I was drawn to elephants when I sat down to work through some photos today, but when I came online to create my post, I realized I did the same thing only a month ago (which you can find here). As I rebuild my habits for photo editing and posting, checking what I have done recently is probably a smart thing to add early in the process.
Throughout the years of this blog I’ve said time and again how much I love spending time with elephants; and if I could only pick one animal to see one safari, it would be elephants, as they are almost always active and on the move doing something: feeding, drinking or interacting with one another, which makes them very interesting to spend time with.
A group of male elephants greeting each other with some trunk touching. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April 2024.This elephant had only a partial trunk, likely from a snare injury. Despite this disability, he was able to drink and feed himself. He was traveling with a larger herd that had already moved on down the riverbed to feed. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.A perfect reflection of an elephant in this small watering hole. He was very accommodating and we spent a good deal of time just relaxing a watching him go about his morning. Tombavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.An elephant leaving the watering hole to return to grazing. Savute national Park, Botswana. April, 2024.A trio of youngsters drinking from a watering hole in Savuti. Their mothers were all very close by and watching over them, but seeing these three together like this was quite a treat. Baby elephants are just too cute for words. Savute National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.A group of elephants drinking from the Chobe River in the afternoon, watched by a nearby hippo. Choose National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.Another perfect reflection, this time from the hide at Leroo La Tau camp in Botswana. Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, 2024.
If you search my blog, you will find many posts dedicated to wild dogs. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have so many sightings of these amazing animals, and of course, I certainly hope I will get to see more of them in the future (especially wild dogs puppies, as that would be a new one for me).
This past adventure had our guides finding a couple wild dogs, who then lead us to the rest of the pack. Watching their greetings is always so special.
Wild dog in Timbavati, South Africa. April, 2024.Following a pair of wild dogs, who lead us right to the rest of the family.A portion of the rest of the pack; they were too spread apart to get all of them in one shot.
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 find owls fascinating and love having the opportunity to see them (or hear them) at home or while away. I was fortunate to see several different species of owl during my trip to South Africa and Botswana, including one very, very rare owl that was likely my once in a lifetime viewing opportunity.
While I saw many Verreaux’s eagle owls on this trip, the sightings were either at night or early evening leaving me with less than inspiring images to share. But including them, we had 5 different owl species on the trip, which I think is fantastic.
An African barred owlet seen on a game drive in Botswana from Leroo La Tau camp. Botswana, April, 2024.I found it very interesting that the spots on the back of the barred owlet’s head look like eyes. Botswana April, 2024.This is a pearl spotted owlet, unfortunately seen in the early evening and deep in a tree, making it difficult to point out the subtle differences between this and the barred owlet. The marking on the head is spots rather than stripes, but beyond that they are very similar in size and appearance. The pearl spotted owlet apparently lacks the false eyes on the back of the head, but I didn’t get a look at that personally. Botswana, April, 2024.A barred owlet that was discovered in a tree right off the path between cabins at Leroo La Tau camp. This little owl was very patient and allowed our entire group the chance to have a good look and some close up photos. Botswana April 2024.Barn owls look the same the world over. This pair of chicks were roosting in the rafters above one of the entry points into Moremi Game Reserve. Botswana, April, 2024.The very rare to see Pel’s fishing owl was a first for everyone in our group, and if memory serves, our guide, with over 25 years experience, had only one previous sighting. We were very fortunate to be staying next door to a camp that had a resident pair with a chick, nesting right above the deck, and they were gracious enough to allow our group to come over and see these rare and beautiful birds.
This is the mother owl; she was perched in a high tree perhaps 50 feet or so away from where the chick was. Botswana, April, 2024.
The Pel’s fishing owl chick perched in the fork of a tree. Going from memory the chick was around 12″ in height. Botswana, April, 2024.
I’m in a pretty similar situation to last week, where I have reached the end of the weekend without getting any editing done, so I have chosen a single image to share today. I selected this lion image because the colours are similar to the changing season I am seeing outside my door. Fall is arriving quickly, with bright green leaves being replaced with yellows and browns, with the occasional pop of red and orange.
We found a pride of lions in the late afternoon, just as they were beginning to get active. This young male was one of several young males that were just beginning to have their manes grow in. There was some nice interaction amongst the pride members, but those photos will have to wait for another day. This particular image was taken through some foliage, but that’s part of what I like about the image, because it reflects what many animal sightings are like; just brief glimpses through the vegetation.
On the plus side, I managed to get an editing session completed this weekend. On the minus side, it’s nearly bedtime when I finished. I’m sure as the decent weather fades, it will be easier to schedule in computer time.
Elephants are always an easy choice for me for editing and posts, because I’m fascinated by them and enjoy watching them so much; I always come back with loads of photos to choose from. This selection is all bull elephants, seen throughout my last trip in South Africa and Botswana.
An elephant mid dust bath. Timbavati, South Africa. April, 2024.An elephant passing next to one of the road markers in Savute, Botswana. April, 2024.An elephant feeding in the Okavango Delta wetlands at sunset. Botswana, April, 2024.
We all knew who had right of way on this road, and it sure wasn’t our convoy of vehicles. Botswana, April, 2024.
A lone bull quenching his thirst at the waterhole outside of Leroo La Tau Lodge in Botswana. April, 2024.
I hadn’t planned to take most of the summer off from editing photos and posting, but suddenly it is September and I haven’t done anything with my images since July. To be fair, there was golf to play, a yard to take care of and generally, a summer that is far too short and the desire to enjoy it as much as possible.
I chose a few images of my favourite cat, the leopard, to work on today. These are the first I have edited since getting a new computer and new monitor set up, as well as an updated version of Lightroom to use (my previous computer was so old, Lightroom hadn’t been able to update in close to a year, if not longer). It certainly is different working on a 2024 model compared to my old machine. It seems like there is still so much to do with program settings and the like, but I am happy to at least have had the chance to get back to my images.
A young leopard posing on a termite mound in the late afternoon. Timbavati, South Africa. April, 2024.A big yawn to get on the move. Timbavati, South Africa. April, 2024.This mother and son leopard were on their final time together, as soon after we viewed these animals, it would be time for the cub to make his own way in the world. It is so special getting to see such solitary animals interacting; we were treated to some lovely behaviour in this sighting, including a lot of grooming. Timbavati, South Africa. April, 2024.
I read the weekly newsletter of a photographer that I follow this morning, and one of the topics mentioned was about being overwhelmed with the process of editing photos. One of the comments he made really has me thinking, and may change the way I approach my catalogue in the future. The author mentioned that he doesn’t bother with a rating system anymore; it’s either yes or no. Do I want to work with the image, share it, etc, or not. Having only just finished my 2-star rating pass of my image catalogue from my trip, and finding it on the one hand enjoyable viewing images and reliving some of the moments, but on the other, incredibly time consuming, employing a new strategy might be necessary.
I’m hesitant because I worry I’ll miss something if I am ruthlessly flagging things yes or no. But flagging an image doesn’t mean I can’t look through them again later and see if my feelings have changed or not. It’s not like anything is getting deleted (well, except all the accidental shutter clicks of my pant leg, there’s no need for those).
In the spirit of looking for images I absolutely wanted to work with and share, here are a few giraffe images from my past trip. The instantly recognizable shape of the giraffe lends itself beautifully to a silhouette, and how nice of all these animals for cooperating.
Giraffes at sundown. Savute Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.
A giraffe at sunrise. Timbavati Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024
Moving the vehicle allowed us to capture some of the friends of the lone giraffe above. Timbavati Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024
When you are on safari and see lots of antelope, giraffe, zebra and the like, many guides will say it’s been a good day for general game. I enjoy all the wonderful animals on safari, so decided to use that as a selection process for a few photos to share today.
A waterbuck and her calf, seen in the Timbavati, South Africa. April, 2024.A group of zebra, part of a much larger herd, enjoying a drink in Savute, Botswana. April, 2024.We came across this waterbuck at the perfect time for a nice reflection shot of him having a drink. Timbavati, South Africa. April, 2024.A very watchful kudu at sunset. Timbavati, South Africa. April, 2024.Giraffes at sunrise. Timbavati, South Africa. April, 2024.
This past trip was quite exceptional for the number of lion sightings that we had. And not just seeing lions doing what they do best, sleeping in the shade, but interesting interactions between the pride: playing, feeding, mating and a pride on the move towards the sounds of a nearby herd of buffalo.
A female greeting a young male lion as the pride got on the move after beating the heat of the day in the shade. Klaserie Sands Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.A male lion on the move in the early morning in Chobe Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.Our amazing guide, Miss B, found this lioness and her cubs behind a washroom facility at a picnic site. There were groups of people enjoying their morning coffee break not far away from this spot. It was an amazing sighting, but also a great reminder to always pay attention in the bush, and only go on foot to areas that have been inspected by the guides and deemed safe. Chobe Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.This lion cub could be in need of a dentist after chewing and playing with a metal directional sign that was pulled from a road marker. Savute Game Reserve, Botswana.April, 2024.A pair of lions in between bouts of mating. Savute Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.A young lion with a full belly at sunrise. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.A pair of lions each feeding on a warthog head. These two were both very keen on keeping the prize, and remained locked in place like this the entire time we were at the sighting. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.A group of lions on the move, followed by one of the other vehicles from our group. This was an amazing afternoon and evening in the bush, and its one where the photos don’t do justice to how wonderful the sightings were and how much fun it was. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.This is the same group of lions as the image above, gathering prior to crossing to the other side of the channel, in towards a large herd of buffalo. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.
