Courtesy Rodney Nombekana
Rodney Nombekana is a wildlife photographer and safari tour guide at Kruger National Park in South Africa. While he enjoys photographing all big cats, the leopard is his first love. "One day, we were driving and came around the corner and this beautiful female was just sitting there perfectly in the morning light," says Nombekana. "So every time I go past that rock now I always look for the leopard. It's one of those moments that I'll remember for quite a long time."
Courtesy Rodney Nombekana
A lion and her cub walk along a path in Kruger. "One of the most beautiful things about my work and my job is the fact that it's not just about taking people out to see the animals and photographing them, but it's also about forming these ever-lasting memories," Nombekana says. "Throughout my time as a safari guide I've really met some incredible people where we've shared some really amazing moments together."
Courtesy Rodney Nombekana
The photographer says what makes Kruger so special is its diversity, including these impalas. "It's one of the most diverse parks that we've got in the world and it's for everybody," he says. "It's for birders, it's for people who love big cats, it's for people who love general stuff, amazing landscape -- every area of the Kruger is different."
Courtesy Rodney Nombekana
Although Nombekana has a passion for photographing big cats, this image of a water buffalo is one of his all-time favorites. "I was up in the north of Kruger, and I went to drive my favorite road in the park to look for the cats, the leopards," he says. "I came around the corner, and it was just amazing: a lone buffalo bull in the afternoon summer light, and the sun was coming down. He was just submerged in the water, just cooling down."
Courtesy Rodney Nombekana
He says there are a lot of misconceptions about wildlife photography; people see the beautiful photos and think it might be easy, but capturing an image like this cheetah takes time. "To be able to get such content, it takes a lot of patience," he adds. "A lot of the time, you get in the bush because nothing is rehearsed there -- you have to look for the animals, and sometimes you actually don't find them. And sometimes when you do find them the odds are against you."
Courtesy Rodney Nombekana
During a time when Africa is facing a difficult battle with rhino poaching, Nombekana was afforded a special moment to photograph these vulnerable animals in the wild -- a memory he will never forget. "I was alone here and this rhino came in one of the watering holes at one of the parks in southern Africa," he says. "She brought this little calf, this calf must have been a few weeks old. Mother Nature ... always reveals the most intimate moments when you least expect (them)."
Courtesy Rodney Nombekana
This is Vuku, the king of the Ngotso pride, "my favorite lion alive today," says Nombekana, who took this image in Kruger and remembers it as a "special moment, just me and this lion here ... I was using my everyday go-to lens, my 300mm 2.8 and that lens never lets me down."
Courtesy Rodney Nombekana
Nombekana has some simple advice for aspiring wildlife photographers: "Keep practicing, there is no other way; be out in the bush, take photographs, be critical, and don't be afraid to go and ask for advice from the professionals."
Courtesy Rodney Nombekana
He believes these images have a bigger role to play and hopes that through his work as a safari guide and wildlife photographer, people will see a bigger picture. "I believe in today's world it's very important to bring out the beauty," he says.
CNN  — 

People travel across oceans and from the other side of the world for a chance to see the wonders of Kruger National Park. The South African game reserve was established more than 120 years ago and ranks among the best national parks in the world. Bucket-list adventurers visit with the hope of encountering the “big five” – lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo – and, with any luck, capturing a memory-worthy photo in the process.

“Our animals basically make wildlife photography fashionable,” says Rodney Nombekana, a safari guide who prides himself on giving visitors a camera roll of reasons to fall in love with Kruger’s wildlife. “By doing so, not only do they appreciate the wildlife but they also get involved in conservation of our natural world.”

Tourists on Nombekana’s safaris may well find themselves in a prime position to capture the perfect shot – because Nombekana is a wildlife photographer himself, a passion he says he fell into years ago while leading a safari group through a different park.

“It just so happened that a leopard was sitting on a beautiful rock during the sunset, and I took out my cell phone and I took a picture of this leopard,” Nombekana recalls. “When I got home, I looked at the picture, and I realized that it would be nice if taken from a proper camera.”

Wildlife photography 'hides' teach the virtue of patience

So Nombekana bought a starter camera kit. As with the leopard, he found himself drawn to capturing images of big cats – a fascination he says was likely sparked during his childhood in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape.

“The elders of the village always told us about the leopard,” he explains. “It was always a myth that there was this animal that was called a leopard. We actually never really saw it. It’s always been a dream of mine to actually see a leopard in the wild and when I first saw one, it was just unbelievable.”

Look through the gallery above to see how the leopard and other big cats have continued to hold a special meaning for Nombekana.