Tag: Photography

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2018-02-04: Revisiting old work

For February, I have decided that my topic for the month will be revisiting old work.  It was one of the shortlisted topic ideas that I had come up with back in December, and lately, it is a concept I have been encountering over and over in the educational resources I am working through, in articles that I read and podcasts that I have been listening to.  I think it is an excellent concept as there have been improvements in photo editing software over the years, plus I’ve added a lot more tools into my editing toolbox and my skills at editing have improved with time and practice.

I am going to try to look for a mix of images that I can show both a then and now edited version of an image, and also work on images for the first time.  I am sure there are many images that I passed over throughout the years because I simply didn’t have the skills to correct for errors in the field, difficult lighting scenarios or heavy noise.

Here is my first instalment of revisiting old work:

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I originally edited this giraffe image upon returning home from a trip in 2014.  below is my revisit to the image.
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Today’s take on the same image; the changes are not dramatic, but textures in the images are definitely a lot more apparent.
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I love the surreal nature of this deer at sunrise in thick fog.  Taken along to Pitt River October, 2013.
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Way back to the first trip where I had a DSLR camera, a Nikon D5100 with kits lens.  I was on a Caribbean cruise and spent loads of time shooting images off the balcony, but never edited any of them till much later.  January, 2012.
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Wild horses on Grand Turk, January 2012.  This was a shore excursion on the same trip as the image above.  I took a short walk from the main tourist area along the beach and found these two horses grazing. It felt like a rather improbable sighting at the time, but during my travels I have come to learn that many animals can survive quite well in areas that seem to have rather meaner resources.

 

It’s been fun rooting through my photo catalogues for old images to work on.  Pop by next Sunday to see what else I turn up.

 

Please visit:
www.jennifersawickyphotography.com for wildlife, landscape and nature inspired artwork.

and

https://shopvida.com/collections/jennifer-sawicky for textiles inspired by my photography.

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2018-02-01: WPC – Beloved

I could have gone two ways with a topic of Beloved for the photo challenge of the week.  And since I try my best not to post photos of my dog all the time, I went with my most beloved animal of the African bush, the elephant.  Now, anyone who has followed my blog for a while knows that I love elephants, so this should come as no surprise.  They are my favourite animal to spend time with (besides my dog, of course!).

I selected the images below because they represent all ages and a variety of different habitats that elephants make their homes in.  I hope you enjoy.

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A herd of desert adapted elephants in the Hoanib River in Namibia.  April, 2017.
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A bachelor herd of elephants in the Boteti River in Botswana, May 2017.
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Mama, Auntie and a precocious little baby seen in the Khwai concession of the Okavango Delta.  May, 2017
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A couple of youngsters wrestling alongside a waterhole at Phinda in South Africa, May 2017.
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A moment that I will treasure in my heart forever.  Being inspected by a baby elephant whilst on a morning game drive.  Londolozi, May 2017.

 

Please visit:
www.jennifersawickyphotography.com for wildlife, landscape and nature inspired artwork.

and

https://shopvida.com/collections/jennifer-sawicky for textiles inspired by my photography.

 

WPC: Beloved

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2018-01-30: WPC – Variations on a Theme

You never know what you are going to find when you are out on safari.  It gets said time and time again, along with the concept of heading out without expectations of specific things that you want to see.  Just being out in the bush is heaven for me, and anything I see is a bonus, so it is pretty easy to stay in that mindset.

While staying at Londolozi, we were on our morning game drive, and our ranger Dave heard about leopard cubs being spotted fairly close to where we were, so we headed off in that direction.  We ended up doing a lot of 4 x 4’ing through the bush, and ended up stopping the vehicle at a rather severe downhill angle, to be able to view the cubs at the bottom of a ravine area.  Soon enough, they decided that napping next to Mom was boring, and began playing with each other, running around fallen logs, chasing each other and generally acting like rambunctious little kids.  The late morning light may have been a bit harsh, but the moment was absolutely epic to experience.

This week’s photo challenge topic, Variations on a Theme, seemed a great opportunity to share a few shots from this wonderful sighting.  I hope you enjoy them; editing them has certainly brought back many happy memories for me.

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Effortlessly moving amongst the tangled roots and branches of a fallen tree.
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Stalking and ready to pounce!

 

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Heading back down to check on Mom.
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I think that look says “Don’t you dare!”

I posted a few other photos from this sighting, as well as other images from my last visit to Londolozi.  You can find that post here if you missed it before.

Please visit:
www.jennifersawickyphotography.com for wildlife, landscape and nature inspired artwork.

and

https://shopvida.com/collections/jennifer-sawicky for textiles inspired by my photography.

WPC: Variations on a Theme

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2018-01-29: Monochrome Monday

An oryx seamlessly blending in to the surrounding vegetation.  If he hadn’t lifted his head, we would have driven past without ever noticing him (which would be a shame, because they truly are a stunning animal that I love watching and photographing).

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A oryx spotted on a game drive along the Boteti River in Botswana, while staying at the wonderful Leroo La Tau Camp.  May, 2017.

 

Please visit:
www.jennifersawickyphotography.com for wildlife, landscape and nature inspired artwork.

and

https://shopvida.com/collections/jennifer-sawicky for textiles inspired by my photography.

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2018-01-28: The frozen world at night

I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with night photography in winter.  The biggest pro is the incredibly short days which means I don’t have to stay up late to capture night sky photos.  The biggest con is the possibility of incredibly cold temperatures, which makes being outside for any length of time taking photos rather painful.  And of course the trouble is, the clear sky nights tend to be much colder than the overcast ones.

Last night though everything lined up rather nicely.  A beautifully clear sky, temperatures only in the -12C to -15C range, which isn’t tough to manage, and a lovely recent dusting of snow on all the trees.  I find the fresh snow and the moonlight a beautiful combination, and I am glad I had the chance to try and capture it.

This was the first time I used my Fuji camera for night photography and I am quite happy with the results, though I definitely need a lot more practice with it.   I was surprised that my 10mm – 24mm lens produced a starburst effect from the moon at f4; that is something I will need to do more research on as I was used to getting that phenomenon at apertures in the range of f16 and smaller with my old Nikon set up, though to be fair that was with a 28mm – 300mm lens; I have no recollection what my old  Nikkor 10mm – 24mm did.

I did have one major missed opportunity yesterday evening.  I only brought out one camera with me, and while my camera was busy processing an image with the long exposure noise reduction, a deer popped out of the woods and stood highlighted by the moonlight for a few wonderful moments before heading off.  Of course, the camera wasn’t able to do anything while the processing was happening, so I missed the shot.  Note to self, always take both cameras when doing longer exposure work.

A few random thoughts on night photography in winter: dress appropriately, know your gear, make sure you can operate your gear with gloves on, and stay safe!

I only have two images to share today, I hope you enjoy them.

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The moon was behind me, lighting up the snow on the trees, and allowing for a faint view of the stars.  10 sec, f4, ISO 1000

 

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A moon bright enough to cast shadows in the snow.  8 sec, f4, ISO 1000

 

Please visit:
www.jennifersawickyphotography.com for wildlife, landscape and nature inspired artwork.

and

https://shopvida.com/collections/jennifer-sawicky for textiles inspired by my photography.

 

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2018-01-22: Monochrome Monday

I spent time with this cheetah family on the Phinda Game Reserve in South Africa last year.  Mother and daughter are pictured here, the two boys were off to the side trying to catch a quick nap.  We found them on a very blustery afternoon, and they were all on edge.  For us watching, having them on edge was a bit of a blessing, because instead of just snoozing away the afternoon, they were moving around and on the lookout, allowing for more interesting images.

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Please visit:
www.jennifersawickyphotography.com for wildlife, landscape and nature inspired artwork.

and

https://shopvida.com/collections/jennifer-sawicky for textiles inspired by my photography.

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2018-01-21: The Frozen World – A week of melting

When I decided on the topic for the month, I had many plans for posts.  Many plans that I have not been able to put in to action because of the weather.  C’est la vie.

This week has seen warm temperatures and generally lots of overcast days, though I did manage to get out a couple times for a few quick photos when the sun was out.  The warm temperatures and occasional rain have left the snow covered in a sheet of ice; areas almost look like they have been glazed with the fancy icing that goes on sugar cookies.  I found that to be difficult to convey in an image though, and reducing everything to black and white made it somewhat more apparent.

I hope you enjoy my selections for the week.

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The tracks of snow machines heading off along the edge of a lake.
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The icy surface of the snow being illuminated by the midday sun.  The days may be getting longer, but the sun is still very low in the sky.
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I hadn’t been expecting the see the rocky shoreline when I went out to the lake to explore a bit.  Faint tracks of snow machines head off in both directions.
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The temperature may have been unseasonably warm, but the trees aren’t buying it yet.  Definitely no buds to be seen, just barren branches reaching skywards.
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The collapsing snow looked to me like to surface of the moon… or perhaps like Swiss cheese if you’re hungry 🙂

 

Please visit:
www.jennifersawickyphotography.com for wildlife, landscape and nature inspired artwork.

and

https://shopvida.com/collections/jennifer-sawicky for textiles inspired by my photography.

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2018-01-18: WPC – Silence

The vastness of the Namibian landscape is what I was drawn to share for the topic of the week, silence.  While being out in nature is rarely completely silent, with the rustle of the wind, the chattering of birds, or the sound of distant water just a few of thing things you might hear, it is the lack of man-made noise that makes it so appealing, and so peaceful.

Below are a few images from my time in Namibia.

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A hilltop sunset in the middle of nowhere.  The wind was blowing and sandstorms had been whipping through the area, but it was incredibly peaceful.
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The Skeleton Coast.  Vast desert and the Atlantic Ocean as far as the eye could see.
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I find there is nothing more peaceful and quiet than being outside and watching the stars.  I shot this from the deck of my room at Ongava Reserve, but being outside alone, at night, in the bush isn’t the smartest idea, so I only took one quick photo and went back inside to my glass of wine.   

 

Please visit:
www.jennifersawickyphotography.com for wildlife, landscape and nature inspired artwork.

and

https://shopvida.com/collections/jennifer-sawicky for textiles inspired by my photography.

 

WPC: Silence

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