Photographing Nungu!

Its not often that one is offered an opportunity to venture into something a little different. For me this came in the form of a chance to photograph the magnificent lodge of Nungu. Nungu is situated deep in the Waterberg and is a photographers paradise. The scenery is spectacular as well as the local forna and flora, so your biggest challenge becomes selecting what to shoot and when? I planned the 2 nights I was due to spend at the lodge as carefully as possible but one things is for sure, with weather in charge my plans had to remain fluid. It may sound obvious but the basis for photography is light, the best being the soft early morning or late afternoon light, however every situation is different and I was looking forward to adapting to whatever mother nature had in store for me. It was with these challenges in mind that I set off for my great learning experience.

Fly-Fishing the Mokolo River

I arrived at around 15:30 and was made to feel very welcome by the staff and Roelof, Nungus head guide. I was lucky enough to already know the property and with Roelofs expert knowledge and his own passion for photography this assisted me in trying capture the essence of Nungu. The schedule was tight and only having 2 nights up at the lodge the weather really had to play ball for me to do what I felt was a good job. With Tripod and equipment at the ready so began what turned out to be a very busy 2 days. Each morning started with a cup of coffee and pictures trying to grab what light there was. The staff assisted and set up various activities for the remainder of the days and we moved from one to the other with me trying to be as creative as possible along route. This is something which does not come naturally so once again I was out of my comfort zone. To be brutally honest, photographing romantic turndowns is not what I would normally enjoy doing but I found myself being lost in the moment, playing with candles and light to well after midnight each evening. A mans got to do what a mans got to do. Along route the weather did not play ball as hoped. We had on both days dull overcast conditions and although this light is often what is required to avoid high contrast, the scatted clouds ensured the range was just out of the sensors abilities. Cameras can only capture a small variance between light and dark objects and if this range is too large, you have to make a choice on what you would like to come out. As an example, you either choose to see the detail in the bright white clouds or the detail in the dark coat of a buffalo, you cannot have both unless the light is soft enough to do so.  We systematically worked through the tasks laid out and where rejuvenated after any successful shots.  3500 pictures and 2 days later and I found myself heading back to the big smoke, exhausted but looking forward to sifting through my bounty!

Dinner under the Fig Tree - Nungu Suites

I took away many learning’s over my time there and although luck does play a large part in a trip such as this, there are many things somewhat in your control and I will share a few with you.  

1. Give yourself enough time, an essence of a lodge cannot be captured over 2 days no matter how good a photographer you may be. The character of a place is revealed over a minimum of a year but when it comes to wildlife this can be longer. This is obviously not realistic but do your best to spend more time rather then less. My next trip , if I am lucky enough to do another, will be a minimum of 4 nights. This assists in capturing scenes with the best light and not having to chose between scenes, sacrificing one for the other, if you are there long enough, you can get both?
2. Equipment, an excellent tripod is possibly your most important piece of equipment on a trip such as this. Low light and slow shutter speeds mean it’s impossible to take anything shooting hand held., a basic for any avid photographer but one that is often neglected with the image stabilizing lenses nowadays.
3.  Lighting equipment, creating soft artificial light is just as important as natural light in some instances, especially for the room shots…I most certainly need to invest in this going forward so investigations into options is a to do for me in the next couple of weeks.
4.  I really feel that a willing and supportive guide is one of your most important aspects in ensuring great shots. He can put you into areas and positions one would not normally be, to get different angles and views of your subject. (Inclusive of putting me where only black eagles or klipspringers dare.) This is largely out of your control but a quiet word with the lodge managers or owners can assist in ensuring you have a guide’s full cooperation. In this instance Roelof was superb and he didn’t even need a nudge. 

I hope this gives a small insight into the challenges of lodge photography. It really is something I would like to do on a more regular basis and hope that some of my photographs may catch the eye of lodge marketers Africa wide? As a footnote, Roelof was kind enough to take a few snaps of me during the course of the work so this will hopefully give you further perspective. Happy shooting.

Fig Tree Lodge

Whatever it takes to get the shot! 

Roelof on the lookout!

Nungu Lodge!