Greg du Toit
Icons of Africa
This gallery consists of wildlife portraits only and invites you to make your acquaintance with the wild creatures whose home is Africa.
This wildlife portrait photography gallery purposely juxtaposes different subjects but all are presented in a clear and concise manner; so as to unveil the icons of the continent. Each wildlife portrait print is quite simply all about the individual animal itself have been meticulously collected from Africa’s grassland regions through to her forests, rivers and waterholes. I journeyed from the roof of Africa in Ethiopia, all the way to the low-lying bushveld regions of South Africa to bring you this collection of wildlife portraits.
The Icons Of Africa gallery of wildlife portraits serves only to hint at the staggering diversity of wonderful creatures that roam the continent. I now invite you to meet them in the wildlife portraits gallery below. Read more about my Fine Art Wildlife Prints and see a news article here.
Peekaboo - Few things can describe the feeling of being the first photographer to photograph a newborn leopard cub (Okavango Delta, Botswana).
Okavango Queen - We had been on safari in the Okavango Delta for over a week and had not seen a single other safari truck. Shortly after taking this photo we followed the leopardess to her den and saw her cub for the first time (Botswana).
Every dog's day - As the saying goes 'every dog has his day'. Technically hyenas are not dogs, their young are called cubs because they are more closely related to cats than dogs. In truth, they are neither cats nor dogs but in their own unique family, hyaenidae (Masai Mara, Kenya).
Eyes Wide Shut - Mountain Gorillas are critically endangered with just over 1000 left in the world. But the really good news is that their population is increasing by about 3.7% each year and this largely as a result of photographic tourism. What is even better is that the gorillas do not seem to mind the human company. Just as I was about to take my dream portrait, my gorilla shut his eyes (Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda).
Bulls at Play - Two elephants wrestle on the ample plains beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. The background is the base of the mountain (Amboseli, Kenya).
Running Rascal - Predicting animal behaviour is an essential skill to my work as a wildlife photographer. When I saw this little wild dog pup missing out on his siblings playing, I just knew that he would run through the veld to join them (Okavango Delta, Botswana).
Browsing Giraffe - I had the wonderful privilege of living in a remote corner of Ruaha National Park many years ago. Exploring secret forests was a favourite pastime of mine and on this occasion I was delighted to capture this portrait of a giraffe, feeding on a sausage tree leaf (Tanzania).
Wilderness Dreaming Lioness - Sitting in the water for 270 hours in Kenya's south rift, only to get a picture of a truly wild lion drinking, was simply my way of proving to myself that I had found the lost Africa of my dreams. The full story is detailed in my memoir 'Wilderness Dreaming'.
Fringe-eared Oryx - I desperately wanted a photo of a fringe-eared oryx. The fact that a big elephant bull walked into the foreground was just a wonderful case of serendipity (Chyulu Hills, Kenya).
Majestic King - This lion, and his brother, I tracked for two years in a wild and remote corner of Tanzania's Ruaha National Park. It took many months for them to get used to my vehicle. As the sun rose, the majestic king looks on, a riverbank in shade providing the perfect backdrop.
Maternal Herd - As the elephants move through Kenya's Amboseli region, the baby is closely watched and protected by its mother and the rest of the herd.
Bat-eared Fox Cuteness - A mother bat-eared fox and her cub outside their den in Kenya's Masai Mara.
Hippo Pool - Lying next to a still pool I get a leafy background in place and wait patiently for my subject to surface (Zambezi Valley).
The Thinker - I will never forget taking this photograph of my subject looking back, directly at me (Mahale Mountains, Tanzania).
Mara Cheetah Cub - A cheetah cub stares straight into my lens, allowing me to capture the incredible intricate eye detail (Masai Mara, Kenya)
Gelada King - The last rays of the day caress the mountain slopes in the background, complimenting the orange eyes of my incredible subject (Simien Mountains, Ethiopia).
Mufasa - This word means 'king' and we all know that the lion is indeed the king of the jungle. Photographed on my annual Botswana and South Africa predator workshop in Mala Mala Game Reserve.
The King - This male lion is the king of Botswana's Northern Tuli area. I have waited years to capture a portrait that does this magnificent specimen of a lion justice.
Nursing Cub - Deep inside a forest on the banks of Zambia's Zambezi River, a mother leopard nurses her cub (only available in a MEDIUM size).
Rhino River - A white rhinoceros has just enjoyed an early morning drink from the river (Mala Mala, South Africa).
Forest Chimpanzee - Tanzania's Mahale Mountains house the largest population of wild chimpanzees left in the world. As my endangered subject sat in the forest; the light filtered down through the leaves and the dark forest rendered a pleasing bokeh of greens and blacks.
Portrait of a Gelada - Every time a wild subject stares straight into my lens, I feel a rush; like I did on the top of the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia with this Gelada Baboon.
A Moment of Contemplation - A chimpanzee, in the wild and very remote Mahale Mountains of Tanzania, enjoys a moment of contemplation. The sun's rays filter through the forest softly, gently, creating an ethereal atmosphere.
Londolozi Lion - It was a cold winter’s morning in South Africa’s Londolozi Game Reserve when I took this backlit portrait of one of the dominant male lions in the area, as he sniffed the air for pheromones.
A Gathering of Giants - In Kenya's Chyulu Hills, a group of Tuskers gather at a watering hole to quench long thirsts. It remains one of the most special and rare sightings I have enjoyed.
Chimpanzee Siesta - In the wild Mahale Mountains of Tanzania a chimpanzee prepares for a siesta. Lying next to him, I managed to create this portrait and thankfully just before he closed his eyes.
Gazing Up - A female leopard in Botswana's Mashatu Game Reserve looks for a suitable tree in which to hoist her prey and as she gazes up, her long eyelashes are accentuated.
Notch - This lion's name was Notch and together with his sons, he ruled the great plains for over a decade. He now lives on in this portrait (Masai Mara, Kenya). Only artist's proof left.
Swimming Elephant - A gentle giant enjoys cooling off in the Zambezi River as the sun sets on another dreamy African scene (Mana Pools, Zimbabwe).
Through The Legs - Waterholes are my favourite place to be in the world and it has been this way, ever since I was a child. They are a place where animals gather and where magic happens, like this Eland, the largest antelope in the world, staring through the legs of the tallest animal in the world (Chyulu Hills, Kenya).
Lioness and Cubs - This photograph of a free-ranging lioness and cubs was taken at a waterhole on Maasai-owned community land. To get this shot took me 16 months and it was captured on slide film (note the grain). This photo will forever remind me of a time in my life when lions were not restricted to parks and reserves. In its essence, this photograph contains my wilderness dreams (Kenya's south rift valley).
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