Tutus & Butterflies | Children Photography

A couple of months ago, I woke up with an idea. I pictured lots of girls in tutus, playing together, and lots of beautiful light. So I decided to put together my first styled shoot.  Some of you might think this was the inner me wishing I had a girl to play with. But that's what friends are for! I contacted a bunch of friends, and asked if they could help me put together a styled photo shoot. And they were there for me! 

It was hard for me to decide where the photo shoot would take place, but I realized I had the most beautiful light in my living room during the mornings;  so I transformed my living room in the stage for my girly butterfly theme party. My mom, who is visiting, is the most crafty person I have ever met. We both stayed until late at night, clearing my living room, and setting up for the party. We made treats, and used flowers from my garden to decorate. And VOILA!

South Africa Part II | Wildlife Photography

I think I might have been about 8 years old when I watched SHAKA ZULU, the Great Zulu Warrior King on TV. It was a series that was on for about 3 months, every Sunday night. The whole country of Panama was glued to the TV on Sunday nights. Not once I ever thought I was going to visit the land of the Zulus' myself. 

After our Cape Town stop, we flew to Durban (the land of the Zulus), and after a 3 hour drive we reached our destination at the Thanda Reserve. This place was truly a piece of heaven on Earth. I have travelled to many places in the world, but after I have seen a place, I very rarely have a desire to go back. I usually have a "been there, done that, where to next" attitude.  This place changed my mind in a wonderful way. I would love to return to this reserve with my kids some day. 

Not only the interaction with the animals was amazing, but also the people at the place. Our guide, Truman, and tracker, Wyneth, were both local zulu men and made our experience superb. We had two game drives a day. One at 6 AM, for which we would have to get up at 5:30 AM every day at the reserve, and other at 3 PM. Animals sights are best at sunrise or sunset. Both game drives had either coffee break, or cocktail break. 

The purpose of a game drive, is to see the "Big 5". The lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhinoceros were the five animal most difficult to hunt on foot,  back in the late 19th Century when the Safari culture started in Africa. Safari means "long journey" in Swahili language. Now a days, there is still hunting, but most reserves are all about preserving the wildlife instead.  

Some people take many years before they can see the Big 5, but we were lucky to see them all, plus cheetahs, zebras, hyenas, giraffe and many more. The only picture I couldn't get was the one of the leopard. A very cautious animal, it is rare to see it. No picture of it, but the most amazing memory of its sight will always be in our minds. 

See for yourself, what I was able to witness in person, simply A M A Z I N G!!!

            

           All images are copyrighted © 2012 - 2012 Cyntia Apps Photography