I thought it would be nice to start the week with some big cat cuteness. I spent a morning watching this gorgeous leopard family in a swampy ravine; Mom mostly resting and watching as the youngsters climbed trees, played in the swamp, ran around in random circles and terrorized each other. We were all laughing and smiling at the antics of the cubs, and I am glad I came away with some photos to share of the moment.
I hope you enjoy!
A recognizably dirty look as one cub gets all of Mom’s attention, and the other seems none too pleased about it.Watching the world from a perch on a high fallen tree.Diving for her sibling’s tail.One tries for a peaceful drink, while the other takes a bite of tail.Mom joined in on the fun as well, chasing the cubs up the hill. I’m not sure if the cub was attempting escape or a kick to her head…
Since today is Mother’s Day, I decided to create painterly edits of some of the mama’s from the bush. I’ve selected images that will make my Mom smile; I hope you enjoy them too.
To some, using software to make a photo look as if it were sketched or painted may seem like an abomination. Photographers often go to great lengths (sometimes at great expense) to create sharp and crisp images that show the viewer exactly what the scene looked like. But what about those times when that beautifully crisp, perfectly exposed image doesn’t convey the feeling of the moment? Or, heaven forbid, what if you goof up on the exposure, or mess up the focus a bit, but the moment was great and you still want to do something with the image? These are just some of the reasons for exploring painterly effects with photography. I’ve edited photos in the past for all those reasons and while I don’t post them too often, I do have a gallery of my favourite Artistic Impressions or Photo Art images.
This week, I was inspired by a vintage style travel poster I have had hanging up for around the last 12 years or so. I see it every time I walk towards my sitting room; this week I was struck by the interest in creating a photo series inspired by it, whereas most of the time I just look at it and think “I really want to go to the Serengeti someday”.
A quick snap of the poster that inspired this week’s editing.
I decided to do a series of Big 5 animals; I can imagine these in a vintage travel brochure advertising visiting the “Dark Continent” to see the wild and ferocious Big 5. I edited all of them using the Topaz Simplify filter through the Topaz Studio program.
The photo prompt of the week is smile; either an image of a smile, or something that makes you smile. Since baby animals are a universal crowd pleaser, here are a fewer images of youngsters that have made me smile.
I hope you enjoy!
A trio of cheetah cubs braving a late afternoon windstorm. Their mother was nearby, definitely ill at ease because of the weather.Looks at the big full bellies of these lion cubs. They were going back and forth between the females, greeting each with affection.A pair of leopard cubs playing amongst the fallen branches in a ravine. These two were all over the place; there Mom definitely had her work cut out for her.The tiniest lion cubs I have had the privilege of seeing. Their Mom had brought down a giraffe calf, but these two were more interested in playing than feeding. They were under 3 weeks old.An elephant calf having a go at the balance beam 🙂 He came pretty close to ending up in a heap on the ground, but recovered from it well.I don’t think I have ever seen anyone smiling as much as our ranger when we were at this sighting. To say he was thrilled is a complete understatement. A dream come true, once in a lifetime moment on safari.This is where mama leopard stashed her two youngsters. The hollowed log didn’t make for the best photo opportunities, but it did make for a very safe spot for these leopard cubs to stay hidden and out of danger.
This leopard was the star of many of my images one evening in the Okavango Delta. We stayed with him while he lounged in the tree, while another vehicle from the lodge was making its way over so some late arriving guests could spend some time with him as well. Since I had spent over an hour with him at sunset, this night image under spotlight was captured just an opportunity to play around later with editing.As soon as this young cheetah rested her head down, she was invisible in the grass. With the location she was in, I am still in awe of the tracker that spotted her.The king of the savannah heads off to patrol his territory (or find some shade for a nap). Given the amount of time lions sleep, it was probably the less glamorous sounding second option.
If you’d like to see more images like this, head over to my gallery to see some of my favourite. And remember, you can find beautiful textiles with my images on my Vida site.
Does this bring back memories of childhood for anyone else? Of the times when your sibling was being a complete jerk and Mom looked on and told you to sort it out for yourselves??? 🙂
Happy Monday Everyone!
Got your tail! A pair of leopard cubs play under the watchful gaze of their Mom. Londolozi, May 2017.