Skimmimg the Light, Okanvango Pan handle, Botswana

October on the Okavango River is the end of the dry season, meaning the river level is low- low enough to expose sandbanks; which in turn attract a few species of birds to nest on them. One of the birds we wanted to photograph was the African Skimmer. A large, striking black and white bird with an orange-red bill, the African Skimmers’ status fluctuates between near-threatened and endangered in the Red data book and was until recently described as locally extinct in South Africa.

The reason why they are threatened species? When Robert’s Bird book states that skimmers nest on open, exposed sand banks, they aren’t joking. The first few days on the river we noticed hippo tracks right next to nests, crocodiles sunning on the banks next to skimmer nests and elephants walking through the reeds near sand banks. Without any human interference, I could clearly see how nests could be so easily destroyed. And that is before a herd of buffalo comes down to drink; which is a common occurrence further down the river…

So it was with dismay that on our last day on the river that our guide took us past a sandbank that had about 10 nesting pairs on it. As we rounded the corner, I was amazed to see three mokoros (dugout canoes) on the sand bank and 6 men fishing on the bank. Of course the skimmers were going ballistic and their chicks were scurrying around in the scant grass cover on the sandbank. I was livid and after convincing our driver, we boated up to them and asked them very nicely to leave. It all ended well and they agreed to leave the sandbank, but the reality of the situation was there for all to see. These birds really do breed in marginal conditions and in a very small time frame- seeing all these interference as we did; their vulnerability became very apparent.

Thus I pose the question- what are our images doing to help species such as the African Skimmer? The large numbers of bird photographers, fisherman and tourists who visit this specific area, pumping hard currency into the lodges, are evidently not having much visible and practical effect on the ground. We saw the result right there with those fishermen.

It’s been something I have been thinking about for a while now: “What influence do the photographs we take have?” It’s a question that provokes a lot of interest from conservationists and nature photographers alike.
I’ve heard arguments that photographs, just by being printed in media, create awareness of the species or places they represent. That may be somewhat true, but it’s not of direct benefit to conservation. Through some mediums they do affect their conservation, but what does a certain brand of Brandy actually do for the status of the Fish Eagle that they use as their Symbol; Other than draw metaphors between the bird they represent and their brandy? We see nature and wildlife represented in the media every day but with very little or no actual benefit to the actual species or areas they represent.

This question was brought to the fore when photographing the skimmers. I always like to photograph subjects in unique ways and especially in different light. This was exactly the same here. I was very keen to represent this bird in a different manner to the norm. Seeing the results, of which this is one, it struck me. “If I want to show subjects in a new manner, or different light- why is that?” The answer became quite clear: “To make people appreciate these beautiful creatures”. If people appreciate, they will respond. But it had to go one step further. I still feel that an image on its own is just that- an image.

That is how the inspiration for ‘Mutual Benefit’ came into being.
To be able to make my images worth more than their commercial value, I decided to make them available to all natural history research, education facilities and conservation projects- FOR FREE.
This is my way of giving something back to the places I visit with all the photographs that I take. These images now have a unique opportunity to be part of science, teaching, learning and research- attributes which directly contribute to the saving of the animal species we love to photograph so much.

Thus this image is quite poignant- the skimmer is flying in the absolute last light of day. Does it represent a future fading into darkness through lack of conservation and research, or does it represent a new dawn of forward thinking and pro-active conservation?
The optimist in me believes in the latter. Also, I know this image was taken in the first light of day…! Significant?
I hope so.

Exposure information
Nikon D300 - 200-400mm
Exposure – f 5 Shutter Speed: 1/1000sec
Exp. Comp. - 0. EV
ISO - 500
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Manual, Metering Mode– centre
File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 380 mm (570mm 35mm Equivalent)
Handheld on Boat

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Ocean stars. Whale trail, Southern Cape, De hoop Nature reserve.

Over the last year, I have been working on small, but very specific, personal project. It’s got no time constraints or deadlines. I just want to put together a few images- with the same theme- that conveys a strong message. A message that I believe strongly in and one that I think people should know about: a small contribution to conservation. I suppose you could call it a photo essay (excuse the pun…), but I would rather see it as a collection of images of conscious thought.

One of my favourite sayings is that “Life is too short to drink bad wine”, although I surely didn’t believe that in my student days… There is a lot behind those words and they ring quite true to the statement.
If a wine maker decides to make a good wine, first he has to choose the land, or the terroir, for the vines to grow on. This is very important: If the soil is too loamy or to clayey, the vines will either drown and die very quickly or they will produce fruit that is juicy, plump and only good for eating as a grape from the greengrocer.

Vines like hard, dry, rocky, unforgiving soils on which to grow. I can’t tell you exactly why, but they do- and once planted there, they need a lot of love and care. A good fruit for wine is one that produces a small fruit with all the flavour put into the skin. Why? because wine gets its flavour from the skins of the grapes, not the flesh.

So the conundrum for the wine maker: plant a vine in hard ground, water it too much and give it too much love and all you will get is a nice juicy grape good for eating. But leave it be and it wont fruit at all. There needs to be a balance- coax the vine, tease the vine with small amounts of water so that it thinks it must produce fruit, and it does produce fruit. But the fruit it produces are small and with little juice, and the skin that covers them is thick, full of tannins and makes for excellent wines. The vine works hard, in near unforgiving circumstances, on the brink of surviving and reproducing to produce a little miracle. So a very fine balance is struck- make the plant suffer slowly, but not too much- and from that will come the ultimate reward.
This is all very easy to say. But only the top wines in the world manage this formulaic balance.

Photographing the night skies may be an easy thing to say: pop out there, aim camera at sky and snap away. Well I found out it is not as easy as that so my little personal project: To photography night skies in natural, wilderness areas to show the beauty and vastness of the night.
There are a few immediate problems here; ambient light from towns travels a long way. You really do need to be in a wilderness area, far from any lights to not get any interference from man-made lights in an image.
Then, the weather… This has been the crux of the matter. Of the 12 nights in the Kalahari, 5 nights on the cape coast, 13 nights on the Mozambican coast, 6 nights on the west coast and numerous other nights in wilderness areas I can count on one hand the good nights I have had to photograph on. The combination of clouds, smog, and mist often contributed against me.

Getting to wilderness areas is difficult enough, but managing to find the right conditions to get good results makes this a story of perseverance. Watching the stars is becoming as rare as seeing a cheetah kill. This is more about showing someone the stars. It is showing the night skies as we are supposed to see them; when no cities were polluting the air and smog wasn’t a household word.
In this age of pollutants and city living, getting out into wilderness areas is even more important than ever, if only to smell the fresh air. Another part of being out there is seeing those vast night skies. When you see them, you know you are far away from anything man made- and to me there is great value in that alone.
That has become my project- to show people the beauty of the night skies and encourage them to get out into wilderness areas to experience those stars stretched across the velvet sky. If things carry on as they are, it may become even more rare than seeing a cheetah kill…

And so it is like wine- a simple project that teases, coaxes and tempts me for images. When at first it seemed quite simple, I found there is actually a fine balance between suffering and success. I hope in the end we see real reward of it all.

I hope to show you the final result of the project soon- for now, this image is from the Cape coast, taken on the whale trail hike.

Thanks to Pieter Walser for the late night call about the wine facts. If you want great wine, have a look at his website. Moment of silence took me by storm! www.blankbottle.co.za

Exposure information
Nikon D300 - 12-24mm lens
Exposure – f 5.6 Shutter Speed: 1024 sec (17minutes)
Exp. Comp. - 0. EV
ISO - 200
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– manual, Metering Mode– matrix
File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 13mm (20mm equivalent)
Tripod and cable release

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Bat eared Fox, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, SA

Style. The word has many meanings. To some it is the type and manner in which you wear your clothes. A snowboarder either has a good riding style or a bad one. In sports, style is even judged in competitions- surfers are judged, amongst other attributes, on the style in which they ride a wave.
In the sports, style usually comes with time. A more natural feel for what the person is doing and in doing so, the body naturally relaxes and “style” improves.
Style can also be a reflection of the times. Artistic styles have come and gone. A certain style that is en vogue this century certainly will have changed by the next.
There are even management and business styles. Remember the bold coloured ties of the 80’s- yes that was a style- and they were supposed to represent assertiveness… That is just an example of a management style mixed with bad fashion sense- but there have been and are many different styles in which businesses are run.

In Photography, there too, are many different styles. Actually, from the outset, when photography was invented, in 1835, there were two different styles that developed. These helped defined photography as it is today, but at the same time split the world as to what photography actually is. Is it an art form, or is it a representation, a documentation? These were philosophies that helped developed the medium, but we can talk about that another day.

Basically, the style of photography has many forms and guises. In nature photography, there are very distinct styles that vary according to geography. The Americas, the UK, the Scandinavian countries and east and southern Africa all have very distinct and varying styles. You may ask how is this possible- surely there is some overlapping. Well no. They really are different and if you want to improve your photography, then studying the different photographic styles from each region will be of great help. Being one who practises what he preaches, I have lately been really intrigued by the style of the Scandinavian photographers. The intimacy that they get in an image as well as the strong use of composition has had me studying their images late into the night. But what has really kept me in front of the computer in those late hours is their use of light. Perhaps it is their lack of light up there in the north, but when they get good light, they sure know how to manipulate it to their advantage.

Back to this months photo essay; this last week I was in one of South Africa’s jewels- the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (see here for more info on a Photo Workshop with C4 Images & Safaris to KTP) with camera, naturally, in hand.
Early one morning, on the far side of the riverbed, some backlit dust caught my eye. The scene of this bat eared fox scratching for insects against the backlit grass and spider webs was immediately apparent. Yet I was about 150m away and I couldn’t fill the frame at all, so it had to be the environmental image.
At first it was a difficult image to work, but the more I framed it with the camera, the more I liked this image, so I took a good few different compositions. Driving on I pondered sighting and how it had appealed to me the more I studied it. It then dawned on me: I had read the situation completely differently to how I usually take images. I thought back to how I would have reacted to this scene 4 years ago. I concluded that I would have most probably just watched this scene in my binocs and not taken a photo at all.
Then the realisation: My style had developed and changed. I now see photo opportunities in a different light (excuse the old pun) to those a few years ago. As with anything, development has to happen, as well as change.
I suppose it’s a development of style and any person in any profession has to continually stay ahead of the pack if they want to be on top of the game. As long as my style doesn’t represent those ties of the 80’s, then I’m happy it’s developing and changing…

Enjoy!

For more info on going on a Photo workshop to improve your photography, visit C4 Images & Safaris.

Exposure Information:
Nikon D300 - 200-400mm lens and 1,4 converter
Exposure – f 7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/1000sec
Exp. Comp. - 0. EV
ISO - 400
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Aperture priority, Metering Mode– centre
File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 550 mm (820mm 35mm Equivalent)
Beanbag from vehicle

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Fiery-necked Nightjar, Botswana

There are a few sayings with regards photography that ring true to getting good wildlife images. The most commonly used is: “patience, patience, patience” and it is very true. Most top class wildlife images are a result of hours of field work waiting patiently for a situation to develop; time spent in hides and driving bad roads searching for decent subjects to photograph.

I always say that lion researchers and nature photographers are of the same ilk. For many hours we watch animals doing nothing and when they do something quite ordinary we humans get quite excited by it all. “Well as long we are out there” is another photography saying. This is normally uttered in reference to a day where everything was perfectly in place: the storm clouds had built up in the east creating a beautifully dark slate grey sky as backdrop, the sun has just peeked out from under the same clouds in the west and is casting a golden glow on a lovely open plain. But the subject doesn’t arrive and nothing of great value is photographed. We say these things when we are actually bitterly disappointed about how promising things were, and so we console ourselves that it was good to be out there. Of course it was good to “ be out there”, but hell, we were searching, scouring for a subject to do the scene justice. But that’s just how nature photography works, it tempts, frustrates, teases and plays with your mind until you either give up, or eventually something of value appears and you “get your shot”. That is probably what separates the goods from the greats in our game.

And that leads onto this month’s image and the saying that goes with it- “being prepared”. As much as nature photography tempts us, nature can reveal small beauties in a very short space of time and this is where “being prepared” comes in. I was camping with some bird photographers on the side of a river course on the Okavango River, taking daily boat cruises to go photograph (you can see a collection of the images here as well as on my blog).
On the first evening there, I noticed a fiery necked nightjar perching on a stick on the outskirts of our camp. We ran to pick up our cameras and managed to get a few images of it. However, the image I wanted was of the full moon rising behind it. I tried, but the moon was quite high and a buffalo thorn was hampering my progress to get the angle I needed. (actually it was tearing at my shirt and skin…)
The following night, I was prepared. I knew the moon would rise about 45 min later, so anticipating the nightjar would land on the stick at around the same time, the moon would be just in the right place to be behind the bird. (Another aspect of photographers is their high level of optimism!) I had my camera setup and at the ready. Now I just needed to have the bird do its thing.
For once, everything fell into place. The nightjar arrived on the minute, the moon was positioned perfectly behind it, Dave Barnes lit the bird softly with a light and I snapped off a quick sequence of this beautiful bird.
Easy as that, job was done. Lord Baden Powel would have been proud.

For more info on going on a Photo workshop to improve your photography, visit C4 Images & Safaris.

Exposure information
Nikon D300 - 200-400mm lens
Exposure – f 4 Shutter Speed: 1/100sec
Exp. Comp. - 0. EV
ISO - 1000
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Aperture priority, Metering Mode– spot
File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 400 mm (600mm 35mm Equivalent)
Handheld

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Lesser Flamingos, Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Lake Nakuru has to be one of the most inspiring birding spectacles in the world. 60 000 thousand flamingos are a sight to behold. The noise, the smell and the constant movement and motion all combine to attack the senses in one large flock. I recently spent three nights with clients at this wonderful venue, with the express purpose of capturing these, and the many other birds here, in all their beauty.

Now that may sound like a simple thing to do- 60 odd thousand birds are more than enough subjects to fill a camera: Nevermind spending three days there. Well, it’s not as easy as that. These birds just don’t leave each other alone! The old phrase of “safety in numbers” is very true with these birds. They are very wary of any approach and tend to huddle together as more disturbance comes along. The best method of approach is that of patience. In the 30-degree heat on an open mud flat, that can be quite a task! However, we persevered through the heat and discomfort and all managed to come home with some fairly stonking images.

It has to be said though; Nakuru has not been all good news for the last few years. Only after flamingo numbers drastically dropped, did the Kenyan Wildlife Services start doing something about the problem. I wont go into it here, but expect a blog entry about it soon- as I consider the Flamingo a great indicator species. Happily though the numbers are back and tourists can enjoy these fantastic birds.

It was day two and we had used three sessions to photograph flamingos. The problem with a constant subject (and the beauty) is that things get more difficult as you go along. You get all the standard images, review your work, take some better ones of what you did before and then realise that you now have to push a few limits. You become very fussy; watching backgrounds, waiting for a specific neck turn, a beak in water, a flap of a wing- anything to make your images more unique. To say that flamingos are difficult subjects is an understatement; but when an image comes off, well, it really comes off well, as these birds really do shine in good light. As I said in a before in a blog entry- 60 000 birds and 60 000 shades of pink!

We had spent the morning at the fresh water inlet of the lake. The birds come here to drink and bathe, so we knew the concentrations here would be high. After a few standard images I needed to get something different. So I pulled out the wireless remote, put it on the D200 which was attached to the 12-24mm lens, propped it onto a gorilla pod and walked out to the edge of a spit. I had “dry” tested the remote up to 80m. So I walked away from the camera and waited in the vehicle about 80m away. Slowly, the birds waded closer, and closer and closer. I was snapping with the remote release in the shade of the vehicle and starting to enjoy this relaxed manner of photography. Suddenly, 400m away, a hyaena ran into the birds, searching for a dead carcass. This caused pandemonium amongst the birds. I would guess 5000 birds flew right towards us and right over our heads. A sight to behold! I was snapping the remote as fast as I could while using the other camera with a longer lens.

The birds all departed and the hyaena did not have any success, but it did see my camera at the waters edge. All of a sudden it became a race to the camera. The hyena led with his teeth and jaws; I chased in with a client’s monopod! It all ended happily, as the hyeana decided to leave the scene. I picked up the camera and walked back to the vehicle- eagerly wanting to see what had been captured.

You can imagine my surprise when it only had one image recorded! I was flabbergasted - the only image was one taken right in the middle of the action, when all the birds were flying overhead. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m not asking any questions.

What came out was an image of thousands of flamingos flocking towards us. I had been looking for a different perspective for a while - I think I now have one.

For more info on going on a Photo workshop to improve your photography, visit C4 Images & Safaris.

Exposure information:
Nikon D200 - 12-24mm lens
Exposure - f 9
Shutter Speed: 1/750sec
Exp. Comp. : + 0.3 EV
ISO - 250
Flash sync - not attached, Exposure mode - Aperture priority, Metering Mode - centre weighted
File type - NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 12mm (18m @35mm equivalent)
Gorilla pod, remote release

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White Faced Ducks - Austen Roberts

Being close to home for a while makes the feet itch. That may sound like a strange statement, but it is straight talking about what drives me. I like to be “out there”, smelling the fresh, dusty air and reviving the senses with a fresh winters chill on the cheeks as the Land Rover bumps along a single track through the bush. To be honest, that is exactly what drives me, and as tired as I can be at the end of a hard day photographing- up at 4h30, back in camp to talk photography and discuss post processing and then heading out back at 15h30 and dinner till the camp is dead quiet and every one is sleeping- I wake up ready to do it all again with a very certain verve the next morning. It’s as simple as that.

So when I have an extended session back in town- the feet start to itch. For some that may mean mischief, but for me that means I need to get the cameras out again.
Luckily, close to where I live there are some very nice places to photograph. One of those places is the Austin Roberts bird park.
Firstly, Austin Robert’s the person. South Africa’s Audubon, Austin Roberts was a director of the Transvaal Museum of natural history. A great affinity for birds, Roberts’ spent most of his adult life collecting and identifying birds for identification and taxonomic purposes. The result- the definitive bird identification reference guide on the birds of southern Africa. Roberts’ bird book is now in its 8th edition and many avid birders will fondly tell you of their first tattered and abused “Roberts”.

So the park is named after Austin Roberts and of course there are birds there to photograph. White-faced ducks, in their musical collectiveness make up the numbers amongst a few other species. So having itchy feet, I spent a few mornings here working on technique and specific settings. The first instinct with bird photography is to get the bird as pin sharp as you can. This involves setting a high shutter speed to freeze every detail. The result is something as in image 1 of the essay.
However, once a certain type of standard image is captured, I always look for something new and different. And so it was that I went to Austin Roberts each morning with a different mission.
To capture motion.
This proved harder to do than perceived and in doing so I noticed just how much these birds move their heads when they fly. It made me study their heads as they fly and in doing so, I noticed that they keep their head very still as they are landing. So I set up to catch them when doing so.
Eventually I managed to capture an image that portrays the effect I had in mind. (See image 2) A motion of wings and feathers that shows more ephemeral movement than any detail could ever do. And that is just what photography is to me. Fleeting, beautiful and descriptive all at once.
Right near home I managed to rid the itchy feet by watching and observing birds and then photographing them- I’m sure Austin Roberts would have been proud…!

For more info on going on a Photo workshop to improve your photography, visit C4 Images & Safaris.

Exposure information
Image 1
Nikon D300 - 200-400mm lens
Exposure – f 5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/1600sec
Exp. Comp. - 0.3 EV
ISO - 640
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Aperture priority, Metering Mode– centre weighted File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 460mm (690mm 35mm Equivalent)
Tripod

Image 2
Nikon D300 - 200-400mm lens
Exposure – f 25 Shutter Speed: 1/60
Exp. Comp. - 0.3 EV
ISO - 400
Flash sync– Fired- rear curtain sync, Exposure mode– Shutter priority, Metering Mode– Matrix. File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 380mm (570mm 35mm Equivalent)
Tripod

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Lion Chase - Deception Valley, Botswana

To be frank, I don’t really enjoy photographing lions. They are the laziest animals around, always sleeping, always snoozing and useless for any decent photography.
The problem is that every person who has ever been to Africa has a photo of a lion, well actually many photos of lion, even if they had only one sighting!

I’ve often wondered which lion is the most photographed, as in with a model. In certain National parks, a sleeping lion can cause traffic jams of over 20 vehicles with 4 cameras in each, snapping off enough photos to make a model on a Parisian catwalk smile! The results? You guessed it: sleeping lions. Of course I was once like that too, but looking at all the other good lion images out there, I was always aware of what the standard of photography was.I now have a decent collection of lion images- some of them actually doing things.., but when I head out into the bush, Lions aren’t exactly on the top of my agenda, cause I know there are so many good images out there.

Deception valley in the Central Kalahari is a different kind of place. For most parts of the year, it is a dry dust bowl with nothing much around. Some animals and birds, but nothing compared to the late rainy months: Which exactly where I was on a photo tour in early March. And what a tour it was- the Kalahari was at its most beautiful; with short grass attracting herds of animals and birds displaying and lions everywhere,literally.
Speaking of lions, we actually witnessed some brilliant Lion behaviour.
We had two male lions in a brawl, chasing each other across the grassy fields, roaring and scent marking right next to our vehicles. An amazing experience to say the least!
That evening we found 8 lions just in front of our camp and the next morning we found them in the grassy valley 2km from camp. We picked them up just before sunrise. They were not quiet ready for doing nothing, in fact they were quite active and full of beans, just what photographers look for.
For the next 20 minutes, as the sun glowed through the clouds, the lions played, ran and fought on the open valley floor. It was photographic bliss and one of the few times where lions go from party poopers to front of house entertainers, deluxe.
A Parisian model would have been taught a lesson or two here. I suppose it makes up for all the times we watch lions sleeping on the road.
The law of averages was at play.
Just be out there.

For more info on going on a Photo workshop to improve your photography, visit C4 Images & Safaris.

Exposure information
Nikon D200 – 200-400mm, 1,4 convertor
Exposure – f 6,3 Shutter Speed: 1/500sec
Exp. Comp. 0 EV
ISO equiv. - 250
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Aperture priority, Metering Mode– Matrix, File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 560mm (840mm, 35mm eqivalent), Tripod

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Black Bellied Bustard Display - Lebala, Botswana

It had been a chilly afternoon drive. A Mid-day thunderstorm had struck and drenched the whole area, leaving behind it a trail of mud, dripping trees and dark clouds hanging in the sky. The game drive had been one where you could feel the rain in the air- a hippo even deemed it fresh enough to leave the sanctity of the water and head into the open floodplain to graze. We locked onto him and naturally had a field day with the cameras- especially as there were egrets, herons and about three other bird species feeding in his wake. But it was quite dull- the light was one stop under what it would be to give the scene a nice glow. So we moved on- driving slowly in the cool fresh air, rain ponchos keeping the wetness out.

November in Southern Africa is the start of the breeding season for most bird species. Thus, from a natural history point of view, it is a great time to travel here. From a photo safari point of view too, this is one of the most exciting seasons, as young animals are being born and birds and animals are alike are either breeding or giving birth. The morning chorus is full of the joys of life and it’s probably the only time I can say that I can “hear the excitement of the Bush”.

And so it was that we came across this Black bellied bustard (Korhaan) atop a termite mound calling out to any females that would listen. It is great courtship behaviour to watch, as they extend their necks and emita very slight “Pop” at the height of their neck extension.
Our group, however, was more interested in catching the action, as the light had just peaked from under the clouds. After the first front-lit shots, we moved around him: as the clouds were taking on a special colour and hue from the sunset. The Bustard, not to be outdone, stood his ground and continued his calling- deep in the throes of courtship.
The bird continued calling and the light just got better. Eventually we had enough. We just could not take another image of a bird calling against a stunning backdrop.

Until that is, it decided to leave us… With the backdrop of the Palmtrees in the Linyanti, I decided to shoot wider and zoomed out to incorporate the whole environment. All of a sudden the whole scene took on another feel, especially with that odd, stalking gait that a bustard has silhouetted against a colourful Okavango sky.

That is the image that made it to this Essay- a fitting end to a grand show.

For more info on going on a Photo workshop to improve your photography, visit C4 Images & Safaris.

Exposure information:
Nikon D70 - 70-200mm lens
Exposure – f 5.6 Shutter Speed: 1/200sec
Exp. Comp. - 0.3 EV
ISO - 200
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Aperture priority, Metering Mode– centre weighted File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 116 mm (174mm 35mm Equivalent)
Handheld

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Dune scale - Dead Tree pan, Sossusvlei

Scale is a relative term. We, as humans love to measure and compare things. How large our house is, how fast our cars are, how many times we hit a ball, the list goes on and each comparison is measured against a previous encounter, an average, or “how the pros do it”. It gives us a level of accomplishment, or something to achieve towards. We use scale to measure our performance at work, home and play. And most times, it just puts things into perspective.

Thus I found myself in Dead tree pan, at Sossusvlei in Namibia. If you have been there, you will know it as one of the most hauntingly beautiful places on earth. The silence at first light is astounding and the dead acacia trees splay their arms heavenwards in a silent grieving. Four of us were there at dawn. Within a few minutes, of arriving each of was alone- that is how easily the large pan swallows you up, as you are trying to contemplate how to capture such a serene scene.

An hour after sunrise the first tourists arrives. The walk across the dunes to get here is long and they aren’t necessarily as obsessively dedicated as photographers who race there at dawn… However, it also means that people are walking into your images, so its time to pack up, the work is done for the day. In doing so, I noticed a tourist walking in the distance of the pan, against the backdrop of the southern dunes. Immediately I was aware of how small he was in relation to the dune. Out came the camera and then this image. All morning I had been trying to capture and show the beauty of the pan, but sometimes it is hard to capture a scene without something to relate to. The human factor in this image just added that extra scale to the image.

As I said, scale is a relative term, but sometimes, it just puts things into perspective.

For more info on going on a Photo workshop to improve your photography, visit C4 Images & Safaris.

Exposure information:
Nikon D70 - 70-200mm
Exposure – f 11 Shutter Speed: 1/160sec
Exp. Comp. 0 EV
ISO equiv. - 200
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Aperture priority, Metering Mode– Matrix, File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 100mm (150mm, 35mm equivalent)
Hand held

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Interior Photographer in South Africa

If you're a hotelier or the owner of a bed and breakfast, you undoubtedly want your guests to feel warm and welcome and you will want them to leave with lasting impressions, so when you advertise your place in a glossy magazine or on the Internet, an interior photographer in South Africa can play a significant role in conveying your desired message of utter comfort to your patrons. Image is everything when seeking to retain existing patrons or new ones, and great original photos by an interior photographer in South Africa can inform and excite, while creating the confidence to book yourself in to such an establishment.

Ideally, a person should be able to imagine themselves using the bedrooms, bathrooms and lounges visually presented by photographs,because the interior photographer in South Africa aims to communicate high quality colour, texture and other detail, as well as the effects of both natural and artificial light within the environment to make it look inviting.

With 2010 soccer world cup just around the corner, many hotels and lodges are busy undergoing refurbishments, and the demand for outstanding and original hotel and game lodge photography is increasing dramatically.

Learning to photograph the lodge or hotel in its environment, and getting to grips with understanding how to create stunning pictures of bedrooms and bathrooms to turn prospective patrons into regular guests,can get you started on becoming an interior photographer in South Africa, because at C4 Images and Safaris, thoroughly exciting courses are offered to enable you to create photographs with a higher visual impact and appeal, and already with only one course you will improve your images significantly, and who knows, before you know it your photo's could be used for websites as well as in popular glossy magazines and other printed media! So contact C4 Images and Safaris.

Related Articles:
* Aerial Photographer in South Africa
* Commercial Photographer
* Interior Photographer
* Lodge Photographer
* Professional Photographer

This article first appeared on C4 Images and Safaris.

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Commercial Photographer

A commercial photographer knows that apart from a thorough understanding of camera operation, lighting,composition, lenses, filters and the special properties of films and papers; it's the creation of a skillful photograph that will respond to the needs of the client. The commercial photographer is more critical and focused because you are not clicking pictures to satisfy your creativity, but rather to a target audience whom you need to please.

Photographers may specialize in portrait, news, industrial, medical, or scientific photography, or they may generalize in a combination of two or more types of photography, but the primary differences lie in the subject matter, work site, type of equipment used, and the amount of precision required for design and composition of the photograph. Commercial photographers take pictures of merchandise, architecture,and scenery for advertising and sales purposes.

Producing a stunning and successful picture requires choosing and presenting a subject to achieve a particular effect and then these are used in a variety of media, including books, reports, advertisements, and catalogues; the simple fact is that the best commercial photographers can do wonders for your business or advertising efforts with brilliant commercial photography, because people look at the pictures on a brochure or calender and make judgements in seconds according to what they see!

C4 Images and Safaris provide an unparalleled selection of photos allowing you to get get up close and personal with your favorite species, and a good deal of our photos can be reviewed in our on-line photo gallery where you will find an amazing array of things found in nature, including birds, bugs, landscapes, as well as colourful pictures depicting the people and the cultures of Africa and Madagascar, so whether you need a photograph for brochures or web sites, you get what you really want because C4 Images and Safaris helps those who demand quality and service.

Related articles:
* Aerial Photographer in South Africa
* Commercial Photographer
* Interior Photographer
* Lodge Photographer
* Professional Photographer

This article first appeared on C4 Images and Safaris

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Cattle Egret Flight - Ampijoroa, Madagascar

In terms of wildlife, Madagascar is a marvel of the modern world. As with many islands, the wildlife is quite unique as the fauna and flora have had many millions of years to evolve on their own. Thus we have islands such as The Galapagos, The Falklands, Borneo, Papua New Guinea and of course Madagascar. Of all the islands on earth, Madagascar is perhaps the one with the highest total endemic species of flora and fauna combined. What makes it so interesting though, is that species are still being discovered and described as I write this! Speaking to researchers in Ampijoroa about their subjects, I was astounded to hear that they were doing studies on subjects that were done on most other animals more than 30 years ago. You can literally point your camera at any subject and produce a thesis on its behaviour, such is the lack of knowledge on many of the species. I have travelled far and wide photographing nature and wildlife, but nowhere have I come across nature guides who describe the species by their scientific names. At first I was quite impressed by their intimate knowledge of the various species, but then I learnt that for many of the species, there is no common name, hence the vernacular being in Latin!

So as you can imagine, photographing in Madagascar is quite a treat. New species are almost around every corner. The lemurs and Sifakas add the charismatic appeal that no one can ignore, while the chameleons, frogs and leaf tailed geckos provide a level of fascination I never thought possible for the smaller creatures of this world. Then there are the birds, tenerics, snakes and lastly the unique, out-of-this-world specialities such as the Eye-eye. An animal so diverse in its looks that all I can say is that the wildebeest has nothing on it at all!

Arriving in Ampijoroa, a dry deciduous forest on the north west of the island, we were greeted to a cacophony of birds and sifakas. Everywhere you looked were endemic birds parading in the spring weather, preparing for the onset of the breeding season. I photographed many of the birds there, but what really caught my attention was the breeding colony of the common Cattle egret just in front of our campsite. Approximately 300 birds were nesting in some reeds over the Ravilobe Lake and in doing so, providing some excellent photographic subjects. Thus I spent a morning or two photographing these very common birds. You see, even in a place as unique as Madagascar, when a subject presents itself in excellent light, you take advantage of the situation; even if it is the lowly common cattle egret that occurs throughout Africa.
I hope you agree.

For more info on going on a Photo workshop to improve your photography, visit C4 Images & Safaris.

Exposure information:
Nikon D200 - 70-200 and 1.4 converter
Exposure – f 18 Shutter Speed: 1/20sec
Exp. Comp. -0.7 EV
ISO equiv. - 125
Flash sync– not attached, Exposure mode– Shutter priority, Metering Mode– Matrix, File type– NEF (RAW)
Focal length: 280mm (420, 35mm equivalent)
Hand held

This article first appeared on shemimages.com

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