Not only is the first and last hours of daylight – the “Golden Hours” – the best for photography, but it is also the best time to be out searching for the big cats in South Africa’s wild places, like this leopard we encountered near Cape Vidal, in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
“The Golden Hour” is the current weekly photo challenge from WordPress
DeWetsWild 
gorgeous photos.
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Thank you very much Gayle, and welcome!
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Fantastic shots! 🙂
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Thanks for visiting de Wets wild and leaving us such a generous comment Restlessjo!
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Wow! Lovely, big, cats. Beautiful photos!
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Thank you very much Elaine! And welcome here at de Wets Wild!
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Such breathtaking photos. It must be incredible to live in a place where you can encounter such magnificent creatures.
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Thank you Abigail, and welcome at de Wets Wild!
Yes, we definitely do count ourselves very lucky to have been put here in this beautiful country!
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Oh, you definitely are. I’m glad to get a glimpse of it through your photos.
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I’m thinking that leopard pretty much owns that road.
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He certainly was very confident and I’m sure he agrees with you P J B!
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🙂
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Love this… perfect shot !
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Thank you very much djmrakiey!
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My pleasure !
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The first one is absolutely wonderful!!!
But I agree with you…Leopards are so beautiful that it is difficult not to show that on a pic…
Thanks for sharing these pics!!!!
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Thanks for letting us know that you enjoyed this post of ours Ilargia64!
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Golden Hour Architecture | Humbled Pie
Great shots!
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Thank you SueJ!
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You’re welcome!
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: The Golden Hour | Endless Skys
Real Golden light captured here, well done!
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Thanks Derek!
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What glorious, glorious shots. My only good view of a leopard in Kenya was one night, on a drive in the Rift. It had been raining, and the guide with the spotlight raked a grassy ridge, and there was the big face of a leopard above the grass, staring right back us. My only photo then, is the one in my memory.
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Thank you so very much Tish!
Reading your recollection of your leopard sighting on the night drive in Kenya gave me goosebumps of delight – that’s the kind of encounter that makes us head into the bush every chance we get. It’s a thrill you have to experience to understand why it is so addictive!
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Yes, because you just never know what you’ll see, do you. One night we once saw a porcupine with twin babies scurrying home – which seemed both wonderful and hilarious – all the more marvelous for not being a Big Five moment, though those are always fantastic too.
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Wow Tish! Very few people would get to see a porcupine with little ones! That’s very special!
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Wow, I’ve never seen one so close!
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Hi Jean, and thanks for popping by! One doesn’t often find leopards so close, and so out in the open, but when you do it is a moment to treasure!
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: The Golden Hour (At Sunrise on the Road) | What's (in) the picture?
Like you said – excellent light and the composition is great. Well done!!!
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High praise from a photographer as talented as you Willem, thank you very much!
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Good Evening: How did you take the pictures? What lens & settings? Vonn Scott Bair
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Hi Vonn Scott Bair, and thanks for visiting de Wets Wild!
At the risk of sounding like I know anything of photography, I used a Canon EOS1100D fitted with a Tamron 70-300mm lens for these photos; the close-up shot was at ISO-500 with f/8 setting at 300mm, the wider view at ISO-100 and f/5 at 135mm.
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You’re so right!! Beautiful shots 🙂
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Thank you very much Tina!
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Have a relaxing weekend De Wet family. We hope that you’ll be able to commune with nature. This is a another fantastic post 🙂
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Thank you very much dear Culvers!
We hope that the weekend also has a whole lot of pleasures in store for the two of you!
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Gorgeous!
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Thanks for popping around again Imelda!
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Stunning!
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Thank you so very much!
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Puuurrrrfect glow !
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Love your comment, thanks Vastlycurious!
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Just truth =^.^=
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What a gorgeous cat!
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We agree MixerUpper, to us leopards are the most beautiful of felines! Thanks for stopping by!
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: The Golden Hour | AC's Sharing Spree
My sister and brother in law enjoy their holidays in South Africa near Johannesburg and are very excited about your country. Next week they will come back and I am waiting for photos 🙂
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Thanks for leaving such a lovely comment Yarnwuseleien – it really is heartwarming to hear that people from abroad enjoy visiting the country we are so proud of!
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