Tag: okavango delta

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2015-11-26: Trio

A trio of wildlife photos for this week’s topic – Trio.

Enjoy!

Wishing all my American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving.

20151126_The Daily Post Trio
A trio of elephants travelling through tall grass on a bright morning. Okavango Delta, April 2015 1/400sec, f9.0, ISO 500
20151126_The Daily Post Trio-3
A trio of cheetah brothers resting in a very small patch of shade. Phinda Private Game Reserve, May 2015 1/640sec, f9.0, ISO 320
20151126_The Daily Post Trio-2
A trio of zebra playing a very close game of follow the leader. Okavango Delta, April 2015 1/1250sec, f8.0, ISO 640

 

Trio

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Ornate

Years ago, I lived for a year and a half in the UK, and spent a lot of time on my weekends touring properties listed under the National Trust.  If I had been asked to come up with photos to describe my impression of ornate at that time, I would have drawn on references such as rococo furniture, tapestries, paintings with gilded frames, the fencing surrounding Buckingham Palace and the gardens of Hampton Court.  All are still valid today, and I could go back in my archives and find dozens of examples… but my brain seems to work differently now.

Now, when I think of ornate, I think of birds.  The beautiful detail of feathers when seen up close.  The dizzying array of patterns, colours and textures.  The mating performances.  Even the patterns of their flight.

When you look at the birds below quickly, they seem to be dusty creatures in tones of beige, brown and grey.  So take a closer look at a few ornately decorated birds I found in Botswana and South Africa.

A pair of namaqua sandgrouse. Who says you can't pair stripes and polka dots together? Kalahari Desert, April 2015 1/1600sec, f5.6, ISO 400
A pair of namaqua sandgrouse. Who says you can’t pair stripes and polka dots together?
Kalahari Desert, April 2015
1/1600sec, f5.6, ISO 400
An orange river francolin, also in the Kalahari Desert. This one had been digging in the dirt. At least the coating of mud on his front feathers doesn't obscure the wide variety of patterns and colours on display. April 2015 1/1000sec, f8.0, ISO 400
An orange river francolin, also in the Kalahari Desert.
This one had been digging in the dirt. At least the coating of mud on his front feathers doesn’t obscure the wide variety of patterns and colours on display.
April 2015
1/1000sec, f8.0, ISO 400
A swainson's spurfowl (I believe our ranger referred to it is a slit-neck francolin as well, or something like that). I was lucky that bird stayed still for such a long time, usually these scurry off into the bushes site quickly, but this one posed perfectly so we can see not only the intricate feathers, but the texture on his legs and around his eyes. Seen in the Okavango Delta April 2015 1/800sec, f11, ISO640
A swainson’s spurfowl (I believe our ranger referred to it is a slit-neck francolin as well, or something like that).
I was lucky that bird stayed still for such a long time, as usually these scurry off into the bushes site quickly.  This one posed perfectly so we can see not only the intricate feathers, but the texture on his legs and around his eyes.
Seen in the Okavango Delta April 2015
1/800sec, f11, ISO640
A crested francolin at the roadside in the TImbavati. May, 2015 1/640sec, f5.6, ISO 200
A crested francolin at the roadside in the TImbavati.
May, 2015
1/640sec, f5.6, ISO 200

Ornate

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CEE’S BLACK & WHITE PHOTO CHALLENGE: SMALL SUBJECTS

I had fun going through my archives for photos that would fit this challenge, as I was able to select ones that may not have ever been worked on otherwise.

I hope you enjoy, have a great evening.

A grey heron takes a pause atop a group of hippo.
A grey heron takes a pause atop a group of hippo. Timbavati Reserve, South Africa, May 2015. 1/200sec, f8.0, ISO 640
A pair of pygmy kingfishers are small no matter how you look at them.
A pair of pygmy kingfishers are small no matter how you look at them. Chitwa Chitwa Lodge, May 2015. 1/1250sec, f5.6, ISO220
A woodland kingfisher is dwarfed by the buffalo weaver nest he is sitting next to.
A woodland kingfisher is dwarfed by the buffalo weaver nest he is sitting next to. Chitwa Chitwa Lodge, May 2015 1/800sec, f5.6, ISO 560
Some of the large animals in the world look tiny when viewed in the vastness of the Okavango Delta by air.
Some of the largest animals in the world look tiny when viewed in the vastness of the Okavango Delta by air.  How many animals can you spot? Stanley’s Camp, Okavango Delta, April 2015 1/1250sec, f9.0, ISO 1100

CEE’S BLACK & WHITE PHOTO CHALLENGE: SMALL SUBJECTS

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2015-09-021: Monochrome Monday

A gorgeous female leopard lounges on a fallen tree. I love the positioning of her head and the curl of her tail. I even like the harsh shadows, as it shows she was out and about long after leopard are usually tucked away for the day to beat the heat. 1/1600sec, f7.1, ISO 640 Monochrome conversion using Nik Silver Efex Pro
A gorgeous female leopard lounges on a fallen tree. I love the positioning of her head and the curl of her tail. I even like the harsh shadows, as it shows she was out and about long after leopards are usually tucked away for the day to beat the heat.
1/1600sec, f7.1, ISO 640
Monochrome conversion using Nik Silver Efex Pro
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