Greg du Toit
Africa in Black and White
Welcome to my black and white wildlife prints page, filled with limited edition (1 of 50) black and white animal photography prints. ‘Less is more’ is one of my favourite photographic adages and one I apply regularly as a black and white wildlife photographer.
Wildlife photographers often apply this saying in reference to photo gear or composition, but compiling this gallery of black and white animal wall art, I realised how true it is also of black and white wildlife photography. In fact, black and white wildlife photographers take the visual noise of colour away, and black and white wildlife art is both timeless and authentic. Black and white wildlife photography illuminates the soul of the subject, allowing them speak from beyond the shadows.
Black and white wildlife art is to me a profound mystery and perhaps even a miracle. Enjoy browsing this gallery of African black and white wildlife photography consisting of only black and white animal photography prints.
African wildlife photographer bio and article.
Giraffe and Friends - A giraffe lifts his head after quenching a long thirst, sending his oxpecker friends flying (Mwagusi River, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania).
Kudu Forest - Stalking closer on foot, I wanted to capture a scene that to me typifies the African bush (Ruaha National Park, Tanzania).
Giraffe Forest - Giraffe love acacia trees and deep within Tanzania's Ruaha National Park, I found this giraffe, framed by the branches and boughs of the trees. Giraffe are the national animal of Tanzania.
Ape Man - I have spent a lot of time with wild chimps but this photo really struck a chord, it felt like my subject was almost human (Mahale Mountains, Tanzania).
Warthog in Motion - Few things delight more than seeing a warthog in motion, tail always up and trotting off into the bush (Okavango, Botswana).
The Snake and the Elephant - Wildlife photography is fifty fifty, half the time it is pure luck. On this occasion I was photographing a spotted bush snake when I noticed an elephant feeding in the background. I waited for the behemoth to move into my frame before capturing this rather unusual portrait and scene (Mana Pools, Zimbabwe).
An Elephant Tale - As a wildlife photographer I am often on the hunt for a particular photograph. Sometimes however, I find myself a casual observer whereby the bush offers me a special kind of serendipity, and a surprise photograph. In these moments, I am an observer only, like on this occasion when I watched an elephant tale play out in the Zambezi Valley.
Tussling Giants - Two elephant bulls tussle on the greast plains of East Africa. The elephant on the left was the victor and successfully chased the other bull off (Serengeti, Tanzania).
Lion Cub Sneeze - A lion cub sneezes and both look on in bewilderment as the resultant water drops float through the air.
Circle of Life - Lying on my belly in a remote part of the Serengeti, I see the circle of life playing out. Watching, observing, composing...this is the life of a wildlife photographer.
Cat among the pigeons - It was on Chief's Island, in the heart of the Okavango that this leopard dropped out of an African ebony tree, landing in the middle of a herd of impala, and sending them scattering in every direction. This leopard was the proverbial cat among the pigeons.
Rhinoceros Duo - Using a slow shutter speed I pan with my prehistoric subjects as they move through the bush, side by side (Sabi Sands, South Africa).
Meerkat Manor - Meerkats are adorable subjects, I especially like their long whiskers and lashes. Always alert and living in strong family groups, like this one in South Africa's Kalahari Desert.
Lechwe Ram in the Mist - A cold and early morning in Zambia's Kafue National Park. A lechwe ram stands alone, mist rising all around him.
In the Spotlight - An all-time favourite leopard of mine pauses momentarily on a cold winter's night and exhales (South Africa's Mala Mala Game Reserve).
Crossing Calamity - I will never forget photographing eye level as thousands upon thousands of migrating wildebeest crossed the river right in front of me (Kenya's Masai Mara).
The Buffalo Hunt - Amidst a billowing cloud of dust, this wild dog pack chases a herd of buffalo through the forest (Zambezi Valley).
Tim The Tusker - Tim was a giant who roamed wild and free for many years beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. This photograph was taken in the last years of his life. His magnificence lives on in this artwork (photographed on community land in the Amboseli region of Kenya).
Running Rhinos - A pair of rhinos barrel through the bush. I choose a slow shutter speed to accentuate the moment of my prehistoric and ghostly subjects (secret location in Kenya).
The Eagle and the Fowl - A Martial Eagle takes off with a guineafowl, using only one talon! Swinging my 600mm F4 lens in the direction of the action, I managed to get just this one photograph of this incredible display of power (Mashatu, Botswana).
Guineafowl Light and Shade - As an African wildlife photographer I spend a lot of time at waterholes, playing with light and shade. When a flock of guineafowl came down to drink, I composed so as to have one in the background, silhouetted against the water (Mashatu, Botswana).
Bushveld Zebra - The 'bushveld' is the colloquial name for the African savannah in South Africa. It is a term, and a place, that pulls at the heartstrings. It is also a difficult place to photograph - it is bushy! Sticking my lens through one such bush I created this portrait. It is as much about the zebra as it is about the ambiance and mystery of the bushveld.
Equine Reflections - It was on Botswana's salt pans that I witnessed thousands of zebra journeying to quench desperate thirsts. This is an inverted reflection; made possible by the mirror-like water.
Lowveld Zebra - The lowveld region of South Africa is a low-lying stretch of fine African bush. It is the place I went to on holidays as a kid, and the place where I cut my teeth as a wilderness safari guide. At times dense and thick, and very different to the great plains of E Africa.
A King's Bath - In the mighty Zambezi River, a mighty beast relishes the grass growing on a floating island (Mana Pools, Zimbabwe).
Tail End - It is no easy exercise to get right next to an elephant's bum, with a wide angle lens, and then to get the tail swinging with an elephant in the background. Somehow I managed to do this in Kenya's Masai Mara.
Delta Kudu - On an island in the Okavango Delta; a herd of kudu browse in an Apple-leaf thicket. It is everyday scenes like this, that make Africa a place that once it is in your blood, it will never leave (Botswana).
Falling Flat - This baby elephant has had enough to drink, and deciding to play at the water's edge, falls flat in the process (Mashatu, Botswana).
Lone Lechwe - Like a statue in the middle of the swamps, this lechwe fixes its gaze on a neighbouring male. As the sun rises, the swamp releases steam, creating a dreamy setting that is best told without colour (Busanga Plains, Zambia).
Leopard Looking On - Leopards have the remarkable ability to be equally at home in the trees as they are on the ground. Here a leopard looks on, staring at something unbeknownst to me (Mala Mala, South Africa).
Zebra Soul - Photographed in South Africa's Hluhluwe Game Reserve, in the heart of Zululand. Staring into this zebra's eye, I crossed the invisible boundary that separates humans from animals. This frame remains one of the definitive moments in my photographic career.
Primate Ponderings - For 8 years I journeyed to the wild and very remote Mahale Mountains of Tanzania to photograph our closest living relatives. This photograph is the result of my searching for a single photograph that is able to convey the mysterious link between man and beast.
Cleared for Take-off - Flamingoes take off on mass, their dangling legs leaving trails in the water (Lake Magadi, Kenya).
Vulturine Guineafowl - This other-worldly bird is found in the driest most inhospitable parts of East Africa and to me, it resembles a pterodactyl (Tsavo East, Kenya).
A Leopard's Den - We knew that this leopard, called the Ostrich Koppies female, had cubs, and it took us days of searching to locate her den site (Mala Mala, South Africa).
A King's Reflection - A dominant male lion walks to a pan in Botswana's Okavango Delta, to quench his thirst. Choosing to photograph only his reflection, I knew that I would invert it and create this portrait.
Strandwolf - In Namibia, along the Skeleton Coast, you get a shy and rare animal that the locals call a Strandwolf, which translates in English to 'Beach Wolf'. This hyena species preys on seals and can survive in the most inhospitable of environments.
GDT Collections
