Click here to see the above photograph – Swallows by Richard Broadbent
At the May Club Night, member Randall Miles ARPS AFIAP gave a presentation on ‘The Maasai Mara, Part One: Watch this space for a better Part Two.’ Introducing his presentation, Randall explained that the Maasai Mara National Reserve comprises approximately 550 square miles located in Kenya, adjoining Tanzania’s larger Serengeti National Reserve. The Maasai Mara contains the biggest concentration of lions, leopards and cheetahs in Africa, and is also famous for the bi-annual Great Migration of zebra, Thomson’s gazelle and wildebeest to and from the Serengeti. While most visitors stay overnight outside the Reserve, Randall was fortunate in being able to sleep in a tent within the Reserve, being looked after by the Maasai people themselves. A great asset for wildlife photography but, as he confessed, a somewhat alarming experience initially to be in such close proximity to the animals.
Randall then showed a selection of his animal prints taken on safari in the ubiquitous Land Rover, starting early in the morning and finishing late evening. These included sightings of the ‘big cats,’ together with elephants, buffalos and rhinoceros. He was also fortunate to witness the start of one of the Great Migrations, and showed photographs of the crossing of the Mara River with hidden predators lying in wait. This was a most interesting and absorbing presentation by an accomplished photographer, accompanied by a great deal of humour, which was much appreciated by his audience. The presentation’s intriguing title suggests that another will be forthcoming soon.
The next Society Club Night will be an outdoor photo-shoot for members in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, starting at 7.30pm opposite the Black Prince PH at Woodstock. Then, on 15 June, there will be an outdoor workshop and on 1 July there will be a presentation on aspects of wildlife photography at 7.30pm in the Cartwright Hotel, Aynho (details of both events will be posted on the website) – all are welcome to attend. If you are interested in photography, please come along.
John Branton