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Joost Smit Nature & Wildlife Photography
Wild Africa

Wild Africa

My love for Africa began in 2008, on my first trip to Zambia and Malawi. In South Luangwa, I took my first wildlife photographs, and somewhere between the early mornings, dusty red tracks and encounters with wild animals, I was hooked.

I have returned to Zambia since, but my fascination with Africa has taken me much further. I have watched elephants move through the Okavango Delta and explored the vast landscapes of Botswana, from the waterways of the Delta to the dry plains of Savute. I have photographed wildlife during the Great Migration in the Masai Mara, travelled through the Kruger National Park, and visited Uganda to photograph Chimpansees and Mountain Gorillas.

Africa is where my wildlife photography began - a place that still feels a little like coming home.

Every place has its own character. Africa can be intimate and quiet, with a single animal appearing from the bush, but it can also feel vast and overwhelming. What keeps drawing me back is that sense of unpredictability — you never quite know what is waiting around the next bend.

Over the years, photography has changed the way I experience these places. I am no longer simply looking for animals, but for moments: behaviour, light, atmosphere and the small details that tell a bigger story.

These are the places that first sparked my passion for wildlife photography, and the reason Africa will always feel a little like coming home.

Chimpanzee in B/W
Chimpanzee in B/W
Classic Masai Mara
Classic Masai Mara

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