An Inverness photographer has been sharing some of the incredible images he took on an unforgettable birthday trip to Botswana.
Owen Cochrane has been the president of the Inverness Camera Club for seven years and specialises in images of wildlife, nature, landscapes and rugby.
Mr Cochrane and his wife Evelyn got up close to elephants, lions, baboons, giraffes, and many other animals on their trip to Botswana as part of Pangolin Photo Safaris.
Although his parents got him a camera for his 21st birthday, moving to Inverness a decade ago is what cemented his passion for photography.
He said: “My parents got me a camera for my 21st birthday, but for about 30 years I would only really take snapshots, it was only when we came to live in Inverness 10 years ago that I really took up photography seriously, and doing a photography safari was always on my to do list.”
‘Elephant came closer and closer’
During their trip, the couple got extraordinarily close to some of the wildlife, with an elephant even touching the jeep they were travelling in.
“One of the most wonderful moments was seeing the lioness and her cubs, who all arrived one by one and started drinking at the same time with their tongues in the water.
“It was out of this world. Another stand out moment was when we were out on a drive, and an elephant decided to wander in our direction. The guide told everyone not to move, but I had my camera trained on the elephant in silent mode.
“The elephant came closer and closer to the Jeep, to the point where it was so close that my camera could no longer focus about a metre away.
“Then the elephant just nudged the vehicle a little bit, enough to make it move, flapped its ears and wandered off. We could then all breathe again,” he said.
‘Evelyn is now taking amazing photographs’
After being taken aback by their first trip to Botswana in June, Mr and Mrs Cochrane made a return for the Chobe Birding Festival in December.
He said “Since the first trip I have done lots of presentations at different camera clubs, and have recommended this experience. We were treated so well and the tuition was exceptional.
“This is not a safari, this is a photographic safari which is different because you are not just going out and looking for animals, it is about the technical aspects of photography too, the lighting and skills that you need for photography.”
Since their trip, Mr Cochrane says his wife has also fallen in love with photography.
“Evelyn has always referred to herself as a ‘photography widow’ and has been known to sit in the car with a book while I go out taking pictures.
“But thanks to this trip she now loves it, and is taking some amazing photographs,” he added.
