winterlight

View Original

The Elusive Leopard

Because leopards are mostly nocturnal animals and rather shy in character, they are rarely seen during daytime. But leopards at night are different ...

Guides and trackers have adopted a policy to use only red lights after dark to trace the animals. Even the headlights of the jeeps are covered with red transparant film. It is kind of spooky driving around with just the dim red light - seeing for instance pink and red elephants ;)  along the way. You are constantly wondering how these excellently skilled guides see the “road”, let alone find their way in the bush. But the red light has the great advantage that animals are much more relaxed and do not look shocked when caught in the spotlight. So the chances of having successful sightings increase.

For the average camera the red light can be a bit of a nightmare. Luckily, all light used is of the red type, so when you get the white balance right, some amazing photos can be made.