Christo Swart
A South African wildlife and bird photographer, and your photo host on every Wildlens trip.
One trip. One moment. One photograph.
Photography as a way of experiencing wild places
Christo Swart is a South African wildlife and bird photographer, and the founder of Wildlens. His photography is driven by a passion for Southern Africa’s wildlife and birdlife, and by an interest in photographing species in their natural environment: the behaviour, character and story behind each encounter.
For Christo, photography is more than simply making an image. It’s a way of experiencing wild places, learning about wildlife and sharing those experiences with others.
He travels to different habitats across Southern Africa in search of both common and hard-to-find species, from local birding spots to major wildlife areas like the Kruger National Park and the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
How Christo works in the field
- Patience
- Waiting for the right moment, rather than rushing from one sighting to the next.
- Animal behaviour
- Reading what a bird is likely to do next, so you’re ready when it happens.
- Natural light
- Early starts and late finishes, working with the light rather than against it.
- Responsible photography
- The birds and their habitat come first. No photograph is worth disturbing them.
A teacher first
Alongside his photography, Christo has a professional background in education. He has worked as a teacher, with responsibilities that included grade management, coaching, photography and social media.
That experience shows in the field. He explains technical things clearly, works easily with people from different backgrounds, and structures his help around what each guest wants to learn, whether you’re just starting out or looking for new species to photograph.
See the toursAbout Wildlens
Wildlens is a South African wildlife photography brand focused on birds, mammals and the wild places of Southern Africa. It brings together three things: wildlife photography, photography adventures and photography education.
Wildlens Photo Adventures offers small-group and custom photography and birding trips for photographers who want to explore and photograph Southern Africa, limited to three guests at a time.
Come out with Christo
Join a tour or a day outing, or plan a trip around the birds you want to photograph.