Online Store – Policy & Ethics

All the images and art found in this Online Store, is the exclusive work of International award-winning, South African wildlife photographer – Tim Driman.

Born in Durban (South Africa) he can be accurately described as a true son of the African bush, well versed in the nuances of the Zulu culture, which is known for its close relationship with the natural fauna, and flora found in the various wilderness areas, from where they naturally source, roots, leaves and other vegetation for health benefits. 

Even his Zulu name “GONONDO” which his staff bestowed on him over 40 years ago. As deep respect to his uncanny powers of careful observation.  

He is conversant with the inner culture of the Zulu people, and fluent in the isiZulu language. He has spent most of his life involved with nature, studying the interaction between animals, often finding strikingly similar anthropological behaviour, between humans and the animals of sub-Saharan Africa. He will openly acknowledge that if he can’t understand why a person behaves in a particular fashion, he often is able to find it reflected through animal behaviour to explain his observations. 

Tim is a qualified FGASA (Field Guides of South Africa) Field, and also with a post graduate qualification as a Trails Guide, licensed to guide guests in a Big 5 (Lion; Leopard; Elephant; Buffalo; White Rhino) area, while on foot.

Tim’s love for the African bush, and dedication to nature conservation was engendered into him, when Tim was only 12 years old, by his legendary game ranger brother-in-law – Johnny Uys, one of Norman Carr’s “Dream Team” of rangers in the Zambian Game Department during the 60’s and 70’s.

While guiding a group of guests, on foot, tragically, at 48 years old, Johnny met his untimely death, being trampled by a flustered matriarch elephant, in Zimbabwe in 1973. Johnny’s rich legacy of totally ethical behaviour, and respect for the bush, was burned into Tim’s psyche from that early age of 12 years old, and continues to persist through his own behaviour, and extremely high ethical standards, while out in the field, capturing wildlife images in the wilderness areas of sub-Saharan Africa. 

ETHICAL STATEMENT: Tim has always maintained a very strict policy of never provoking any animal, and never entering into their personal comfort zones, to the extent, that they will change their current behaviour. If, however, they show any signs of concern, Tim will always extract immediately, from the sighting, without discussion.

Sometimes, while observing calm, and disinterested animals from a safe distance, and the animals decide to move towards him, and into his personal space, he will first assess the behaviour, and if there are no signs of aggression or fear, he will always purposely provide a “back door”, and wide space, around which, they can walk, undisturbed.   By this kind of passive acceptance, he has managed to capture many wonderful “face-on”, and sometimes dramatic images, by simply sitting very quietly, and allowing free passage past his position. *People are urged NOT to try that, on their own if they don’t have an experienced guide with them. Misinterpretation can deteriorate rapidly, so rather use discretion, and wait for another, more conducive day.

If the circumstances allow, Tim will spend lots of time, observing the animals, birds etc to detect any unusual, behavioural patterns, or anthropomorphic tendencies etc, before just capturing images, without purpose. By doing this, he has managed to capture many, really special moments, and scenes which create his unique and unusual style of images, setting them aside from other wildlife photographers.

Tim has spent many hundreds, if not thousands of hours in the bush, over the years, just patiently, observing, because he has learned that it is virtually impossible to anticipate what you may find behind the next bush. Sometimes sitting in the freezing cold, blazing sun, or uncomfortably cramped up, sitting and half lying on the seat, as he stares upwards, waiting for a leopard, bird or whatever, to make its next move, in the hopes of capturing something different, and unusual!

Once, up in the middle of the Okavango Delta (Botswana), on a two, week trip, he and Yvonne, his wife of many happy years together, and still his best friend set out on the first day of arrival at the location, he observed some strange, atypical behaviour of 64 Nile Crocodiles, lying around and some swimming lazily around a smallish, drying up waterhole, during the terrible drought of the terrible drought in Botswana in February 2019.  He could sense that something unusual was about to happen, and refused to move away, even though the sun was beating down, and the heat was unbearable! They hung in there, to wait. 

Nothing further happened for the rest of that afternoon, but his raw instinct took them back to that same drying up waterhole, early the next day, and again he sat, with both his trusted cameras, trained towards the pond, at the ready. After an hour of waiting, Yvonne, and the game guide driver, had dozed off, but he suddenly noticed the largest of the Nile crocodiles, quietly sliding into the water, and alerted Yvonne, who unhesitatingly then, also readied herself for action with her own video camera trained on the water in front of the vehicle.

Tracking the huge, 6 Mtr long reptile through the viewfinder, he watched it quietly open its jaws, and slowly, without any rush, the jaws quietly closed over the head of a small 3 Mtr long Nile in front of the big male crocodile. At first, there was no reaction from the smaller, unsuspecting crocodile, and quietly both crocodiles sank below the water level, without even a drop of water disturbance!

Then, as quietly as it had all started, there was an almighty explosion, splashing of water, thrashing of crocodile tails, death rolls, and horrifically loud, guttural screams from the victim, and the attacker! Even the grazing animals around the pond, were startled by the commotion. 

As if somebody had flicked a switch, about 20 other basking crocodiles heard, and saw the commotion, and instinctively, interpreted it as a dinner gong for free food, as they all rushed towards the scene of the mayhem!

Shooting that action at a frame rate of 20 frames per second, in order to capture every sequential frame, over the ensuing three, crazy hours, of confusion, primordial brutality, and blood-curdling guttural screams of crocodiles going ballistic, the action eventually died down, leaving a few crocodiles quietly, swimming idly around, as if nothing had happened!

The time had gone in what seemed like the blink of an eye, but the image count on the sensors of both cameras, showed well in excess of 3,000 images of the action, and leaving Tim, Yvonne, and the diver mentally exhausted, from what they had witnessed! After discussing the actual incident, of adult cannibalisation in crocodiles, every ranger stated that they had never before witnessed, or even heard by any of the experienced game rangers of the area! (*Tim and Yvonne, accompanied by two VIP guests, revisited the very same camp again, ten days ago, and as they walked into the camp, Tim was immediately recognised, and enthusiastically reminded by some of the older rangers, who were working at that camp in 2019, and they readily confirmed that no similar incident, had ever occurred since that time in 2019!)

Anybody would have thought that Tim had seen enough action on that crazy day, but no, Tim had noticed other interesting movements of catfish whiskers, sticking out, above the waterline, then dropping down again, as they drew breath. 

His inimitable “gut-feel” had kicked in again, and he refused to go anywhere else, but to return to that same, drying up waterhole. Over the following six consecutive days, morning and afternoon, they went back each day, to the same pond, because of Tim’s “gut-feel”, told him that there was more action to come!

Over the next 6 more days, morning and again in the afternoons, Tim captured nearly 8,000, amazing images in that one location, of which a number of those images, won international awards in some USA European, and Brazilian photo contests.

How he seems to have these  uncanny, “gut feelings”, on such a regular basis, which can only be ascribed to his deep knowledge, and experience in the wilderness areas, being totally, at one with nature, together with his acute observation skills, and he continues to produce more fresh images, as can be seen in his images.