The charging bull elephant stampeded into the murky water, thrusting his long trunk high into the air.
The sound of splashing ringed in my ears. Blackened water erupted, upsetting the surface and its rival wake, each heaving step pounded in an effortless hustle.
My vision was drawn to the elephant’s emotive eye, its hazy reflection stared back at me, filling my finder.
I watched the backlight silhouette his age showing nothing but moving muscle and wrinkled hide.
His victory song could be heard for miles, the loud trumpeting signifying for his young family to follow.
Witnessing this experience was surely the heart of Africa. A moment I had longed to see.
Photographed in the Kruger National Park, South Africa
Have you ever wondered what makes a good black and white photo?
When I photographed this Warthog in the Kruger National Park, I was anticipating the final image to be in colour however after a quick conversation to black and white in Photoshop I changed my mind.
What do you think makes a decent black and white photo? Do you think it has anything to do with the texture or is it something else. I’m still scratching my head. Please tell me the answer!
Cropped to a square, the original image was too clean so film grain was added to enhance the detail. I have been debating whether to put this image on the blog. Do you think the texture works on this photo? Feedback needed good and bad please!
In celebration of my new website (coming very soon) I’m putting my collection of African photographs together. I captured a series of images over two trips to the Kruger National Park.
The collection will feature animals like lion, elephant, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, white rhinoceros and wild dog to name a just a few!
I can’t wait to share my African wildlife passion with you all. I am always dreaming of my next trip to Africa and have a few ideas in store for the next trip. Maybe I should run a few wildlife workshops over there or do you think the market is a bit saturated? Anyway just thoughts at the moment.
Below is the very first lioness I photographed in the wild.
I can remember my heart pounding so hard I had to put the camera down frequently as I was shaking so much with excitement. The large warming sun was setting and the beautiful last light was fading fast. I watched the big cat walk care free through the golden African grasses almost like a scene out of the Lion King. Stopping suddenly to raise her head she spotted a lone zebra camouflaged within the scrub ahead.
Seeing an opportunity, crouching and crawling low to the ground she covertly stalked the unsuspecting victim. Minutes passed and the lioness ended up within striking distance from the Zebra happily grazing the edge of an open plain. Holding my breath to control my breathing my finger mashed the shutter button. A sweet smile rose upon my face as I watched the preview appear on the back screen. The shot was taken. My first wild lioness photograph. I was proud as punch!
Retiring the camera and heavy lens to my lap I watched the lioness waiting patiently, hidden from the view of the unsuspecting Zebra. I don’t know what the lioness was thinking but her anticipation to launch into a chase was nail biting. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.
Over the next 10 minutes or so the zebra grazed without a worry and the lioness stayed hidden amongst the grasses. At this point the light had faded and I was wishing I had a camera with better noise reduction. Still with a smile on my face I headed back to camp. I couldn’t resist stopping multiple times on the way back to look at the photo I had just taken – after all I had just successfully photographed one of the animals on my bucket list.
The first image was taken at Russell Falls in Tasmania. The final image was made from a 6 image stitch.
The second image of lavender has had some tones added to the photo
The third image was taken at the Pinnacles in Western Australia. I stood in the desert holding an umbrella protecting my camera from the strong wind. The total exposure time was 4 hours. I waited for the sunrise to get the golden light on some of the Pinnacle formations.
The fourth image has been shot against a cloudy sky. To have a clean white background. Adam you were spot on!
The fifth image of the saltlake footprints was taken near Karratha, Western Australia
The sixth image of the police officers has been heavily edited (see below)
The seventh image was taken from a hot air balloon at sunrise in the Hunter Valley, Western Australia
The eighth image has had a slight crop…roughly 2 percent of the image. I captured the Osprey with a Canon 400mm f5.6 after getting extremely close to it.
The nineth image has been warmed up to capture the sunrise. Taken at Gordon River, Western Australia
The last image was taken at Port Hedland. I got up really early for this sunrise (looking over a bay)
Below is the before and after of a few of the images….original image is on the left and edited is on the right.
Please note: The first original image of Russell Falls isn’t the original image. I don’t have a saved copy of the original edited one….this one is very similar…you should get the idea.
Thanks again to Adam for choosing my images to critique. Keep up the brilliant tutorials on lighting and general photography and I look forward to the next spreecast you do with Jared Polin (www.froknowsphoto.com).
If you are new to the blog I would love to hear your feedback…so feel free to leave me a comment.
Yay! The mains power is back after 9 hours of blackout! I was starting to freak out not knowing what to do with my time! I must admit though Western Power are doing a great job at replacing the power poles coming up to this years bushfire season. However some advanced notice that my power was going to be switched off would have been nice.
The first thing I did once the power had been restored was head straight for my Africa images.
Hasn’t time flown? Since before the Easter break I have been madly redeveloping our backyard. Caroline and myself have decided to go all eco. Raised veggie beds, chooks and new plants (including retic) all have to go in! So that is why you haven’t seen many photos for a while. Bruised and sore from all the soil shifting and construction I have managed another African image for you all.
I’m off to the Hunter Valley (NSW) tomorrow so if my wireless works you may see a few images while I’m over there!
I remember being so scared on this day. These two HUGE White Rhinos decided to walk a little bit to close to my car. With horns as big as my arm these animals can do serious damage.
As they came close my instant reaction was to put my camera and lens inside the car while staying perfectly still. For a good 20 minutes they both just stood near the car. I heard each giant breath exit their mouths and the sound seemed to be coming closer. My legs were shaking now! I was thinking just how fast is this car?
If I turn the key will I have enough time to get away, then I remembered that they can run 60km/h! I couldn’t start the car or they would charge. I would be crushed for sure!
I braved the risk of being crushed alive to get some shots (as any photographer would). This one was before I put my camera away! After about 20 minutes of what seemed to be a staring contest they moved on. Each THUD was felt as their feet hit the ground with weight as they walked passed the rear of my car.
Monkeys certainly keep you on your toes as a photographer. This little ball of fur was frantically running around from the canopy to the ground. Up down, up down it just didn’t end! Patiently I watched this little critter for about 20 minutes and managed to capture the take away.
Sitting next to David Sobik and this is my impression of what he looks like at the moment sitting in front of his mac trying to get it to work. Should have bought a PC.
Yes I know more lion shots….I have 600 or more images of lion to go….
I took these images from the car window where I had one hand on the ignition and the other on the shutter. The problem was I was driving a ‘new’ 4WD that had electric windows. I had to turn the car off to reduce any vibrations. If the lion was going to attack there would be no time to turn on the car, pull in the lens and press the button to wind the window up….I was shaking in my boots! Africa can be a deadly place at times!
Sorry to all those people who have visited the blog daily only to find the same images up!
I have been extremely busy with weddings. It takes me four weeks just to finish one wedding. (Thats the reason I don’t advertise myself sometimes two jobs can get a bit overwhelming!)
I was lucky enough to sit and watch a small herd of wildebeest lazing in the midday sun for over an hour. They were in the open grouped quite close together.
The minutes passed and thoughts ran through my head that a lion might be creaping up stalking its prey. I think I may have been watching too many wildlife documentaries as this wasn’t the case.
However I was quite glad that I didn’t see a big cat as these muscular beasts offered numerous photo opportunities. They ate, slept and played like children with not a worry in the world. I could have been taking photos of them but I didn’t. You see I was just happy watching them. Because some things in life are just meant to be enjoyed. The memory is in my head and thats good enough for me. Maybe next time….
Until next time
Happy Shooting!
Tomorrow I’m off to the local lake to get some frosty shots!
And now…. (insert drum roll)…. for the other African Hornbill…..
I was actually photographing this bird when the huge grasshopper flew into the shot.
Unfortunately I missed the quick grab by the Hornbill but managed to get a sequence of shots of the squirming grasshopper trying to escape the beak of death. It was all over very quickly and gut free. I think it would have been quite crunchy!
Well finally I have found some time to get back to the blog.
Waterbuck are a hunters best friend. Its a really funny site when you see them run away from you. They have targets built into their behinds!
I found these waterbuck quite shy to begin with but after awhile they were a little inquisitive. The light wasn’t perfect but it still created a nice soft feel to the image.
I’m seeing stripes. Everything is black and white. I physically can’t edit any other photos now it has to be zebra, zebra and more zebra. So thats all you are going to get!
If you have ever tried to photograph Giraffes in the wild you will know that it is tricky.
The tricky thing is knowing what lens to shot with.
Should it be a wide angle or telephoto?
Both present problems. In the end I went with the telephoto to crop any distracting trees out of the image. The only advantage I see that the wide offers is that you get the whole animal. This disadvantage is that end up looking like a tourist shot – something I’m keen to avoid.
Took this one at 1/1000 at f8 – 600mm. Looking at the image I’m kicking myself. I should have shot it vertical!
With this photo there was no way I was going to go any closer. Earlier in the day I had photographed a herd of elephants who decided that it was a good idea to charge me. At this point I had the memories fresh in my mind. Squashed car = bad. The car was in reverse and ready to go. I think I just need a bigger lens – don’t we all?
Many people don’t have the patience when it comes to photographing animals. It takes a lot of waiting around and quite a few days to get what you want. The age old saying “never work with babies or animals” is so true!
Persistance is the other thing you will need a lot of when trying to capture that winning image. I have lost count of the number days that I have been to the same location just hoping that it might be my lucky day. Eventually you might get it and thats the day you sit back with a cold beer in one hand, hopefully cheque in the other and a big smile on your face.
So I encourage every photographer out there…landscape, wedding, portrait, artistic or just plain amature to take your camera and lens, point it at an animal and click! Then send me the link to your photo and I will post it on my blog so everyone can see it.
LEIGH DIPROSE 