Revealing the majesty of Africa's wildlife

Revealing the Majesty of Africa's Wildlife

Australia | Monday, November 7, 2011 | 5 photos

I had the privilege of growing up in the wilds of the northern Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was here that I spent all my free time exploring the wonders of the African savannah - many bushveld encounters and lessons allowed me to gain a deep appreciation of Africa's wildlife and the complexities of animal behaviour. As a youngster, I knew that I wanted to spend my working life revealing the majesty of the African bush to people all over the world. At the age of 15, my family moved to Australia but I vowed to return to my homeland once I completed my secondary and tertiary education. Upon completing my high schooling, I studied a Bachelor of Environmental Management and as part of my honours degree, it was compulsory to undertake 3 months of work placement. I decided to assist researchers based in Mashatu Private Game Reserve, Botswana, with their studies on large predator elephant ecology. It was during this time that I meet a gentleman from America who had come to the reserve for 4 weeks as a research volunteer. His occupation was that of a professional race car photographer and he had a passion for wildlife photography. After spending several hours with him on the landcruiser photographing wildlife and landscapes, I was hooked! Taking incredible photos provided an opportunity to reveal the majesty of Africa's wildlife to the world. Shortly thereafter, I purchased an entry level Nikon DSLR and I have since been studying and practising the basic principles of photography. In 2012, I hope to return to Africa permanently to work as a game ranger and one day I aspire to lead professional photographic safaris. This photography scholarship would be a dream come true for me, as I believe it would provide a major stepping stone for me to achieve my career aspirations.