The Zoom Wasn’t Long Enough

Crocodile photography in Northern Kruger became unusually personal when I found myself kneeling in shallow water with a large Nile crocodile directly in front of my camera. The photograph was taken somewhere in the Pafuri region, although I can no longer identify the exact waterhole or stretch of river with certainty.

The crocodile’s armoured body dominates the frame, beginning near the lower edge and leading directly toward me. Its size becomes especially clear when compared with my figure in the background. I may be wearing the brighter colour, but there is no doubt about who controls this composition.

Pafuri is the remote northern part of Kruger National Park, shaped by the Luvuvhu and Limpopo river systems. Its greener landscape, riverine forests and abundant wildlife create a noticeably different atmosphere from the open savannahs found farther south. The muddy water and dense woodland visible in the photograph fit perfectly with the character of this region.

The title “The Zoom Wasn’t Long Enough” plays with a familiar problem among wildlife photographers. We often wish for a longer lens because the animal remains too far away. In this case, magnification was clearly not the issue. The distance between my subject and me had already become considerably shorter than any sensible photographer would normally request.

What I like most about this image is that it shows more than the crocodile. It also records the process of creating the photograph and the complete concentration that appears when I look through the viewfinder. For a moment, everything outside the frame seems to disappear—even when occasionally looking up might be a very good idea.

Despite the humorous title, I would never encourage anyone to recreate such a scene without professional supervision and controlled conditions. Nile crocodiles are powerful predators and always deserve distance and respect.