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This safari runs each year in late January
This six-day safari travels to only two camps - Duba
Plains and DumaTau in Northern Botswana at a time of year when there will be a very
short mat of bright green grass to enhance the photographs. We will
focus our lenses on the incredible variety of wildlife and flora
of the Okavango and the Linyanti regions. Lex will lecture participants
in the field, in hides and in camp on all the knows about photography
- both the theoretical and practical aspects. Lex's emphasis will
be on "in the field" experience and instruction during
actual shooting situations. As much time as possible will be spent
in the field. Aspects covered during this workshop will include "equipment
and film", "composition", "exposure", "understanding
animal behaviour" and "the components of a good wildlife
photo". While we shall always be looking for photographs of "big
game", time will also be spent looking for other nature photographs
such as insects, flowers, scenery etc. should guests want to do so.
The workshop will be an intense experience and participants will
be able to go away with new and wonderful techniques to ensure that
they take better photographs. Guests with more time on their hands
can then extend to other camps to practice their new skills.
 Lex Hes was born and raised in
Johannesburg. He left to join the fledgling Londolozi Game Reserve
as a general "dog's body",
but soon began to guide visitors around the reserve. He played an important
role
in developing the culture of educating and guiding, which has become
the standard to which guides aspire today.
During his time at Londolozi, Lex assisted the Mammal Research Institute
of the University of Pretoria with the radio monitoring of a group of
young Elephants that were introduced from the Kruger National Park in
1977. In 1979 he joined the MRI for a nine-month stint on the sub-Antarctic
Island of Marion where he assisted with a study of the ecology of the
house mouse. His first photographic credits resulted from this trip with
the publication of his photographs in Creative Photography and Minolta
Mirror magazines.
Another year of guiding at Londolozi was followed by a second stint
in the sub-Antarctic, this time on Amsterdam Island where Lex assisted
in a study on the population dynamics of the sub-Antarctic fur seal.
On returning to Londolozi in 1982
Lex worked as a guide and wildlife manager responsible for habitat
reclamation, vegetation
monitoring, and
animal population dynamics and management. In 1984 Lex got involved in
filming, working first as a consultant and scriptwriter before becoming
a full-time cameraman. In 1990 Lex returned to guiding work and his career
blossomed with the publication of his first book in 1991, the highly
acclaimed "Leopards of Londolozi", a study of Leopards
that Lex observed and photographed for a twelve year period. This was
followed
shortly thereafter by the publication of a children's book Bush school.
Lex's photographs have since been
published worldwide in advertising campaigns, various magazines and
books and on postcards,
calendars and
brochures. In 1988 he won the prestigious Agfa Awards wildlife photographic
competition. Publication credits include "National Geographic World", "Geo", "Minolta
Mirror", "Ranger Rick", "International Wildlife", "Natural
History Magazine" and the Sierra Club and Audubon wildlife calendars.
In 1992 Lex left Londolozi to pursue an independent career in wildlife
photography, writing, nature guiding work and training. He has been involved
in the publication of a further 3 books: Attracting Birds to Your Garden
in Southern Africa, The Complete Book of Mammals of Southern Africa and
Wild South Africa.
In 1998 Lex purchased a training company
called EcoTraining which specializes in the training of natural history
guides. Lex has guided in Namibia,
Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa and has a record as one of
the best and most popular natural history guide because of his easygoing
nature and wealth of knowledge. When he is not away travelling, Lex lives
at home in Nelspruit, South Africa with his wife Lynn and twin children,
Tammy and Dale.
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