Every year, millions of wildebeest migrate across East Africa… and every year, thousands of photographers migrate to the riverbanks to photograph them doing it. For this image I chose the title “Picture Perfect” because it’s rare to catch an entire herd of wildebeest crossing the Mara River in such orderly fashion. With that said, I suspect the reason for the “order” was the size of the herd. Some of the crossings we witnessed had as ten of fifteen thousands individuals and took as long as 20-30 minutes of intense action, however in this image, I doubt this herd even reaches a thousand, ergo, I was able to capture it in a single frame. I also submitted a “mayhem-n’-mud” version of a Mara crossing, and if interested, check out this month’s DD 67 Nature Plus submission where I submitted a ‘snapshot’ of a huge chaotic crossing image that took nearly half an hour.
2 comments posted
Gaetan Manuel
The photo tells a story about the migration of the wildebeest. The photo has got different layers: animals having already crossed the river, the ones crossing, those waiting to cross and those coming in from the bushes. You got it right! Also good sharpness overall. Posted: 12/15/2025 04:01:56
Tom McCreary
I like the "Z" of the wildebeests. This image tells the whole story of the crossing and includes the landscape of the area, which I really like. It is not as dramatic as the image in DD67 that has all of the energy, movement and dust, but I like this image better. You captured the image at the perfect time with the lead wildebeest about to go out of the frame. That must have been a great sight to see and photograph. Posted: 12/16/2025 14:57:31
