#1. The gift of confidence

Many of you will already know this photograph and the story behind it, but it is an image that hangs in our entrance hall at home and an image that I will never forget. We had recently become parents to Joshua and decided to take him on our first ever bush adventure as a family. We woke up to the call of Pearl-spotted Owlets outside our small, self catering cottage in the Waterberg, peeked our heads outside to locate the caller and after a stealthy approach, this image caught my imagination. I loved it but was too scared to show anyone else other than Eileen. I just didn’t have any understanding of art or what makes a good image and did not want anyone to burst my bubble. It was Eileen’s confidence in me that got me to post it on social media; an account she had started to encourage me to show my work, and the rest is history. This was my first ever “small in frame” or what I called a “habitat shot”, taken ten years ago, and it started my journey into understanding why I loved certain images and what I needed to learn to build my confidence in my art. I cannot thank my beautiful wife enough. If it wasn’t for her constant belief in me, her encouragement and incredible support and her exceptional (web and newsletter) design skills, I would definitely not be where I am today. Confidence is one of the best gifts we can give one another and I now get to pass that on to others! Thanks so much my love!

#2. Our family farm in the Karoo

This image of South Africa’s national bird was taken at the Mountain Zebra Park near Cradock in the arid Karoo. It reminds me of my parent’s farm, which was down the road from the park and a location where I got to spend many magical moments with family and friends. I still remember going to watch the game capture and relocation of what became our farm’s first heard of mountain zebra in the park itself and how my Dad’s passion for conservation led to the transformation of a run down goat farm into a magical game reserve with flourishing herds of eland, zebra, black and blue wildebees, red hartebees, springbuck and more. A special bird, a special place and loads of nostalgia.

This image of an African Rail taken very early on a cold winter’s morning was a very close second.

#4. The generosity of my Mom and Dad

This is one of my Dad’s favourite photographs of mine. It hangs in my parent’s home in the UK and reminds me of them and how generous they have been throughout my life. When I was in my 30s my Dad gifted me with a lens I could never afford at the time; a Canon 400mm f2.8. It allowed me to take my “habitat shots”, which would not have been possible without it, as I needed the low fstop to get the necessary separation and bokeh that these images require. Thank you Mom and Dad for always believing in me and for your incredible generosity and love. I have been so blessed by you and my journey would not have been the same without you.

#5. A bucket-list bird

It would be impossible to leave out this image from my top 15. This is often considered “Africa’s Holy Grail of Birds”; the Angola or African Pitta. I was flown by Mark Haldane and John Robinson to the Coutadas to find and photograph it for an article for Airlink’s in flight magazine; Skyways.

Besides being one of my most memorable birding experiences (see one of my first ever newsletters: Photographing African Pittas in Mozambique), it was also the start of our friendship with John and Jen Robinson. If you don’t know Jen and John, you would be fortunate to meet and get to know them.

Just this last weekend Eileen, Joshua and I spent a night in their newly renovated “Crowned Eagle Cottage” in Benvie Gardens and were treated to their wonderful hospitality as well as the beautiful song of Orange Ground Thrush in the morning. It was a fantastic Father’s Day weekend! Thank you John and Jen!

You can book the cottage by emailing benvie@bluetechsa.co.za or phoning 033 502 9090. It is undoubtedly the best place in the world to see and photograph Orange Ground Thrush.

An image I captured of Malcolm and Gail Gemmel, the late Nik Naks and John a couple of hours after we found the African Pitta on our very first morning. It was a new bird for Malcolm, Gail and I. What a special day!

#6. The magical moments and special people we meet along the way

One of my earliest and most memorable birding moments was going out with David Letsoalo and Eileen to bird Woodbush forest in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. David is such a special man and a phenomenal guide and we quickly connected on a heart level. I remember staring down into the dark depths of the forest below as David whistled the contact call of an Orange Ground Thrush. Minutes passed and then seemingly out of nowhere a stunning, adult Thrush popped into view. Since that day I always wanted to capture a worthy photograph of this special bird (as the light was too low and the distance too far to get anything but a record shot that day). After much trial and many years of failure, I was finally able to fill this desire and capture a “habitat shot” of one at Benvie Gardens in the Karkloof. It brings back that very first encounter and many other memories with what I consider one of the best guides in Africa. If you haven’t had the privilege of birding with David, you should make it your next priority. (He can be contacted on +27 83 568 4678)

#7. Friendships made

I met Skye Hartog some 13 years ago. He was my next-door neighbour and after realising we had a shared love for photography and birds, we became good friends, weekend birding partners and the occasional African adventurers. On most Saturdays we would wake up at 4am, meet outside our two storey apartments and head to one of the many birding spots in Gauteng.

On the way to the location, we would talk about everything to do with life and business and on the way back we would normally be still and lost in our own thoughts. They were special times and we got to forge an incredible bond as we helped each other navigate our early business careers.

This image of a Red-throated Longclaw on the saturated plains of Nibela Peninsula always reminds me of our times together. As was often the case I had been completely absorbed in the moment and had leopard crawled through metres of mud to get an eye-level shot of this special bird. After feeling satisfied with my efforts, I turned around to find Skye standing at the vehicle, chatting to Themba, our guide, and chuckling at my antics. He had been photographing my crawling skills. It was part of why we so enjoyed our times together. Each happy in nature and doing what we loved. Thank you Skye for all those meaningful, early morning conversations, for putting up with my passion (sometimes too much) and the occasional adventure to places like Dzanlanyama Forest in Malawi. I treasure those times!

#8. Small obsessions

I just love Flufftails. Who cannot love a tiny, 13cm, oval shaped bird with a fluffy tail that doesn’t want to be seen by the world (and especially marsh harriers). This image of a Striped Flufftail records my most exhilarating field encounter with them. I had already discovered a few species of flufftail but decided to see if I could locate and photograph one of their trickier family members. Call me a sucker for punishment😊. If it wasn’t for Adam Riley’s kindness as well as his knowledge of these birds at Mbona Nature Reserve I would have been up a creek with no paddle. Fortunately, however, he was willing to support my blind passion and spent a morning with me scouting for a suitable location to photograph them. We found exactly that and after arriving on an overcast and windless morning, spending 4 hours staring at bracken and following my intuition, I was gifted with this image.

I think it was Adam or someone else who asked me whether I would do it again. The answer was no and still is no. I honestly don’t think it will ever happen to me twice. (You can read the full story here: Striped Flufftail – The Snow Leopard of Birds).

The cherry on top of the cake was this image being commended in Bird Photographer of the Year 2022 and now lots of people know about Flufftails and Mbona. Awareness is the beginning of caring and conservation. This image also gets the most interest and questions from school children when I share my talk; The Wonder of Birds & The God of Wonder” with them. Flufftails are truly awesome!

If there was any other bird and image I would have included other than the flufftail, it would have been this one of a Half-collared Kingfisher. It started a wonderful journey with a pair of these special birds near to my home in Balgowan.

#9. The value of kindness

Long-crested Eagles are an iconic species in the Natal Midlands of South Africa. We have a resident pair that breeds near my home in Balgowan and one specific adult that likes to sit in front of our home and hunt for frogs along our dam’s slipway. This is my most cherished image of them, but possibly not for the reasons you may think. Besides the beautiful autumn colours and moody lighting, it is meaningful because of how it came about.

“Dad, your Eagle is in front of the house” were the words that greeted me from a very excited 8 year old Joshua. I ran to get my camera and followed him outdoors and there was our Eagle not more than a hundred metres from our front door. 5 minutes later and I had the shot.

I love the image but I am more moved by my son’s heart for me, his thoughtfulness and kindness. I love what he values. This image will always make me think of him, the boy he is and the man he is becoming.

#10. Childlike curiosity

Sticking with my son, this image is one that I wouldn’t have taken without him and the only non-bird photograph in this collection. It shows a Yellow-spotted Ground Beetle on a beautiful, autumn leaf and was selected by my agency in the UK as one of their favourite images of 2024. It was Joshua’s passion for beetles that rekindled my own childhood fascination with them. About 18 months ago he decided that he wanted to see how many different beetles he could find around our home in the Natal Midlands. He was the chief explorer, navigator and finder and I was the executive in charge of food supplies, bug carrying equipment and photography. What started with an iphone and a white piece of paper has now turned into a collection of 500 macro images of different beetle species. With the help of Eileen, we are in the process of creating a beetle poster to be proud of!

Besides the absolute wonder of being outdoors and getting to know all these fascinating creatures, it has been such an incredible privilege and joy. I get to have quality time with my son for hours on end, as we look for our newest subject and the hope of finding a huge beetle. As far as Joshua is concerned, the bigger the beetle the more awesome it is, and who can argue with that 😊. We have found fluid sucking vampires called Assassin Beetles, beetles that will kill you if you eat too many aka Oil Beetles and beetles that blow smoke out their bottoms called Bombardier Beetles. It has grown our relationship, it has peeked our curiosity and it has provided such a source of inspiration and fun. Thank you Joshua!

As my friend, JP Brouard, now teases, I have finally become a true naturalist, all thanks to my son.

#11. Dreams shared

This Yellow-throated Wattle-eye landed a couple of metres to the right of where Claver Ntoyinkima and I were standing on the Bururi Valley Road in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda. He was so close and it felt like any movement would startle him. I moved like a sloth on medication and slowly lifted my lens. It was hard to believe that he kept his pose and allowed for a burst of images.

I remember just hugging Claver as we both realised what a special moment we had just shared. My trip to Nyungwe was far more than magnificent forests and eye watering avian spectacles. For me, it was the forging of two friendships that remain to this day and sharing some moments that were dreamed of and now being lived out. Since this trip, Claver has won the Tusk conservation award and Guston continues to run his trucking business and guide guests to some of Africa’s most magical places. I would love to go back with Eileen and Joshua some day, so they can see Nyungwe but even more importantly meet Claver and Guston and see what God has done with the dreams and prayers we shared.

To read more about Nyunge: Bird Photography in Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda

It felt surreal to be walking alongside Claver; one of the few men that has ever seen a Shelley’s Crimsonwing in the wild, and have him point out exactly where his last sighting occurred on the Bururi Valley Road just outside Nyungwe Forest.

The three of us after yet another incredible morning in the forests of Rwands. I photographed an obliging Dusky Crimsonwing a few feet from where we were standing for this photograph.

I have had the fortune of meeting some incredible people throughout Africa. Not all are mentioned here, but they have all left their mark on my life and our shared memories are kept alive in my photographs and stories.

#12. The passion of people and the power of storytelling

I have written and spoken much about the plight of our Blue Swallows. With very few left in South Africa; approximately 25 pairs, time is short if we are going to save them in our own country but also across the African continent (where there population is becoming more and more vulnerable). This image of a male Blue Swallow and his white underwings showed me the power of photography and story-telling. It reached over a million people and helped save the business of my now friend; Nathan Bam.
Johan Vermeulen and I recently filmed a documentary telling the story of Roseland Nature Reserve’s Blue Swallows. There are so many awesome people looking to safeguard their future and we hope the short film will do the story justice and drive even greater awareness. Thanks so much to all who were involved! (I hope to share more on this film in a few months time)

#13. A childhood dream realised

Shortly after leaving the corporate world I took time off for 6 months to reflect and decide what may be next. As part of this “being still” time I booked a three week trip to one of my favourite places in Africa; the Pafuri region of the Kruger National Park. While staying at Punda Maria restcamp for two weeks, I captured this image of two Crested Guineafowls. As much as I knew I had taken a shot using a technique called “the unexpected”, I did not know that it was going to fulfil one of my childhood dreams.

Approximately 12 months later, Eileen, Joshua and I were looking at this image in the Natural History Museum in London. It had been selected as one of the People’s Choice images for the year and was part of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.

Another favourite image from the same three week trip in northern Kruger and one that captures the magic of Mopane.

#14. My most creative moment to date

This image is definitely my most creative image to date and the start of a project called “Iconic African Birdscapes”. You can read the full story here: My Most Exciting Photograph to Date

In a nutshell, it was my “Ansel Adam’s moment”; as described in the quote at the beginning of the newsletter, and will always remind me of who I am and why I exist. It is the type of image that I truly love and inspires me to keep pushing my own boundaries in photography.

This was my second “iconic African Birdscape” and was first inspired on the same trip to Giant’s Castle as the previous image was captured. You can see my for portfolio of these types of images here: Signature Prints – Bird Photography by The Flacks

#15. Doing what I love with deep purpose

After leaving the business world, I wasn’t sure whether I would go back. Around 12 months after my departure I felt I wanted to learn to become a better listener and was very kindly invited to be part of a formal coaching programme with Graham Mitchell and his company; Grow. One thing led to another and I am now coaching leaders in business (and other organisations) and absolutely loving it. This image of an African Barred Owlet was taken while facilitating a leadership workshop in Hwange with a special bunch of people. It was somewhat surreal to integrate two things I love; taking images of birds and supporting leaders to be their best. I am so very thankful!

Photography Weekend at Montusi Mountain Lodge

27-29 June 2025 – A Weekend of Photography with Richard Flack

Join us for an inspiring weekend at Montusi Mountain Lodge, where luxury meets creativity. This package includes 2 nights of fully catered, luxury accommodation and three in-depth photography workshops.

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