Diary

Mana in the rains - January, to be exact, before the elephants all 'gapped' to the Park hinterland. It's a great time to visit - if you can manage to time your trip to coincide with this 'window of opportunity'. Many tracks may be closed, but the main access road is usually easily passable, and the Nyamepi campsite and lodges are also open.

The Matusadona shoreline is a favourite area, for game-viewing and for enjoying the famous Kariba sunsets with a glass in hand. As in most Parks, the dry season is the best time to see wildlife as the inland water dries out and the shoreline areas expand as the lake level falls. Elephant, zebra and waterbuck are also often seen, and there's also a chance of cheetah and black rhinos

Many animals give birth during the wet season, because of the abundance of water, grazing and browse, and also because the vegetation provides cover and protection against predators. At this time, young impala calves like this one can be seen in most wildlife areas, both in Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley and Kariba regions, and elsewhere. Baby warthogs and the young of several other species are also common at this time.

Dick snapped this zebra mother and her foal during a recent ZIM4x4 tour to the Zambezi Valley. The rains had ended and the grass was already drying out, but much of the other vegetation was still green and lush.

The rains also bring out the damselflies and other insects (some, like mosquitoes, not so nice to have around!). There is also a coloourful explosion of butterflies during the wet season, often rising in clouds from elephant dungpiles on roads and tracks as you approach.

This guy simply couldn't care less - just meandered around while we snapped him from every possible angle. A difficult shot, into the light, which needed a bit of Adobe Photoshopping to bring up the detail around his mouth and tusks, but that's just one of the advantages of digital photography and a good editing programme!

This photo gallery will include what we consider to be some of the best photographs taken by ourselves and our tour participants in the areas we commonly visit. To kick it off, here is a selection taken by Dick Pitman. See more of his photographs on his Shutterpoint web page.

PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTES
Although I carry a tripod, many of my best photographs are taken either handheld, or with a basic 'shoulder pod', with the camera programmed to a setting that enables me merely to 'point and shoot'. Spontaneity is usually the name of my particular game.

I make a lot of use of Adobe Photoshop to maximise the impact of my photos. Some find this intimidating, but if I can learn the basics of digital photo editing, anybody can!

I also firmly believe that the really important thing is to develop a 'good eye' for a picture. If you've got that, you'll get good photos with any basic camera of reasonably good make. Without it, all the expensive equipment in the world won't help you!