The Gift that keeps on Giving
Where do I start? Or indeed where do I stop? With so much good material from last autumn’s great trip to the Kafue National Park in Zambia, further reviews of the images taken continue to reveal some interesting shots over and above those already in the Galleries section.
The above image of two mating lions on the Busanga Plain is similar to a shot which has been on the Kafue and South Luwanga gallery for a while, but in some ways it is equally expressive as the female lashes out having had enough. The male’s expression is priceless.
Light light light. It is what photography is all about. The low afternoon sun reflects beautifully off this diving croc. The background is in shade, and that together with the negative space to the left, create the strong isolation of the animal from the surrounds. The green cold eye is pretty scary. Ditto, the morning light on the Puku, below, on the mound is soft and warm making this image one to keep.
This lioness was shot at sunset and the light was poor. The closeness and the strong eye contact is key here, as is the muted soft colours of the hide and the grass. A beautiful animal. This was part of a series of shots of three lionesses in long grass which provided an opportunity to play with the composition of these majestic creatures against the wonderful texture of the grass.
The Wildebeest is not known for its beauty. The joke goes that when God created animals, the Wildebeest was made up of the left-over parts. But, I kind of disagree. It has a certain power and elegance in its own strange way. This image works well as the rays from the low red sun reflect off the mane of the beest as the sky quickly turns red and dark a matter of seconds before the sun will disappear.
The pose and the eye contact, combined with the crooked horns of one of the near identical Lichtenstein’s Hartebeests is what makes this shot work for me. They’re tentatively looking at the 4x4 and the long lenses pointed at them.
A vulture coming in for landing at what’s left of a dead Lechwe antelope on the Busanga Plain. The bird is just in line with the trees behind which works well to create contrast with the neck and head, as the vulture puts claws forward to prepare for landing.
Well … I didn’t think I’d managed to get a shot of this type of Kingfisher until a more detailed review of the images from the trip. So, it was a nice surprise when this Half-collared Kingfisher turned up on the screen. It is shot from a boat on the river, and the bird is baked in glorious late evening sun fresh from a dive to the Kafue river below its perch.
It is often easy to zoom in and focus solely on the animal, but going wider can often be effective as it provides better context – an understanding of the environment of the wildlife in question. The above image is shot from the Busanga Plain in early morning light. The shot is framed wide to give a sense of the vastness and uniformity of the savannah with the tall trees along the river visible in the background, making the lone Jackal seem small. Again, the warm light helps make this a good photo.
Another shot framed wide to provide a strong connect with the bird’s habitat. Soft evening light is again key to this shot of an African Darter. The low sun is slowly turning the water soft pink. The bird is framed well by the dead tree which is stuck in the middle of the Kafue River in front of a beautifully diffused background.
There is a simplicity to this elephant shot that works for me. Often less is more, and the strong contrast between the Olifant and the muted colours of the surrounds draws the eyes to the animal’s familiar shape whilst preventing it from dominating the scene and putting it in the context of the uniform savannah landscape. In contrast, the image below is all about elephant behaviour: A late evening session of drinking, bathing and mud-spraying.
One technique I wish I had spent more time focusing on was panning at low shutter speed. When I tried it a few times it was a bit hit and miss. When it works the shots can be great and really communicate the speed of the action. With a long (500mm) lens the shutter speed is often above 1/500s to ensure a sharp image. Panning of a moving animal will require a much lower shutter speed of around 1/30s – 1/80s depending on speed and distance. Switching from a high shutter speed and getting into position for panning when suddenly animals start to move at speed can be tricky before it is too late. You have to anticipate the movement and be ready. Ideally you have the chance to repeat the panning a few times to get it right. The below stacked sequence of a young Hartebeest inn full flow was shot at 1/80s and depicts the rhythm and running flow of the animal well.
I will now park the Kafue trip and move on to more recently shot images. But, I will periodically return as my view of those images changes with time. Indeed, I have just noticed a couple of images from my South Luangwa trip three years ago which could benefit from a better re-edit … ;-)