I realized I still have a lot of images from my 2022 trip that I wanted to work through, so I decided to select some images from Victoria Falls, both from the Zimbabwean side and from the Zambian side.
I first visited the Zambian side of Victoria Falls in April of 2013, and the water level was perfect for viewing as there was a strong water flow to highlight the epic scale, but not so much as to shroud the entire falls in mist. My second visit was November of 2022, and there was far less water flowing over the falls and a lot more exposed rock, which showed off the scale of the falls in a completely different way.
On the day we visited the Zimbabwean side, clouds hung heavy in the air, but I don’t believe delivered any rain that day. Our visit to the Zambian side 8 days later couldn’t have been more different, with clear blue skies and fairly significant heat and humidity, around 38C or so, going from memory.
The different viewing areas offered not only different visual experiences, but different sensory experiences as well. This particular spot was incredibly humid and misty from the proximity to this portion of the falls and the direction of the breeze. It felt like being within a localized rainstorm. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. November, 2022.Another viewpoint along the falls, but out of the pocket of mist.Walking less than five minutes down a path from the main falls area provided an amazing view of the rock behind the falls. In the wintertime, with sufficient summer rains, there would be water flowing over much of this area.Victoria Falls from the Zambian side under hot, clear sunny skies. This is an area just above the falls, and you can see a small amount of mist floating up the the left of the distant tree. Victoria Falls, Zambia. November, 2022.A view of the falls from one of the main viewing areas on the Zambian side. Similar to the Zimbabwean side, a short walk away from the main viewing area, there were huge expanses of exposed rock. This was one of the interesting things about being in the same place in a different season.The weather conditions were perfect to view a rainbow created from the waterfall mist.
I was treated to a beautiful sunrise sky this morning when I was out walking my dogs; in one direction, warm yellow, orange and peach tones, and in the other, cool blues and purples. It was such a lovely start to the day. While I didn’t have my camera to take any pictures, I did have a few lovely sunrise shots just waiting to be edited from my last trip.
The sun just peaking up behind a hill in Savute Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.Sunrise over Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.Another Savute sunrise. The skies in Botswana are magical. April, 2024.
Today I felt like doing something a bit different, and went back to some of the images I flagged from my 2023 Alaska trip. All of these images were from an excursion I did, taking a train trip along the White Pass for a day trip in the Yukon. I have shared some images from this trip before (search Alaska if you missed these and want to take a look).
An old train bridge over a canyon, with a large portion of the trestles collapsed. A sky so blue it looks fake, but it absolutely isn’t. The northernmost desert in North America, at Carcross, Yukon.One of the beautiful lakes near Carcross, Yukon. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to be touring the area.A view north of the highway running between Alaska and Yukon, just north of the border.
I was drawn to work on landscape photos this week, so I picked a selection from the different places I visited between South Africa and Botswana this past April.
This was a dry riverbed in the Timbavati Private Game Reserve, with a waterbuck grazing and a rock fig growing out of the side of the large rocks. South Africa, April, 2024.Sunrise in Klaserie Sands Game Reserve in South Africa. This trip was my first time in this reserve, and it was surprising how different the landscape was, compared to the Timbavati that it shares a border with. The area was fenced for a very long time, so the bush was very thick since there were no elephants passing through until quite recently. Klaserie Sands Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024. A lone waterbuck on the floodplain alongside the Chobe River. Despite the fact that I was there at the very start of the dry season, the river was extremely low. It was very different to being in the area in April of 2013 or more recently in November 2022. Chobe Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.Sunrise on the Chobe River, during a beautiful early morning boat cruise (complete with coffee and snacks, of course!). Chobe Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.A rocky outcrop in Savute Game Reserve. It wasn’t the type of game drive where I felt comfortable asking to stop for a lot of landscape shots, so I just put my camera on the fastest shutter speed I could, and then snapped away while driving. Some of them worked, but many did not. Savute Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.Moonset at sunrise in Savute Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.A pair of baobab trees seen in Savute. Botswana, April, 2024.This area is called Dead Tree Island in Moremi Game Reserve. While you might initially think an area of dead trees wouldn’t be the most photogenic area to be in, I found it strikingly beautiful. I have quite a few images from this area that I flagged to work on in the future. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.Okavango Delta sundowner drinks stop at a hippo pond. This was a preplanned stop with the camp staff having set up a bar and snacks stop for all the vehicles to visit. It was a lovely evening. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.A lone bull elephant climbing the hill from the dry Boteti riverbed outside of Leroo La Tau Camp. I am hoping to soon pull some images from my first time in this area in 2015 and contrasts them with the more recent ones as the difference in the landscape is quite striking. Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.
I had some photos flagged to edit from my 2022 trip to Alaska, so I followed the path of least resistance and worked on those, rather than selecting images from my latest adventure. Back to Africa images next week
I’m still in awe of how beautiful a trip it was, and how I really lucked out with the most amazing weather you could ask for.
On our last morning at Chobe Game Lodge, our group had the option to either have a short, early morning boat cruise, or sleep in (we didn’t have time for a full game drive because of our flight time to go to our next camp). I’m an early bird by nature, and try my best to never miss an activity when on safari, so the choice was easy for me. The people that slept in certainly missed out on a beautiful morning on the water.
I wasn’t sure what to call this post, as it is simply all the African images I had saved in my quick collection in Lightroom, some from back in 2019, and others more recent. This finishes off the last of the really old trip images I wanted to edit, but I still have a few from 2022 that I’d like to work through, as well as my cruise images from 2023.
A young man lion, doing what lions do best. Madokwe, November 2022.A very healthy looking male lion on patrol in the Sabi Sands. May, 2019.Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side. November, 2022.A leopard looking awkward, rather than regal. Sabi Sands, May 2019.A lone bull elephant. Madikwe, November 2022.
The milky way from my cabin deck. Sabi Sands, May 2019.
We’ve had some beautiful weather the last few days, and my road is finally clear of icy and easy to walk, so I’ve been getting the dogs out for nice morning walks. The morning twilight and sunrise have been beautiful, but since I didn’t have my camera with me to capture them, I went through some of the many images I have left to edit, and found a selection that shows some of the beautiful colours I have been enjoying.
Sunrise along the banks of the Zambezi River, just outside the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. November, 2022.A misty early morning drive in Hwange, Zimbabwe. November, 2022.The dawn of a beautiful day in Hwange, Zimbabwe. November, 2022.A rather spooky looking sunset captured in the Sabi Sands. May, 2019.Sunset along the Zambezi River, just before taking the boat back to Tsowa Safari Island. Zimbabwe, November 2022.Zambezi Sunset from Livingstone, Zambia. November, 2022.A peaceful bush sunset from the Sabi Sands. May, 2019.
Now that I have moved my editing back to Lightroom, I’ve rediscovered quite a few images that I had flagged in my quick collection as ones I wanted to edit, from my trip to South Africa in 2019. The first four images are from that trip, and the last three from my recent trip to Zimbabwe in 2022.
While a lot of time has passed since 2019, I didn’t spend much of it on photography during the Covid years, as I was otherwise occupied in graduate school (during my free time from work) and when I did have time for photos, I was exploring using Capture One during that time period.
Coming back to Lightroom feels both familiar and very different at the same time, and I definitely need to spend some time relearning the familiar tools, and learning about all that has been added in the intervening time. I felt a sense of accomplishment working through these images and only completing the edits within Lightroom, not moving on to familiar plugins available in Photoshop.
All of these images were shot as long exposures around midday or early afternoon, using an infrared filter and then converted to black and white. It is something I want to work on more as I really enjoy the look of the shockingly bright foliage and inky skies.
The Sand River. South Africa, May 2019.
Lion Sands Tinga Lodge. South Africa, May 2019.I recall exactly where I took this image, on an elevated walkway path between my room and the next over, while staying at Tinga Lodge. While its just some random trees and bushes, it showcases what I really love about the long exposure infrared images, with the bright fluffy grasses and leaves, and the deep black of the tree trunks and inky sky. Tinga Lodge, South Africa. May, 2019.The Sand River from the deck of Tinga Lodge. South Africa, May, 2019.These bright clear skies around lunchtime were long gone by dinner. Hwange, Zimbabwe. November 2022.Clouds building. Hwange. Zimbabwe, November 2022.Those clouds were part of a huge storm the ripped through Hwange. We had to abandon our afternoon game drive and barely got back to the lodge before the skies opened up. Zimbabwe, November, 2022.
Today I selected a few images from my time cruising around Hubbard Glacier during my trip to Alaska in May. I’m guessing in a month or so, when the snow has settled in here at home, editing images of snowy landscapes may not have much appeal, so I wanted to tackle a bit while I was inspired.
As for this day of scenic cruising, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect blue sky day. While it was very foggy while out in the open water, it cleared dramatically as soon as we entered the bay, and stayed that way until we left again in the afternoon, and then we were back into the fog.
As for home, there has been a brief glimpse of the winter to come, but thankfully for the next few days at least, we are to be above zero each day.
