Marsel wins 1st Prize in European Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year has announced the winners of 2009's competition, and we are extremely proud that Marsel was awarded 1st place in the Mammals category for the winning entry Elephant at Victoria Falls. The image was shot in Zambia, Africa, and features an African elephant near the edge of Victoria Falls, a very rare sight. This spectacular photograph is available as a fine art print at various sizes. Please have a look at the Shop section on our website for sizes and prices.

And as if this weren't enough, Marsel was also Highly Commended in the Birds category for his image Swan Lake. This photo was shot in Japan and features a gaggle of whooper swans in an icy lake at sunset.

The Migration: The Greatest Show on Earth

We were pretty worried for this trip as Kenya faced the worst drought to hit the country in over a decade. The so-called "long rains" that usually fall in March and April failed this year, and some areas have now been in drought conditions for almost three years. No one knows why the drought has been so bad. Many attribute it to global warming, but others say it is simply part of the long-term weather cycle in East Africa.

Luckily, by the time our Squiver Phototrip started, so had the rain. On our first night in Nairobi we got some serious showers and we were all hoping the same was happening in the Masai Mara. On our flight to the Mara we didn't know what to expect - how many wildebeest would be there, if any?

The annual wildebeest migration happens from July-September between Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. Thousands of wildebeest and zebras make the seasonal migration in search of food during this time, and predators such as lions take advantage of their movements. From July-August the wildebeest cross the Grumeti River in Tanzania on their way to Kenya.

When we flew over the Mara, we couldn't believe our eyes: there were wildebeest as far as our eyes could see, literally covering the landscape. It was a wonder we could land the plane without hitting some of them! The following days the weather was perfect; fresh in the morning, nice and warm during the day, and usually some showers in the afternoon. We could see the landscape getting greener and the wildebeest certainly enjoyed the fresh grass.

Obviously, we all wanted to see a crossing, which is actually easier said than done. It takes a lot of time, and luck, to see one. On several occasions we waited on the edge of the Mara river, sometimes watching thousands of wildebeest piling up on the other side, gathering courage to cross. But the Mara river is infested with huge Nile crocodiles, so it's understandable the wildebeest are a bit hesitant. And if one wildebeest gets spooked, they all run off. Patience is the key to success, and eventually we got to see a crossing from very close by. The water level was still low and there were no crocs in the water, which made it a lot easier for the wildebeest. Quite an impressive sight!

Of course wildebeest were not the only species we saw on this trip. We got some good lion sightings, lots of elephants and even a cheetah kill. Again, our patience paid off. We saw that the cheetah was watching a small group of gazelles from a distance, and decided to wait and see. The cheetah was just sitting and watching and didn't seem all that interested, the gazelles were pretty far away and the cheetah was not making any effort getting closer. But then it suddenly started to move towards the gazelles, first creeping, then trotting and then running at full speed. By the time the gazelles noticed what was happening, the cheetah was already half way there. One of the gazelles was still a young baby, and the cheetah tried to confuse it and separate if from its parents, an effective strategy. Moments after it took off, the cheetah caught the gazelle - it was all over before we knew it. Something we will not easily forget.

Another highlight was the balloon trip over the Masai Mara. It's already impressive to see so many wildebeest on the ground, but you don't realize the magnitude of this phenomenon until you see it from the air. Thousands of wildebeest forming long trails covering the landscape below, zebras and impalas running across the plains, and hippos and crocs in the rivers. Our pilot landed the balloon in the middle of the Masai Mara, after which we had a bush breakfast with a long line of wildebeest passing only a hundred meters away from us. The perfect end to a perfect morning.

Thanks to all participants for a wonderful trip, we hope to see you again!

Marsel wins in International Photography Awards

The International Photography Awards (IPA) has announced the winners of 2009's competition, and we're proud to announce that Marsel was awarded 3rd place in the Nature category for the winning entry On The Lookout. This year's competition received nearly 18,000 submissions from 104 countries across the globe and is considered one of the most prestigious photography competitions in the world. The winning image was shot in Botswana, Africa, and features a meerkat silhouetted against the setting sun.

The meerkat or suricate (Suricata suricatta) is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family. It inhabits all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and South Africa. Meerkats forage in a group with one "sentry" on guard watching for predators while the others search for food. Sentry duty is usually approximately an hour long. The meerkat standing guard makes peeping sounds when all is well. If the meerkat spots danger, it barks loudly or whistles.

Marsel: "I really wanted to photograph a meerkat silhouetted against a big ball of fire in the background, because my research had shown that no such image existed yet. In order to get this result I needed specific weather conditions (i.e. dust and haze) to get the highly saturated colors of the sun. I therefore had to try my luck several days in a row before everything finally came together. In order to be at the right spot at the right time, I had to follow these little fellows on foot, constantly trying to anticipate where they would stand. During the day they stay for longer periods in one spot, but around sunset they're in a hurry to get back to their burrows and they only occasionally stop for a few seconds to check out the surroundings for potential danger. After a few misses, I eventually managed to pick the right spot to set up my tripod and a meerkat appeared in my frame."

Amongst the other winners are Steve Bloom, Sebastian Copeland, Nadav Kander, Chris Frazer-Smith, Peter Lik and Kacper Kowalski.

On photo assignment in Zambia

We're back in Johannesburg again. The last two weeks we have been on an assignment for two lodges in Zambia, and we had a fabulous time. We had photographed for this lodge before for the Wild Romance book, and they asked us back for some additional shots for their new brochures. We made some new shots of an existing room and some of a very new one that they were still building when we were there.

All the time that we were there, there were either elephants in the camp, or very nearby. One afternoon Daniëlla and the lodge manager had a relaxed chat on the verandah when an elephant walked by and briefly stopped to check them both out. They sat there motionless without making a sound to not to disturb the animal in any way, and after a few seconds it moved away again - a truly breathtaking experience.

Also part of the assignment, was to photograph a walking safari. This is one of the many cool things you can do in this area, and definitely not something you can do in most other African parks. Marsel wanted to photograph an elephant standing underneath one of the typical big trees, with a small group of people at a safe distance in the background. Photographing an elephant is one thing, but to photograph one with people in it is quite something else. We used two vehicles; one with Marsel in it and a guide, and one with the 'actors.' The idea was to have four people in the shot: two tourists, a guide and a security guard. We drove around the area, searching for elephants, preferably standing in good light and eating from a big tree. When we found one, Marsel would take position and direct the other vehicle to the spot where he wanted the people in the frame. He would then make the composition while the four actors would get out of their car and slowly and quietly walk into the shot. Obviously, with wild animals it is very important to keep a safe distance - both for the people and for the animal. By using a long lens Marsel was able to compress the perspective, pulling the animal and the people closer together in the shot.

To get a good shot was not easy to say the least. It takes time to find a good potential shot and then to all get into the right position, and by the time everything was set, the elephant was already starting to walk away or decided to turn around for a nice butt-shot. We eventually got the 'money shot' not far from our camp. A large elephant was feeding from a large tree and was not in a hurry to move - we gratefully took advantage of that!

The Masai Mara is getting ready for the migration

We heard that huge heards of wildebeests are already moving in to the Mara, so we expect the Squiver Migration tour to be spectacular! We are still holding a few first-row seats. As the lodge is full, time to enlist is limited, so if you want to see the biggest spectacle on earth: book quickly!

Loads of leopards in South Africa

We just finished this year's Extreme Leopards tour in South Africa, and it was fantastic. Not only did we see 16 different leopards in 10 days (!), we also had a wonderful group which made it even more enjoyable. The first camp we stayed in we had completely to ourselves, which was really nice. Dallas, Mike and Retief, our excellent guides, did a superb job finding leopards for us, helped by some of the best trackers in the region. Every now and then we had to do some serious off-road driving to find our elusive subjects, but that only added to the safari experience; exciting and fun! The days after a large elephant kill we had more difficulties finding leopards, due to a sudden increase of predators in the area, in particular hyena and lion, so we decided to spend more time on some of the other animal species. But it didn't take long before the leopards showed up again and we were presented with excellent sightings.

The last 3 days of the trip we spent at another lodge in a different area. Even though we were still in the same park, the habitat was completely different and made for a nice change for our images. Our leopard sightings got even better here, with one female and a cub, and another female with two cubs - exactly what we were all hoping for! On one day, one of our vehicles even made a 12-hour long game drive with non-stop action from one of the females and her cub - an unforgettable experience. Thanks to Chris, Gareth and Graham, our expert guides for all the hard work!

We all returned to Johannesburg with more leopards shots than we could count, and six pounds heavier from all the good food our chef Chedrick prepared for us... Four people from this year's group already indicated that they would like to join us again on this same trip next year - we're already looking forward to shooting with you again!

Back to the bush

We'll leave for Africa again this week for the Extreme Leopards tour in South Africa and the Masai Mara Migration tour in Kenya. In between we'll be shooting on assignment in Zambia. We will have limited internet facilities in the bush, but we will try to access our email whenever we can. It will simply take us a little longer than usual to answer your questions. See you soon!

Our new book is out now!

Good things come to those who wait. :-) This is what our publisher has to say about our new book:

"Wild Romance features 46 of Africa’s most sought-after safari getaways, those exclusive destinations where guests are virtually guaranteed encounters with the Big Five, alongside luxurious accommodation, superb service and first-class cuisine. The selected lodges are among the best that Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa have to offer. Stunning photographs depict the setting, ambience and décor of each establishment, as well as the magnificent landscape and unique wildlife. Marsel van Oosten and Daniëlla Sibbing spent eight months travelling through southern and eastern Africa to capture images of some of the continent’s most desirable destinations for this book. Whether you are planning a honeymoon or simply want to get close to nature with someone special, an African safari provides the perfect opportunity to bond with a loved one in a setting that combines the rawness of nature with the comforts of a luxury lodge. For anyone who takes love seriously, Wild Romance is a celebration of a once-in-a-lifetime African experience."

This hard cover, coffee table-style book features 296 pages, 730 full colour photographs and includes a free DVD. If you're interested in pre-ordering a signed copy, please drop us an email and we'll put you on the list. We will start shipping books in October. You can buy a signed copy of Wild Romance for 39,95 euro, excluding packaging & postage on www.squiver.com/WildRomance.html

BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009

Like last year, one of Marsel's images was selected for the final round of judging in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The selected image is called 'Lashes' and features a close-up view of the eye and incredible long eyelashes of an African elephant. This stunning photograph is now available as a Limited Edition print. Please visit the Store section on our website for pricing and ordering information.

Second tour added to White & Wild Japan 2010

As this popular trip filled up already quite early this year, we have decided to add another one, two weeks earlier: from 5-19 February 2010.

We expect this trip to fill up quickly as well, as the first bookings are already in. So if you would like to photograph snow monkeys bathing in natural hot springs, the elegant dances of the Japanese cranes, whooper swans in a snow covered winter wonderland, and Stellar's sea eagles on floating pack ice from Siberia - don't hesitate and make your reservation now!

Finland was a party with a lot of bears!

We had another very succesful photography trip to the Taiga forests of Finland. It is very impessive to see these beautiful creatures and to be so close, without them noticing us at all. It was mating season and we were treated to a lot of actvitity. We photographed bears mating, swimming in the water, climbing trees, playing and fighting. They sometimes came so close, we could count their lashes! We saw lots of adult bears, but also several mothers with cubs. Needless to say that everyone was very happy. We are planning two trips for 2010, so make sure to join us next year if you like bears!

Back from Namibia

New tourdates already planned for 2010 - We have just returned from this year's Namibia Untamed photo tour. Winter had arrived early in Namibia, so it wasn't as hot as last year and we even had to wear our sweaters and long pants most of the time.

"Many thanks for such a fantastic itinerary on the Namibia Untamed tour. You combined great photographic opportunities with a most memorable holiday experience."
-Kah Kit Yoong, Australia

We made some minor adjustments to the itinerary to make it an even better trip. The red dunes of Sossusvlei were as impressive as always, and this year we were treated with a remarkable amount of great oryx sightings - we even had one walking in Deadvlei!

"Perfectly organised trip to some very well and some little known photographic spots in beautiful Namibia. It improved my skills and my photographic way of looking and photograph landscape and detail in the landscape. Marsel and Daniëlla make sure that you are at the right spot at the most beautiful light of the day."
-Evelien Schermer, The Netherlands

The early morning flight in the microlight over the dunes was once again one of the unforgettable highlights of the tour; no matter where you pointed your camera, great shots were inevitable! A new element was the night at Spitzkoppe, camping under the stars, which were amazing!



We tried shooting star trails during the night, so we didn't get much sleep, but got some great shots in return.

"An exceptional tour. Well balanced and would suit everyone from beginner to advanced. Stunning scenery, fantastic locations, and the planning was perfect. Long days but well worth it!
I certainly could not have achieved the same results by visiting Namibia by myself. Thank you so much for the most memorable photographic trip of my life. I wholeheartedly recommend this trip to everyone."
-Tony McLean, UK

In Etosha, we spent the evening at the waterhole watching no less than 7 rhinos (including the highly endangered black rhino), 10 giraffes, 2 elephants and countless zebras drinking and enjoying the water. On the game drive the next morning, we saw enormous herds of zebra and a lot or other plains game. Towards the end of the morning we spend time at a herd of 24 elephants, with quite a few playful little ones - the perfect end to a perfect trip! We would like to thank all participants for making this such a wonderful tour!

"As a complete beginner with no prior knowledge of photography I did not think I would be able to participate much and that was not the case - I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from Marsel's reviews and workshops. Daniëlla is a great organiser and nurturer! Thank you both for a wonderful trip. I am very inspired to go further and learn more..."
-Luana, South Africa