First Place in Wildlife, ASMP/NANPA "Best of 2026"

Well, this is exciting - my elephant image "Mudscreen" just received First Place in Wildlife in the American Society of Media Photographers/North American Nature Photography Association (ASMP/NANPA) "Best of 2026" competition. This is a national competition, so it's quite an honor. I took it from the famous Onkolo Ground Hide in Onguma Private Game Reserve, Namibia, which offers a unique perspective where you are below ground looking up at the wildlife. There were 4 bull elephants at the waterhole this day, and this one was throwing mud across its body to protect from the harsh Namibian sun.

I look forward to returning to Namibia and the Onguma Reserve later this year. If you or anyone you know might be interested in joining the October 2026 Southern Africa Adventure with Nat Expo Tours, we are taking reservations until July 15 and still offering a discount to fill the remaining spots. You can view the full itinerary here: https://natexpotours.com/2026-namibia/

I am currently leading a tour in Iceland, so I was not able to watch the livestream of the "Best of 2026" winners but was able to go back and hear the jurors' comments on YouTube. My image is on at 21:42: https://www.youtube.com/live/sJep5FJaR_U

As always, thank you for following my journeys,

Colin

 

Elephants Slinging Mud

Elephants throw mud across their bodies to protect their skin from the harsh African sun and use dust to cool themselves. Capturing this behavior and using different shutter speeds for various effects has become one of my favorite aspects of our annual tour of Southern Africa.

We are taking reservations for the 2026 Southern Africa Adventure with Nat Expo Tours. Dates are Oct 16-30 and include Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls, and we are offering an early booking discount. Email me if you or someone you know is interested or visit our site for more info and the complete itinerary: https://natexpotours.com/2026-namibia/

Cheers!

Colin

 

Shutter speed: 1/800”

Shutter speed: 1/1000”

Shutter speed: 1/100”

Scenes from the Onguma Ground Hide, Namibia

Plains zebras and impala as seen from the ground hide in Onguma Private Game Reserve, Namibia.

The famous ground hide offers unique opportunities to photograph African wildlife from a low perspective. Of my four visits to the hide, this day was perhaps the most memorable (see previous posts of the bull elephants).

Our October 2025 Southern Africa Adventure with Nat Expo Tours is about half filled at this point. Please message me if you are interested in joining us and visit our site for more info: https://natexpotours.com/

Cheers!

Colin

www.colintyler.com

Elephants from the Onguma Ground Hide, Namibia

Bordering Etosha National Park in Namibia, the Onguma Private Game Reserve has a ground hide that offers an experience like no other. From the hide, your lens is level with the waterhole and gives you opportunities to safely view wildlife from a perspective that is unique and nearly impossible to duplicate without the use of a camera trap.

On my recent visit, we had three bull elephants visit the waterhole for nearly an hour, drinking and splashing, throwing mud across their backs to protect from the harsh Namibian sun. It certainly was one of my best days photographing elephants, and one of my most inspired moments of the 2024 Southern Africa Adventure with Nat Expo Tours.

Please message me if you are interested in joining us next year. Dates are Oct 19 - Nov 2, 2025, and we already have people on the roster. You can view the details on our site: https://natexpotours.com/

Cheers!

Colin

 

Cheetah Cub on a Termite Mound

The ubiquitous termite mounds of Africa. If you've been here, you've probably seen thousands of them. Fact - if you weighed all the termites on earth, they would outweigh all of the mammals...!

While not their intended purpose, they do serve as a lookout for cheetahs and other animals, as this cub is demonstrating here. Taken in Onguma private game reserve last week while leading our first Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours.

Colin

Cheetah Sightings

I was hoping to see & photograph a cheetah in Namibia this year. To my surprise, we were able to witness a mother with three cubs on two separate occasions in Onguma Private Game Reserve. On the first evening drive, we watched them come into a watering hole and drink until a pride of lions approached, which sent them running. The following evening, we came across the mother eating what was left of an impala she had likely hunted the day before. The cubs took their turns eating as well, and we watched the family interact for the next hour until the light was gone.

Stay tuned for more from our first Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours!

Colin

Oryx Closeup

Oryx/gemsbok in Onguma Private Game Reserve, Namibia. These truly are one of my favorite animals to observe and photograph. The markings & spiraled horns are remarkable and as much as I loved photographing them in the dunes of the Namib Desert, I was happy to get this closeup from a low perspective.

This was taken from the famous ground-level hide in Onguma, where we will be on days 9, 10 & 11 of the October 2022 tour with Nat Expo Tours. We still have two spots/one room available. More details here: https://naturalexposurestours.com/2022-namibia-tour/

Cheers!

Colin

Oryx in Onguma Private Game Reserve, Namibia

Onguma Game Reserve, Namibia

Wildebeest and zebras, Onguma Private Game Reserve, Namibia.

Bordering Etosha National Park in northern Namibia, the Onguma Reserve has a unique below-ground hide next to a watering hole, offering photo ops at or below eye-level with your subjects. We spent one morning in the hide and photographed an array of wildlife including wildebeest, zebras, a large bull elephant, oryx, warthogs and more.

We will be visiting Onguma and staying in one of their lodges on Days 9, 10, & 11 of the October 2022 Namibia Tourmore details here: https://naturalexposurestours.com/2022-namibia-tour/

Cheers!

Colin

Wildebeest and zebras, Onguma Private Game Reserve, Namibia.