This weekend I completed my exams to finish out summer term, and now have the next month off (well, off of school, I still have a full time job to attend to). My brain is pretty much turned to mush after all the revising, so instead of adding more to my to do list, I found an edited photo waiting to post. A sunset seemed fitting, as an end to a rather hectic and stressful couple of months. I am looking forward to some downtime over the next few weeks, and an opportunity to do some more editing, and maybe even find a place that inspires me to get out shooting. And then, after labour day, the cycle will begin again.
This week we have had some truly awful weather (I heard it referred to as Junuary, and that was pretty appropriate since the high one day was 6C with 60+mm of rain) and as such, I haven’t been out with the camera much. So, I thought I would share a few of the photos I call my ‘Artistic Impressions”. Generally, I like to keep colour photos as true to life as I can remember, and take my liberties with monochrome edits to highlights the subject to it’s best advantage. Sometimes though, a photo seems to be asking for more, and I take it (for me) to an over the top place. I’ve been having some fun recently doing more of these artistic edits, and thought I would share a few today, since I don’t have anything else.
Have a great week everyone!
My sunset shot in the Sabi Sands got photobombed by a dragonfly. An interesting afternoon in the Sabi Sands, the skies built and a fantastic electrical storm followed about an hour after this.Dead Vlei in Namibia; reducing the saturation really made the footprints in the dunes stand out.
My happiest of happy places is anywhere that I am in the company of elephants A breeding herd down for their afternoon drink at the watering hole in front of Chitwa Lodge, Sabi Sands, May 2015 1/500sec, f11, ISO1250
My interpretation of the weekly photo challenge – change. Thinking of change in terms of growth; from young to old, the exuberance of youth to the wisdom and maturity of older age. This group has it all.
Elephants of all sizes. Mom and kids, aunties and grannies. Sabi Sands, May 2015
You’d think it would be easy to edit a zebra in black and white.. but surprisingly it took me some time before I found the look I was seeing in my minds eye. Grazing in the Sabi Sands, May 2015 1/800sec, f5.6, ISO110
The first thing I thought of when I saw this weeks photo challenge was seeing all of the big five in a single game drive.
It was our first game drive leaving from Chitwa Chitwa, and the first of the big five we came across were the elephants. We ended up in fairly dense bush amongst a large herd, and I know some of the other people in the vehicle were a little nervous of the proximity! At some points, we were completely surrounded by them (I was thrilled!!!)
A little too close for comfort for some of the people in our vehicle. 1/1000sec, f7.1, ISO 1000, at 98mm.
The second we came across was the leopard. She was only steps away after we started moving away from the elephants. We followed her through the trees as well, and spent some time with her as she rested atop a termite mound.
A gorgeous leopard rests atop a termite mound. 1/400sec, f8.0, ISO 5600
We stopped for a sundowner drink and spotted a group of 3 rhino in a mud wallow off in the distance. The light was fading, and the viewing was certainly better without the camera.
A crash of rhino enjoy an early evening mud wallow. 1/100sec, f4.8, ISO 6400
Just as we were getting back into the vehicle after our drinks and snacks, Surprise our ranger pointed out a couple buffalo crossing the road off in the distance. The photo is awful, I knew it would be when I snapped it, but I thought I should take it as evidence of seeing 4 of the big 5 in a single drive.
Two buffalo cross the road, long after my camera was able to take a photo without a flash or spotlight!
As we were heading back to camp for dinner, we followed the tracks of some lions, and came upon them resting quite close to the camp. And with that, it was the big 5 all within the space of 3.5 hours! An absolutely amazing time.
A gorgeous lion rest in the early evening darkness. A female was close by as well. 1/160sec, f6.3, ISO 6400
Of course, most people know by now that I am thrilled to view anything when on a game drive, from the smallest bird to the tallest giraffe and everything in between. Here are a few other interesting sights from that drive.
A chameleon that our tracker spotted while we headed back to camp. I have no idea how they can see them in the pitch black from a moving vehicle, but it seemed to be a skill most of the trackers had! I don’t think the chameleon was too thrilled with being pointed at, he has a rather sour look on his face.A yellow billed hornbill perched at sunset (or as my Dad calls them, a flying banana).A pair of white backed vulture perched in the fading light. 1/200sec, f5.6, ISO 1100
Anyone that has read more than a few of my blog posts knows that I love elephants. I could spend an entire day happily watching them; scratch that, I’m pretty sure if I saw them every day for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t grow bored of being around them. I find them fascinating, beautiful, amazing and peaceful creatures, and being in their presence, even just for a few moments, is a blessing.
Here’s just one of many, many photos I have, I hope you enjoy.
A breeding herd of elephants stops by the watering hole outside of the Chitwa Chitwa main lodge for an afternoon drink. 1/500sec, f11, ISO 1600
