avatarAnne Bonfert

Summary

Anne Bonfert shares her unique and vibrant experiences of wildlife in Etosha National Park, Namibia, through black and white photography, emphasizing the majesty and diversity of the animals during the rainy season.

Abstract

In a recent visit to Etosha National Park, Anne Bonfert captures the essence of Africa's wilderness through black and white photography. She highlights the rarity of witnessing the park in lush green due to significant rainfall after years of drought. Bonfert encounters a variety of animals, including antelopes, wildebeests, cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, and elephants, and reflects on the beauty and power of these creatures in monochrome images. Her work challenges the common perceptions of certain animals, such as the wildebeest and hyenas, showcasing their majesty and intelligence. The article invites readers to share their own black and white animal photographs, fostering a sense of community and appreciation for nature's diversity.

Opinions

  • Bonfert expresses a special appreciation for the rare sight of Etosha National Park in green, contrasting with the typical dry season landscape.
  • She conveys a particular fascination with the close-up black and white photographs, which she believes reveal the power and essence of the animals without the need for color.
  • Bonfert challenges the negative reputation of wildebeests and hyenas, suggesting that black and white photography can unveil their often-overlooked beauty and majesty.
  • She expresses her excitement about spotting cheetahs, an animal she had not seen before in Namibia, and emphasizes the thrill of recognizing them in the high grass.
  • Bonfert has a deep admiration for giraffes, considering them majestic animals, and she enjoys sightings of them despite their commonality in the park.
  • She shares her surprise and excitement at the unusual sighting of a rhino during the hottest part of the day, highlighting it as a particularly memorable encounter.
  • The author reflects on the unexpected abundance of wildlife during a long game drive to the western gate of Etosha, which included large herds of zebras, wildebeest, and antelopes, as well as a young elephant bull.
  • Bonfert invites engagement from her readers, encouraging them to share their own black and white photographs of animals, indicating her desire to see a diverse range of images within the community.
Credit: Anne Bonfert

Animals of Africa’s Wilderness

Black and white photography

On my most recent game drive I went on I was lucky enough to see the national park all in green and see a lot of animals at the same time. This doesn’t happen very often.

First of all, it's very special the country received already so much rain after years of drought. So I’ve never seen Etosha National Park, the most famous park in the country, in such lush green colors.

Secondly, it’s easier to spot wildlife in the dry season since they gather around the few waterholes that are left. In the rainy season they can find water everywhere so it’s difficult to spot them.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

Despite being excited about all the green on my photographs I also decided to capture some of them in B&W photography. Since I got lots of stunning close-ups, the power of the animals comes up even without colors.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

Antelopes were everywhere. In all sizes, shapes, and colors. From the smallest antelopes like the Damara Dik-Dik to one of the biggest antelopes like the Kudu we did see them all.

Especially springboks were to be seen all around the park. Sometimes a lone one was crossing the plains and other times entire herds were blocking the road.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

A lot of people don’t like wildebeests because they say it’s an ugly animal. But especially when looking at a B&W photograph of a wildebeest one can see some majesty in these animals.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

Scavengers like hyenas aren’t very popular in the world of animals. But these creatures are actually highly intelligent animals. And in a pack of hyenas, a woman is leading the group in case you didn’t know.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

My most favorite sighting of this trip was on two occasions the spotting of cheetahs. I haven’t seen these muscular cats in Namibia before and was thrilled about recognizing them in the high grass.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

On the second sighting we were very lucky the cheetah was sitting up for the moment we were driving past otherwise we would not have had the chance to spot her.

Once she lied down in the high grass of the plains we could barely make her out. A search image got created out of one of those photographs taken.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

Some people ignore these sightings because they are so common. I still love them. Every single time. Giraffes. They are such majestic animals in my eyes. Mostly slow and calm but they can pick up a lot of speed when starting to run.

Don’t get in her way or she will just walk over you.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

The least expected was this animal. Coming back from a late morning game drive we were coming around the corner when this rhino was just standing there staring at us. An unusual sighting for the hottest time of the day. But an even more exciting one!

Credit: Anne Bonfert

On our last day, we were driving 300 kilometers inside the park to reach the western gate of Etosha. Not expecting to see a lot on this game drive we got lucky with seeing the biggest herds of zebras, wildebeest, and antelopes on this trip.

Not only that but we also got to experience a young elephant bull while drinking in the bush and spraying his body with mud and water. The “gentle giant” they call him here and I get the atmosphere of it all.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

These are my most favorite memories of this last safari I’ve done in Namibia including the best B&W photographs I could take. The ones in color will follow soon to show you the beauty of this place in lush green too.

But now I am curious. Do you have black and white photographs of animals too? It doesn’t have to be wild animals. Maybe your pets are a great objective too.

Create a post with some words and tag me in it. Let’s see how much variety we have in this group!

More about my black and white photography…

Join my email list here.

Anne Bonfert is a traveler. Photographer. Writer. Teacher. Skydiving instructor. Adventure enthusiast. Nature lover. And fell in love with the African continent.

Travel
Safari
Wildlife
Nature
Photography
Recommended from ReadMedium