Here is another favourite image from my recent trip to Tanzania and the Serengeti Grasslands. It is one that has stayed with me long after returning home.
Cheetah versus gazelle
The gazelle in this photograph was just a few days old. We were fortunate, if that’s the right word, to witness almost the entire hunt from beginning to end.
Although we weren’t in the ideal position to photograph the final chase, I did manage to capture a few frames. The cheetah was smaller in the frame than I would have liked, but the experience itself was unforgettable. Sometimes the most powerful moments in wildlife photography aren’t about perfect positioning or ideal composition. They’re about bearing witness.
Witness to the chase
You know cheetahs are fast. Everyone does. But actually seeing one at full speed, flying across the plains, is something else entirely. It defies expectation. The acceleration, the focus, the absolute commitment to the chase — it’s breathtaking and sobering at the same time.
This young gazelle never really had a chance. And while that’s difficult to watch, it’s also an honest reflection of life on the Serengeti. Predation is not cruelty; it’s survival. These moments are an essential part of the ecosystem, shaping the rhythm and balance of the landscape.
Documenting life and death in the wild
Photographing scenes like this reminds me why Africa is such a profound place to experience wildlife. On any given day, you may witness tenderness, play, stillness or loss. All of it is real. All of it matters.
And as photographers, our role is not to judge or sensationalise, but to document and respect what unfolds in front of us.
Good Luck and Good Light!
Steve & Nicole
Image: Cheetah with Young Gazelle, Serengeti Plains, Tanzania
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