A photo exhibition, titled Hakuna Matata, was unveiled last week in Nairobi at the PhotoKenya Gallery.

Inside the small fifth floor gallery on Ngong Road, is a range of photographs that pay homage to the rich diversity of local wildlife.

Subtitled A Kenyan Safari, the exhibition features work by 13 Kenyan photographers, both amateurs and highly skilled camera people. The show is organised with the Photography Association of Kenya (PAK).

Some of the images at the show are from road travels last year, aimed at capturing the beauty of nature and stimulating discussions on the need for conservation.

The animals are alone or in small groups, with the usual shots of lions, elephants, giraffe and other large herbivores. The photographs range from standard to stunning.

Amos Ndung’u, a commercial wedding photographer, is showcasing some of his works under his brand name Ndumos.

He says he is fascinated by wildlife, and uses his lens to capture life in its truest form. He has three photos on show.

“I like the expansiveness of nature and the discovery of what Mother Nature has to offer,” says Ndung’u, who has photographed in several national parks.

He is mostly self-taught, and has learned from other well-seasoned photographers such as Rahim Kara who is also featured at Hakuna Matata.

Two of Ndungu’s photographs stand out. From the Kisite Marine Park, off Wasini Island at Kenya’s Coast, is a shot of two metallic grey dolphins swimming in aqua blue water. Rhinos in a Line shows four grey rhinos standing horn to tail in a grassland. It is one of those serendipitous moments when nature aligns things perfectly.

I particularly liked Kara’s greyscale print of a large, solitary elephant that is dwarfed by a dead, fallen tree.

The photographers are concerned about protecting the country’s natural resources. Evans Ogeto says that “wild animals need their space preserved and with minimum interference from human activity.”

Paras Chandaria has five new photos at the show and plans to donate the proceeds to the conservation charity FoNNaP (Friends of Nairobi National Park). Chandaria, a frequent visitor to Nairobi Park, takes both colour and black-and-white pictures.

The black-and-white portrait The King is of a lion growling menacingly with curled lips and long fangs. In Dancing Stripes, Chandaria captured two zebra stallions fighting.

Chandaria is a businessman and wildlife lover. At the event opening, he made an appeal for the protection of Nairobi National Park from the construction of the standard gauge railway. The decision to route the SGR through the park has been opposed by conservationists.

For Sushil Chauhan, family holidays and 16 years in the tourism industry laid the foundation for his interest in wildlife and photography.

Chauhan’s photograph Emotions is a poignant, black-and-white image of two young baboons cuddling. Heavenly Herd is a monochrome image of an elephant herd walking purposefully across a flat plain under fluffy clouds.

The photograph of a beautiful leopard looking over its shoulder at the camera, while standing in emerald green vegetation, is by David Mwacharia Mwangi. The 15-year photographer has founded an environmental initiative called Worth More Alive to create awareness about the rapid decline of wildlife.

Abdi Shakar Jama, who also comes from a tourism background, developed his photography passion while accompanying tourists on safari.

Other photographers at the exhibition are David Luwigi, Peter Chira, Felixie Laurens, Shalet Mkamzungu and business partners Micere Nyaga and Abigail Komu.

Hakuna Matata will run until February 6. PAK has plans to have more exhibitions around the themes of weddings, street photography, and events.

PAK brings together amateur and professional Kenyan photographers. Last year, PAK hosted a photography festival called Kenya Photo Week, as well as the Masterpieces Awards, to recognise outstanding photographic work in the country.