank you for your kind words!

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Thanks, Vikram. I am Morkel's admirer since i first saw his photos from Namibia. Going with him on a photo tour ... maybe one day the dream will come true :).

 

Just asking, is there any web site I could see more of your work?

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vikramghanekar

@xelas I don't have a website. You can go through my photographs on Facebook and Instagram! Thank you.

Morkle indeed is a superb photographer and great company as well. I don't think I have laughed so much on a trip as I did on this one.

 

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wonderful photos! I love the elephant looking up at the "sunburst", fantastic!

I am also a fan of Morkel's and all the Wild Eye guys, I follow them on Facebook. Have toyed with the idea of taking a photo tour with them someday. They are also really nice and generous with information (I have emailed back and forth with some of them a few times.)

 

Although when we were in the Mara all their vehicles were blocking our views at the river crossings LOL.

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vikramghanekar

@janzin Thank you for your kind words.. Morkel is on a sabbatical from wildlife as he is doing his MBA (he has a regular job with Sasol). But other guys from wildeye are superb too! If you really want to better your photography, I would definitely suggest that you go with them. I would suggest Andrew Beck or Gerry. Marlon too is a great guide (he was working for Singita for a long time) . 

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That entire set of ele photos is marvelous.

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vikramghanekar
13 hours ago, Marks said:

That entire set of ele photos is marvelous.

Thank you @Marks

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nice work...

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Yay, glad you came back on & posted the rest! Thanks, Vikram, really a pleasure to see them & Mana as wonderful as can be!

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