Serengeti Superpride!

I've just spent a month in the Serengeti as DP for National Geographic's latest lion doci. "Superpride" tracks the dynamics that cause prides of lions to become really large, in excess of 30 members. We used the Seronera area because the geographic circumstances and abundance of prey have fueled the Transect prides to these tiping points more often than normal.

I had the priviledge of shooting four lion kills in three weeks, two close and at double speed. It was a real bonus to be based in this area as the migration was literally on our doorstep for two weeks.

On a few occasions we watched lionesses kill, hide the carcass, and kill again. One individual killed three wildebeest in one day, stalked three more and finally tried her luck on a flock of Guinea Fowl before collapsing in a heap!

The pic above is me with my rig, a double speed HD camera and 44x zoom. Check the fancy Senqu gear I'm wearing, these guys sponsored me recently, but honestly, it's very nice stuff. Really lightweight, warm and comfortable.

The Great White Experience

I've just got back from Gansbaai on the South African Cape coast, and I had a REALLY amazing time with the White sharks. Day two saw 10 m visibility and calm water, with three nice big sharks to the east of Dyer Island.

I jumped overboard and within seconds was interacting with a 3.5m shark, one on one, without cage... This is the only way to go; apart from an unobstructed shot, the feeling of having big White sharks swimming within inches of you is indescribable! I managed to swim down a few meters to get the "low angle" view of the sharks as they swam over me.

Fiona Ayerst, photographer extraordinaire and shark conservationist, was taking stills from below me, I can't wait to see these, I'll post a few.

These stills are from HD video clips... The original shots are so amazing they put you on the verge of going howling mad when you watch! Stand by for more.