A different lens on Mara (3) - Time

Time - this is the third and final installment of my three part series on how I looked at Mara a little differently in my last trip there. You can find the earlier posts, on Space and Colour here and here.

The searchlight shines weakly as it swings in a lazy arc before its pale light collapses and gets gobbled up by the dark.

We are returning to camp.

There is a pleasant nip in the air and the breeze has that reassuring coolness that suggests that rain might not be too far away. One could occasionally make out the shape of a group of gazelles next to the track, or the low, deep roar of a lion close by that seems particularly mysterious and chilling at night.

We bounce around a little more on the seats as Antony picks up speed. Both the headlights and his intimate knowledge of the land help him swerve past the obvious bumps and craters but occasionally he yelps  ‘Sorry’ following it with an amused unapologetic chuckle as he misses one, sending all of us mid air for that fraction of a second before we land bumpily.

The mood is quiet and reflective. Our thoughts hover around the different moments of the day and someone brings up an incident from earlier in the day. Others chip in  with their recollections and there are a few quiet chuckles  as something amusing is recounted.

Silence descends once again.

Soon, the familiar camp lights twinkle at you.

A lovely warm shower awaits.

And then we will sit around the campfire and the conversations will continue to flow easily.

*****

Time.

Most people who are not into wildlife photography, severely underestimate the amount of time we spend waiting for something to either turn up or some action to start.

Everything is unhurried.

Time slows down.

Open blue skies and an endless spread of land lie around you. Yours might be the only vehicle as far as your eye can see as you roam around the landscape, looking, searching. If you are successful in keeping your phone away, time slows down even further.

Things change suddenly.

The leopard that has been sleeping in the thicket, strides out into the open confidently. The lionesses that are lounging about, see a warthog and hunt it down. The cheetah in the bushes, gets up, stretches languidly and walks out into the open, ready to hunt.

In the midst of all this, I try to slow down. I try to push back the clock. I try to hold on to the passing minute from reaching its finish line.

I am in no hurry.

*****

These are images where I have slowed down the shutter speed. Occasionally, I have introduced a slight Intentional Camera Movement to add to the effect.

The success rate with such attempts is frustratingly abysmal. When everything works, it can look different, it can give a feel of a pencil sketch, an ink painting or a watercolour.

I have hours and hours of practice ahead of me.

 The leopard is moving rather slowly, warily. I slowed the shutter speed considerably in order to capture that feeling of motion. The swaying grass in the wind adds to the overall sense being soft and blurred.

 It was a simple sight. Just an ordinary family of topis. I didn't attempt to reduce the overexposure that will result from slowing the shutter speed. It looks like a painting done with ink to me.

 A cheetah resting in the shade usually means many long hours of waiting till it decides to move. Or it could be an opportunity to try some gentle Intentional Camera Movement, in order to get a light, watercolour feeling to the image. It was very windy which along with the slow shutter speed and the movement of the camera provides quite an interesting feel.

Giraffes are such arresting creatures. Their shape, their walk...everything about them is odd.

In that oddity, there is such gentle grace too.

I try to capture that.

 Did I say this is a frustrating process ? I have no idea about the number of times I tried to create this image. Its still so far from what I have in mind. Next time, hopefully.

 There's a lot that is wrong with this attempt. But, there's something about the motion blur around the leopard that is arresting.

A martial eagle with a stolen bit of a gazelle. Its a straightforward image...

or maybe it could be made different.