Is it time for dinner? Two young male lions walk along a path together in the Kalahari DesertWhether they are evading ruthless predators or battling extreme temperatures the animals of the Kalahari face a daily battle for survival.
South African photographer Hannes Lochner has spent the last two and half years observing wildlife in the picturesque Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, photographing animals and scenery for an incredible 800 days.
His unique images have been brought together in a new book, Colours Of The Kalahari.
Get off my patch: A leopard and a Cape cobra face off against each in a highly dangerous battle over territory
A simples existence: A meerkat scouts for predators waiting to pounce'I spent a total of 800 days in the Kalahari on the project - it is my favourite place in the world,' said the 38-year-old from Cape Town, who only returned from the Kalahari this week.
'A photograph needs to have feeling and tell a story and this is what I am trying to apply to my work.'
With temperatures rising in excess of 40C during the day and below freezing at night, Lochner braved extreme conditions to get his stunning glimpses of desert life.
'The Kalahari is not like the Kruger National Park in South Africa, which is rich with vegetation, it is very harsh and dry,' he said. 'There are extreme arid regions where only the fittest survive.
'I saw so many lions dying and cubs being left because food was so scarce. It is a difficult environment.'
Lochner photographed a range of wildlife, from lions to birds of prey, but said the big cats were his favourites.
'I love large cats like leopards, lions and cheetahs,' he said.
'Due to the extreme rise and fall in temperature, you only get an hour at night and in the early morning to get pictures of the cats actually doing something. Otherwise it is too hot.
'So the Kalahari is a very difficult place to photograph. Your time is very short and you get a small window to take photographs.'
Predictably, his time in the desert was far from comfortable, and he even tempted fate a few times to get a memorable image.
He said: 'When I photographed the lions mating in the road, I was lying on my stomach and it was pretty scary. The male lion had been in my camp five nights that week and stalked me a stalked me four times during my time there.
'But patience is the golden rule. I stayed near a watering hole for two months straight trying to get pictures of jackals hunting doves. So you need to be lucky and very very patient.'
Welcome respite: A Bibronís gecko emerges from behind a fallen tree trunk to take advantage of the first rains of the season
No sharing: A squirrel comes to investigate as a yellow mongoose kills a cape cobraShowing that his photography is more passion than work, Lochner revealed he has already started on his next project, which will involve returning to the Kalahari in October.
'I will be following one particular leopard through the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park,' he said.
'I am hoping to make it a Twitter project sending daily updates to my followers. The project will last a period of two years and I am really looking forward to it.'
source: dailymail
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