A different lens on Mara (2) - Colour

This is the second of three posts on what I tried to capture in my last visit to Masai Mara. You can see my first post on my website here.

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“ Spider webs. Lots of them.”, Antony pointed out.

That’s when I noticed them. Hundreds of spider webs were all around us, carefully stitched between the stalks of the tall grass.

We slowed down, soaking in the simple delight  of the discovery.

The golden brown grass wearing shimmering silk hats, swayed gently in the breeze looking like a thousand ships have set sail, throwing dark dancing shadows on the sea of grass around. The spiderwebs moved, as if in a trance, more content in capturing the muted yellow rays of the sun than any wandering prey. The dewdrops glistened and shivered waiting for the sun to swallow them.

We were in that short window, that soft phase where the world recuperates from the brilliance of a fiery sunrise. The sun will continue in its upward journey and we would be in the time when most of the predators prefer to hunker down in the shade. Time slows down to a crawl and a quiet descends on our vehicle. We would be either occupied in our thoughts or take a quick nap as our vehicle roams across the wild terrain.

But...

Who really knows how the rest of the day will be ?

*****

Fiery. Rich. Intense.

These are the colours of the postcards from Mara.

But, look a little closely.

Early in the mornings, when the mist mopes around heavy-footed, there are gentle shades of blue and magenta around you, which eases into the loveliest shades of pink as the mist dissolves, or burst into a celebration blazing red across the sky.

On cloudless days the skies are drenched in a pale shade of light blue.

It hasn’t rained much so far this season. The grass is mostly a shade of thirsty yellow. The tree trunks are dull and colourless. The rocks, ashen grey.

But then the colour black appears.

Land has been burnt. Patches of unburnt yellow grass stand out vividly in between. Lighter shades of green appear as the grass stubbornly fights back. A lone gazelle walks on the black charred earth, its golden skin defiant against the bleak landscape.

The breeze picks up. Pale yellow undersides of the leaves juggle with the darker more visible sides.

The temperature drops. The wind roars. The grass and the leaves are throbbing with anticipation. The skies are becoming impatient.

You can almost smell the coming rain.

Mara is changing colour.

Yet again.

I look a little more closely at the colours that Mara has to offer through the day and here are a few of them. While doing that, I try to keep true to my aim of showing the vastness that is this beautiful land.

 Its early morning. Chilly. A blue mist hangs all around us.

An impala provides a statesque profile against the cool blue light.

The mist clears.

The sun comes out, mellow and gentle, bathing the skies in multiple shades of pink.

A cheetah prepares to go in search of a meal.

As the mist clears, a subtle colour palette is revealed. A pale blush of orange in the skies. The hills clinging on to the blue. The hint of lush green of the plains. And the hazy mist adding to the mix.

The predator is however, only focused on its prey.

The cheetah has been roaming around since dawn vainly searching for a prey. It sets off, after another scan of the landscape. The darker, smaller branch on the left provides a good balance to the larger one the cheetah used as a perch, which is drowned in the lovely morning sunlight.

Black is an unexpected colour. Gold sparkles in those unburnt patches and there is a subtle shade of green as Nature inevitably bounces back.

The gazelle stands in golden splendour against the charred earth.

A meadow that has varying shades of green, gold and dark shadows with misty hills in the background.

A cheetah continues its quest for an early meal.

A couple of gazelles warily keep watch, while the zebras are splendidly unconcerned.

Red can also appear in the middle of a clash of green and yellow and tawny.

A different perspective of a lioness snarling at her sisters, unwilling to share her meal.

Its late in the afternoon and time for the predators to get out of the shadows and move into hunting mode.

The leopard adds a darker shade of yellow to the dry grass.

Its evening and the wind picks up, the bushes are impatient and noisy. Its a battle between shades of green.

The cheetah that was sleeping wakes up - it knows something is afoot.

Things can change in a jiffy. The strong breeze was an indication of impending rain. And the skies turn black. The grass looks a darker shade of green.

A lone topi stands tall, ready to welcome the rain.

Hope you enjoyed looking at the colour palette that Mara has to offer...do let me know your thoughts and which images worked for you.

And, I have a bit of happy news on the personal side to share. One of my images got selected for an Honorable Mention in the recent International Monochrome Awards in their Wildlife category. ( It's ironic isnt it that I am sharing a monochrome award in a blog post on Colour ? :) ) The link is here : https://monoawards.com/winners-gallery/monochrome-awards-2025/amateur/wildlife

The image, one that I am particularly fond of is this one,'Wariness", that of a snow monkey that was warily looking at another adult male that was approaching.

Thanks

Ashok