Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera – Yousuf Karsh

It’s obvious to everyone who knows me that I love photography, but recently I have been putting my camera down for an entire sighting, just enjoying it with “my true lens”. I think wildlife photography is not being glued to your camera, but also knowing when to put the camera down and enjoy the sighting, instead of watching an entire sighting through a camera’s viewfinder. I hope you enjoy this edition of Monochrome Monday!

Warthog Wallow in hot pursuit of Maxabeni, hoping to mate with him. After this photo was taken she tried her luck when they were together, but Maxabeni was not interested.

Visiting the ever active hyena den site on the property is always special. These youngsters are very active, but this youngster was quite tired of running around and decided to rest for a while.

After a bit of an absence, it was good to see the Fourways males back on the property. They are still looking good and growing day by day.

Two Dwarf Mongoose exit their burrow, cautiously looking around for any dangers before moving off to feed.

I usually do not like to convert bird images to monochrome, but this Grey Heron worked well in black and white.

Two young elephants battle it out, practicing for their future when fights like this become much more serious.

This photo was taken recently when I managed to see Xovonekela for the second time. He was on the fringes of Maxabeni’s territory, salivating heavily.

A Wild Dog from the Toulon Pack takes a rest before moving off with the rest of the pack to go and hunt.

An elephant calf splays its ears, trying to make itself larger to intimidate us on the vehicle.

Warthog Wallow takes a quick drink of water before disappearing into the Msuthlu Riverbed.