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from the editor s desk The Easter holiday came and went, and although we marked its passing, our daily, weekly and yearly clocks tend to move with the rhythm of the reserve. The concept of ‘holiday’ actually had to be re-explained to all the AI (that’s African Impact, not Artificial Intelligence, although that would be cool) staff here, as line between work and play is somewhat blurred.
Imagine - a third of your working day is spent traversing the reserve, taking photos for ID kits or gathering precious information for research.
Imagine
finally getting to observe the ever-elusive leopard in its natural habitat.
Imagine going to sleep to the sound of a lion’s roar. Want to hear more? Read on...
photography update tim feherty, photography coordinator
I wrote last month about manipulation in photography, what it was and where it could take us. We then put it into practice in quite a few sessions over the course of the 4 week project. That is another thing I love about photography - the ability to discuss it while applying it in the practical sense, too. Christine and Richard will both testify to this as a 1 hour critique turned into 5 hours of discussion about what we wanted from our photos, and how to get it (I'm not a dictator - I did let them go to the toilet and get more much needed coee).
The beauty of these discussions is they are always a learning experience. I would consider myself reasonably adept at manipulating images in both Photoshop and Lightroom, but that doesn't mean that I can't learn as well, and the guys taught me few shortcuts and tweaks which I never previously knew existed.
This, in turn, echoes the spirit of what we do here. Everyone brings something to the party - a certain set of skills and experience that everyone can beneďŹ t from. In many professions in the world (I'm sad to say, photography is certainly one of them), people are loathe to share their trade secrets. There exists the misguided assumption that others will immediately use that knowledge against them, to steal their clients or overtake them in some professional capacity. But at African Impact, all this is set to the side in the name of progress, in order to better ourselves and the world around us.
Now that may sound very high and mighty - pompous even - but it's actually true. Of course it doesn't work all the time. In pursuit of knowledge, in trying to expand my understanding of all the wildlife around me, I often try to identify the birds. What I proudly announce as a "Purple polka dotted Flibbertigibbet" often turns out to be a sparrow of some description. But that's the point - in attempting to let go of my embarrassment (read: ego), I progress. It's not about perfection, it's about progression.
All that travel through our doors, I'm glad to say, progress in some way or another. Some more than others, but it depends on how much of themselves they give to the project/s - it's like my sister says (and not in a Forrest Gump voice) "Life is like a sandwich - the more you put into it, the more you get out".
This month, as you'll see from their article, Chris & Richard put their hearts and souls into the projects. At times, it seemed like they were being rewarded for all their hard work by the animals themselves. Sightings like the Mduna Elephant herd (all 17 of them), which I personally had never seen before, and the ever elusive Leopard, which on their previous two trips they had never seen, but we managed to catch up with on an otherwise regular afternoon drive.
For myself, though, the reward continues to be in the progression of the volunteers, and it's clear as day when you look at their photographs. With new aspects of the project being polished, like the photojournalism assignments and post production workshops, it really is fantastic to see the work coming together so beautifully. Sis, if you're reading this, my sandwich is taking over the plate!
christine & Richard denham photography, 4 weeks Tim said he needed about 500 words from each of us about ourselves and our experience at Thanda! Well, for starters that would probably be fairly repetitive if we both did it so I reckon I'll start with the basics and we'll see how we go from there!
We” are Richard and Chris Denham from Gloucester in Southern England and we're totally delighted to be able to say we are recently retired! Richard was an RAF Engineering Officer for 32 years before moving on to work with the Air Cadets, a voluntary organisation for young people from 13 to 18 years. He retired at the beginning of May 2014 with the hope of spending time with a camera photographing animals but especially his main love, the big cats. I'm also an engineer but have had a slightly more varied career – probably caused by accompanying Richard on his various postings! I've taught Electrical Installation when in the UK but worked with computers and admin when not! Finally I also worked for a major Charity for 6 years using the fact that along the way I'd become a part qualified accountant – Oh, and I also got to marry people!
So on to why we're at Thanda on the photography course…again!
It's our third stay here, which says a lot about how fantastic this place is! The first time was a preretirement experiment at Christmas 2013. It was also the first Christmas they stayed open - and apart from having to get used to new cameras, a new operating system on new laptops and new editing software, we had an amazing time! So many animal sightings, so much excellent tuition from Emil and so much time to be thoroughly “selfish” and just immerse ourselves in nothing but photography from morning to night. We decided to return but try to see the difference with a change of seasons. Our second trip was in July 2014, which included a trip with Emil to the Drakensberg Mountains. This was superb as we got even more tuition, but this time knee deep in bubbling water.
From my personal viewpoint, I have to admit that, by now, I could really see a huge improvement in Richard's photographs but still felt mine left a lot to be desired, so when our proposed trip to India for a chance to photograph tigers fell through, it seemed too good to miss a chance to come to Thanda once again. This time we had Paul as our tutor and, somehow, he seemed to understand my concerns and he gave me a baseline from where to start with each shot. Getting photographs regularly in focus took the pressure off me and I now seemed to have time to implement at least some of the excellent teaching I'd received from both Paul and Emil.
But I think the real difference was in having Tim as our Photographic coordinator. He was happy to let Richard be neurotic on focus and to let me be a bit quirky on subject matter – all he did was show us how we could do each of these better. And suddenly I was having FUN! Tim managed to challenge us into getting more out of every shot – only snag was so much fun was being had that evenings and weekends disappeared as we edited and adjusted the shots we'd taken. But it was working and the results I was getting were starting to make me smile!
If you listen to Tim, I (Richard) am obsessed with obtaining a sharp focus; he has even referred to me as a 'focus-holic'! I must admit, I like things to be sharp - especially the eyes of the animals I am photographing. I have however often failed to get crisp images of moving targets, especially birds in flight. Also birds in general have
been a problem for me, as they always seem to be too far away to get a sharp image, or silhouetted against the sky. This visit to Thanda has taught me that camera settings and patience are just as important in achieving the right results – I now have a few images of birds in flight that I am wiling to show people, as well as the occasional bird on a perch.
I've also learned to look beyond the large mammals and to try something more challenging. Spiders, for example, are either well camouflaged against the background or silhouetted against the sky. Either way you are working with a limited depth of field and often with the web moving in the breeze. So taking time to set the camera up correctly and, if necessary, requesting the guide to position the vehicle slightly differently has resulted in better shots.
All this sounds as if I am progressing through only my experience; nothing could be further from the truth. Tim's critiques have been both enlightening and absorbing. He has taught me that focus is not everything and another essential is how the imaged is composed – with the right crop a good photograph can become a very good picture. He is fond of challenging the traditional crop and will show us that an unconventional crop can transform an image. Some times his adjustments are very small but the improvements are obvious.
Added to these huge steps forward for both of us, there has been a major change in how the course develops - we spend more time in the community and with conservation. This is not completely new but much more integrated and we are expected to take our cameras and act as “photojournalists” to record what's happening. These we edit and pass on a short selection to the researchers to go into
the various reports. We've loved this because it is such a contrast in approach to trying to get a really good but slightly more stylised photograph. However, “telling a story in pictures” wasn't quite as easy as we'd thought but it was a challenge. So we shift rocks, pick up litter, play with kids, make signs …… and take photographs of everything that moves or doesn't! We have superb critique sessions – even if one did go on for 5 hours! We're far too old and knackered to cope with the pace of it all but are having an amazing time once again.
It's great to be with such passionate people who really want to make a difference and it's wonderful to be able to help in some small way. We got a real kick out of seeing the mange crèche refurbishment nearly finished and the new toilets almost completed – we've seen the work progress from where we'd been involved last July.
It's been a privilege to be here both from a photographic viewpoint and from being among such amazing folk who were very welcoming to a couple of old “wrinklies”!
Research Update Sarah McAuley Research Coordinator
“You get out of life what you put into it. I think you need a bit of luck but also make a bit of luck…if you're a pretty decent person you'll get back what you put in.” –John Key
Coming from the Great White North that is Canada, hearing the word April usually
rings bells of “April showers bring May flowers.” However, it's not Spring time here in South Africa. Rather than getting warmer, it's starting to cool off, days are becoming shorter and I'm remembering what I quickly forgot, that yes you often need a coat and a warm cup of coffee to make it through a day in the African bush. Still, just because the thermometer isn't rising, there is so much that April has brought to the research team. We've put a lot into our projects since we last spoke and the rewards have been as impressive as they are memorable.
So what exactly did we put in? I'll start by mentioning the hours of litter picking that we completed. We did more
foraging for trash than usual this month and found it very rewarding. It's always disheartening to see a brown bag or any of its other rubbish buddies on the side of a reserve road. The motivation to remove it develops easily and this month we set out to do just that inside and outside of the reserve. In light of this, I have another quote (read: warning) that I just made up myself:
“You get what you put into this world- so if what you're putting in is litter, you better think about how things are going to turn out.” - Me.
The crew also set out to accomplish rock packing. This requires lifting heavy rocks from
a boulder-infested road and placing them in holes along the fence line. Placing the rocks here not only fills holes and prevents any animals from getting out, but also prevents future soil erosion. The teamwork that was displayed during this activity was phenomenal. A seamless chain fell into place and we were passing oversized stones to each other in no time. Everyone worked in an efficient and determined manner and I think that it is safe to say we “rocked” it.
Other forms of our input ranged from painting to RTP (research task and project). We
assisted THAF by painting the toilets at Mange crèche. They are almost complete! Volunteers also began to makeover the species ID kits, ensuring that all individual portraits were refreshed and details kept current. Further, we completed two additional lessons at Mafa primary school. The first covered animal groups from the slimy to the fluffy, and the second focused on rhinos and rhino poaching.
There are many more examples of activities where we put in work and effort that I
could easily go on about for another page. However, I suppose that wouldn't do much to prove my point of getting what you give so it's best I move onto the fun part…
What did we get out? Epic, epic and more epic sightings. There is something so magnificent about a male lion in his prime, 7 years of age and up to 225kg of muscle staring you in the face. Skhondla Khondla is no exception and the volunteers were privy to his power within 2 metres! While collecting data on the massively-maned male, Skhondla decided it was time to have a drink from a puddle just next to the vehicle. There's no mistaking a lion's preeminence during a moment like this. In fact, in such encounters it's often better to put down the pencil, stay still and appreciate all that is “neature”.
Another muscle-y favourite here is the spotted hyaena. These guys are striking far beyond their Lion King personas with jaws that can apply pressure of up to 1100 pounds per inch. It's always a pleasant surprise to see one yet this month's sighting stood out in particular. Volunteers were treated to one of these carnivores swimming in a main dam! Not that I can blame him- sometimes it's so hot I feel like jumping in as well.
We were also treated to a serval as well as a black-backed jackal on night drive. These nocturnal creatures are rarely sighted. To see them on the same drive was the icing on the cake! In addition, our daytime drives brought plenty of baboons. It's always great to see our primate cousins but even more so when a male is fighting a younger member to kick him out of the troop!
As you can read about in other parts of this Warthog Post, some of our most exciting April sightings have included leopards! After months of them proving how elusive they can be accompanied by the dashed hopes of volunteers, three leopards have been spotted on research drive in the last three weeks. One of these sightings included the return of fan favourite John Snow. He must have known that winter is coming (bad Game of Thrones joke but it had to be said).
A
t the end of the day, I'm starting to see how this is all one large cycle. We put in hard work and effort, get great sightings, in turn contributing to more action on the data collection front…and so it continues! It's all about simply doing your part - wherever you are, with whatever you have, for whoever needs it. Whether it's getting warmer or colder in your part of the world, may you stay inspired and allow your actions to motivate yourself as well as those around you. I have no doubt that you'll be nicely surprised with what you receive in return.
RESEARCH OUT!
Cute Butt Warthog Strut The Underrated African Animal By Marina Daisy (research, 4 weeks) Photo Credit: Chris Denham
During my time here at Thanda I have seen many an animal on our numerous drives and even just around the lodge. A ridiculous amount of photos have been taken of the Big Five and all the nocturnal animals on the night drives. There is one animal however that many people find less than thrilling – the wondrous warthog! They can be seen quite frequently around our camp munching away on their salad greens; also known as grass, as well as stems; they have even been known to kill rats, frogs and snakes too.
All animals have striking features that set them apart from other species, and warthogs are no different. Their compact bodies, long snout, bristle-like hairs, canine teeth also known as the tusks and of course their warts. It's fair to say warthogs have a very distinctive look. The animal world almost reminds me of the fashion world; every model has a distinctive feature that sets them apart from the rest and that they are known for. Animals are the same, rhinos have their horns, elephants their giant ears and trunk, giraffes their long neck and legs; the list goes on.
Some might say that warthogs are distinct enough just as they are: a very strange but cute little animal that is very small in height and statue. Males average at 68cms in height and are an average of 80kgs whist females' average at 60cms and 56kgs. Through plenty of sightings of warthogs I have decided on what I think a warthog's best asset is – Its bum and strut!!!
It is one of the cutest sights here when you're on your way to your chalet and you see a group of warthogs eating together then they quickly run away as you get too close. When they run, or rather strut, their tail shoots straight up in the air showing off their beautiful behind!! If this was the fashion world I'm sure all the other animals would be going to their surgeons saying 'I want a warthogs bum!!'
Warthogs may be an underappreciated animal but like all animals, they too are beautiful in their own way. With distinctive features and just like the supermodels of the world, warthogs have a cute butt and a super awesome strut!!!!
Thomas Delajoux, France Research, 8 weeks Q
uiet, majestic and mysterious, we are of course speaking about leopards. We can say without too much difficulty that of the big five, this is the most difficult to see and for majority of people, including me, the most coveted. Indeed, his skin, which reminds me the fabric of a great unknown artist, his capacity to climb in the trees and especially his rarity, makes him an ideal fantasy for each volunteer and guide.
I was lucky to encounter two leopards from my first week at African Impact. The first one in a totally unexpected way, crossed the road at 25 meters from our vehicle. He seemed as surprised as we were and so ran away very quickly. Too quickly actually, he was visible just for five seconds, only enough time to meet his piercing gaze full of warm colours, but unfortunately not enough to take any pictures. The second one was not that apparent, we received a radio call telling us the location of this beautiful animal. Of course we didn't miss this opportunity and went there as fast as we could go. Unluckily, he was far away and well hidden between the branches and leaves which served him as his allies. We managed to look at a portion of his coat thanks to binoculars. I could felt the entire car's frustration, and mine should be even bigger, he was so close and so far at the same time.
Anyway, it was just my first week. For example, an old volunteer, who had been here for two months, told me that those two leopards were his first ones. I am actually staying two months as well, so I hope that this long period will permit me to see others of the feline that I admire so much.
Like I said: quiet, majestic and mysterious.
erin waller research, 4 weeks G'day Guys! I
'm Erin from Australia. I grew up on the beautiful and quiet beaches and frolicking around on the farm, in New South Wales. I moved up into the big smoke (a.k.a. Brisbane) where I completed Bachelor of Environmental Science with a major in Ecology.
I
have always loved the natural environment around me. Travelling around Australia, on camping holidays, volunteering and working, all increased my love and need to be around animals.
In the real world, I'm a 'Fauna Spotter Catcher', which basically means that I capture and relocate native wildlife off construction sites: mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and anything you can think of being in outback Australia.
F
orever and a day I have wished to come to Africa and experience everything it has to offer, especially its amazing wildlife! I'm really passionate about conservation and preserving the environment for future generations to fall in love with like I have, so I found myself being drawn to African Impact.
Being here and seeing these amazing animals so close fills me with about 75% excitement and 25% fear. I'm always the one holding my squeals in, quietly jumping up and down. My favourite sightings of my 4 week stay here would be; Skhondala Khondla casually taking a drink 2 metres from the truck; the elephants getting close and curious; serval sighting on night drive; seeing the hilarious awkwardness of a giraffe drink; and cheeky lion cubs climbing a tree!!
Another big part of my experience was working on the 'behind the scenes' of conservation here with AI. I realised that there are so many ways that people can help out and have their part in protecting these beautiful animals.
The
biggest things I am taking away from African Impact, is the feeling of accomplishment and achievement, the friendships I've made and the renewed sense of wonder and adventure that keeps growing day by day.
riches to rags
(Part 2) Stuart Isham Fairbairns, business manager, thanda 6am - Stacey drops me off by the revolving door of the Upper East Side. I walk up the polished stairs passing one or two colleagues as they stare deeply at digital displays pouring over graphs and reports, headphones securely installed. I hear the 'scritchy' sound of high tempo rhythms rousing morning ears peaking energy levels. All of this coupled with a stiff cup of Java. Focus levels intensifying as heart beats rise and they type and click at a furious rate. I arrive at my office, my large wooden desk, I sit down, receive my cup of Java and I plug in.
T
he mother of all cities - my home for the past 8 years. From arriving as a traveller with a 3 year visa, I achieved a diploma in fine art while working as a cocktail barman. Table Mountain and the city expanse below warmed me deeply and provided me with hiking, photography, music, parkour, sculpture, friends for life, adventurous expeditions on rock, through air and under wave. I love Cape Town and as much as I missed Scotland this is the place where I want to grow roots and build a life.
I
was selected through a rigorous selection process to join a programme called 'Route 500' exponentially boosting a career from member of the team to revered leader, not only in the company but within the field. Marketing is what most businesses are built upon: travel, food, drinks, vehicles, technology. The biggest businesses within all industries can be recognised by their packaging, by their 'face' built for public consumption. Without question you all know what the Apple logo looks like. How about if you saw Coca Cola's font constructing any sentence you chose? You will still recognise it as the brand’s identity. That is what you purchase. Marketing is power within consuming markets and that is every person with cash to spend. I understand this, I understand you, I know what you need, I know how to create it, the need that is and you could say that I was in a dream position. I spent my days and sometimes nights orchestrating changes in behaviour en masse. I ensured that people bought what I was selling no matter what it was, it was thrilling, to have that control – to understand people so well that I can change their minds without even being there. Sounds exciting, scary too I bet. My moral compass struggled with this, not enough to bring about change, just enough to appear every so often as a wisp of smoke, and then gone again.
For my clients I would make magic happen. I made sure that instead of buying a straight coke it would have a rum in there, my brand of rum. I made sure that instead of purchasing a perfectly good and affordable pair of no name brand running shoes that you would stretch your budget to buy the ones three times the price, and you would. From the moment you wake to the moment you sleep I would make sure there were triggers throughout the day that would eventually end up with you purchasing my product. Digital, billboard, TV, radio, leaflet, newspaper and magazine. All of this into a nation that has little to no expendable cash, it matters not, you will aspire to buy what I am selling and I am seriously good at it. My moral compass twinges once more.
To be continued next month…..
In the US, you often hear April showers bring precious May flowers. Well that's not really the case here in South Africa because unfortunately we did not receive much rain in April because we are going into winter. BUT, I can say that for THAF April has been a extremely productive month that will bring a very fruitful May and many months to come after that.
Thanks to our photography and community volunteers and staff members too, we were able to complete renovation at Mama Grace's chicken farm. We repaired doors and chicken mesh netting to secure their chickens from getting out of the coop and to keep predators from coming in. We also able to repair the Jojo tank and gutter which connected to the tank. Which was a huge success because the farm can now collect water whenever it rain.
Another success this month was the completion of the Mange Creche toilets. We had our research volunteers paint the toilets, matching the creche. Then we were very fortunate to have return photography volunteers, Chris and Richard Denham from England, to complete the final touches on the creche by creating the signs for the doors. The pair created beautiful wooden signs that said adult, girl and boy in Zulu. This was a very special occasion because Chris and Richard were here when we first started the renovation on the creche, so to have them there to complete the project was a great treat. A full circle impact!
We began repairing the jungle gym and building the shading area at Etshaneni creche so the mamas and children have somewhere to sit away from the sun. We hired a local builder to complete the project. We also hired farmers to locate lata poles (which is similar to bamboo) to be used for the shading materials. It was very important that we provided as many opportunities to local workers as possible. This was project which is almost complete.
All of the tables and benches we built for the Mange and Etshaneni Communities have been delivered and are in use. In the Mange Creche, the children and mamas are so much more comfortable with the new tables. The mamas have more room to move around and conduct their lessons. At Etshaneni, the benches have proven to be much needed and useful for different events.
THAF also had the pleasure of purchasing the trophies and medals for the highly anticipated Community Day, which was a huge sports tournament this year. This was an awesome way to teach children in the community about staying active and good sportsmanship all while promoting unity. The Happy Africa Foundation was very honoured to be a part of this event.
A
s always, we also had our share of fun this month as well. In reservation of Easter, we took the following Monday off to have a Easter Hunt Extravaganza. Nothing is more entertaining than seeing adults getting extremely competitive (editor’s note: in the dictionary, under competitive it just says: see ‘Sarah’) about hunting candy eggs! We split the group up into two teams for the hunt. They were two different types of eggs. One type of egg would accrue your team points while the other had a clue for a location attached to it. Once the team found the correct location, they would find a challenge waiting for them. Each challenge would be a photo challenge that they had to complete for more points. This event was very fun and hilarious to watch. Most importantly we raised R660 from this event. We have worked extremely hard this month and have so much to show for it. More exciting things to come, stay tuned!
contact us If you would like to support THAF in any way please see our Facebook page: facebook.com/The Happy Africa Foundation Donate on our website: http://www.happyafricafoundation.org Or on Virgin Money Giving Page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Ulwazilodge
Community day Ziggy Buthelesi, Community Coordinator In the foot of Mhlekazi and Etshaneni Mountains we set up a community day for the first time in the history of African Impact at Thanda. People were like bees running for honey and the numbers were incredibly high, the Sun shining bright which helped everyone to play very well and the rain was off hooray!!!!! Sporting events for the day were netball and soccer, and as usual we had trophies and medals for the first, second and third place for both primary and high schools. THAF donations allowed us to buy 4 trophies and 156 medals to be awarded to the winners.
1st
2nd
We organised a sound system to boost players’ morale and excitement when they were playing and to get that vibe sent out to everyone attending the community day. We had a food and beverage team that were responsible for catering to players and event fans alike. Including the players, more than 500 people attended - not an easy job but they managed to keep everyone more than happy!
A sponsor from Mkuze bus services has generously helped us to collect from schools and different pick up stations in the community to the Sports fields where we had our community day event. This was obviously an essential service, for which we are eternally grateful - you can't host a community day without the community!
We had 10 schools competing from KwaNgwenya and about 300 people outside of schools attended the event and the whole event was a great success. A massive thanks to everyone for the donations and efforts from all our other stake holders!
score!!!
from around the lodge:
random chatter taken entirely out of context... “So you’re a sniffer, huh?...” “ King Shaka - he was hot...” “this one time, I tracked my own sandals...”
“My bat moved out...” “If I had a camera, I could be a photographer...”
and finally... As
usual, this decision is supremely difficult, which is why I tend to leave it u p t o o t h e r s ! ( To c l a r i f y , b o t h competitions are purely volunteer c o n t r i b u t i o n s , a n d v o t e d f o r by volunteers as well.)
This month’s top shot was one by Chris you heard from her and Richard earlier. Photographing children can always present an issue, as legalities and ethics are a major concern, especially for us at AI. Child Protection Acts are there for a reason! In this case, the photo is obviously strong enough to warrant asking the parent or guardian’s permission to use their likeness in an image. We had permission to take photographs at Mange, where it was taken, but when it comes to kids, no stone must be left unturned.
But back to the photo! When taking this photo of the little chap inside the JoJo tank, Chris directed him, making sure she controlled all the elements of the shot. One primary element of the shot was eye level - essential for any kind of portraiture. Photographs are a form of visual communication, and when constructing them in terms of composition, light and all other elements, we need to remove any ‘noise’.
Chris has outdone herself here, giving a very human element to an otherwise potentially uninteresting subject.
As I mentioned on Facebook (and this, too, will be posted on Facebook - how meta!), Richard loves his crunchy (read: sharp) images, and this, his cover shot winner, certainly fits the bill (sorry/not sorry). It’s lovely to see one of our avian friends again gracing our page as the big 5 sometimes tend to overshadow the smaller, but no less essential pollenators of the planet.