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SHOT TWO YOUNG DURBAN NORTH BOYS HAVE NURTURED THEIR LOVE FOR WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AND RECEIVED INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION BEYOND THEIR WILDEST DREAMS, WRITES LEE CURRIE
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s a young couple, Enid and Shawn Meaker fell in love with the bush, soon followed by a passion for capturing nature and wildlife, honing their photographic skills as they explored reserves, locally and further into Africa. Later, when their sons Skye and Branson were born, they took them along, subject to a few provisos. “It’s important to be realistic when taking young children into remote areas with wild animals,” stresses Enid. “We taught our boys how to behave around the animals while driving in open vehicles and found they were receptive, responsible and willing to learn. We kept them busy by handing them our old cameras and encouraging them to play around with settings and composition. Back then we were unaware of the beautiful journey that would start unfolding for our family thanks to photography and our passion for the bush.” During school holidays the Meakers, who live in Durban North, continued to
ABOVE: The Meaker family with Greg Du Toit, international wildlife photographer.
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visit game reserves throughout Africa. “The boys worked on their own photographic skills encouraged by Greg Du Toit, international wildlife photographer, while we were on one of his photo safaris. He pointed out that the boys really did have a talent for photography,” recalls Enid. Now 18 and 15 respectively, the brothers have won recognition in several international nature photography competitions. Their parents are undeniably proud of their success but when asked how many awards they’ve won, Enid says they don’t keep a list, they’re just happy to be internationally recognised. “Exposing the beauty of the natural
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