landscape photography – Page 8 – Jennifer Sawicky Photography

March 20, 2018March 18, 2018

2018-03-20: WPC: I’d rather be…

There’s a simple answer to the question posed in this week’s photo challenge “Where would you rather be?”.

I’d rather be on safari!

20180320_WPC I'd rather be3.jpg — I’d rather be watching the sun set over the bush with a glass of wine in hand, and great company to have a chat with.

I’d rather be watching the birds from the shade of a lodge veranda.

20180320_WPC I'd rather be2.jpg — I’d rather be looking out at the vast expanse of the universe, listening to the sounds of the bush at night.

I’d rather be taking the opportunity to discover new cultures.

I’d rather be out learning and experiencing different ways of life.

I’d rather be looking at this view over lunch, than working away on my computer.

201803120_I'd rather be Elephants.jpg — And of course, I’d much rather be hanging around with elephants.

WPC: I’d rather be

March 7, 2018March 4, 2018

2018-03-07: Wordless Wednesday

March 6, 2018March 4, 2018

2018-03-06: WPC – Out of this world

The photo challenge topic of the week is out of this world. I’ve chosen to share a stitched panorama image that I shot while exploring the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. We flew to the coast from camp for a day of exploration, and as we were driving through the dunes we came across this beautiful oasis in the middle of vast tracts of featureless sand dunes. It truly was an out of this world landscape to see.

WPC: Out of this world

February 19, 2018February 20, 2018

2018-02-19: Revisiting Old Work

Before I get into today’s post, I wanted to say sorry for the lack of activity over the past week. I made the plunge to move to a new self-hosted website so I could combine my blog and gallery (something I have wanted to do for over a year now). And while the internet does make everything appear to be instantaneous, moving 4+ years of blog posts, migrating a domain to a new hosting provider and setting everything up just takes time. Especially when you aren’t a web professional! My gallery is very much a work in progress, but the blog is up and running as usual, and fingers crossed my followers have been migrated over properly so someone, besides my Mom, has the chance to read this 🙂

I was hoping to get this posted yesterday, but the Happiness Engineers at WordPress just finished with the behind the scenes work to get my followers transferred to the new site. So this post is better late than never.

Given all the behind the scenes work I have been doing, I am really glad I didn’t choose a topic that required me to get out shooting this week.

The photos below don’t have much rhyme or reason, other than they caught my eye when scrolling through my picture folders with the thought that I might be able to make something a bit better out of it now than I could when I shot it.

I hope you enjoy today’s selections, once I get the gallery up and running, I’ll post a note about that and start looking for some feedback on the redesign.

The steely gaze of a vulture perched on a dead tree. I didn’t do much to this; a little cropping, and a bit of work to bring out the texture in the feathers. April, 2013.

If you are in South Africa in November, when the leatherback turtles begin nesting, I would highly recommend the experience of going out to try to see them. It is such an epic experience; but not the best for photography, especially in the rain. The shots I captured were more proof that I was there then anything, and I really didn’t try editing them originally. Here I didn’t do much other than try to bring some of the texture back to the sand and correct the strange colour cast caused by red-lamp flashlights plus camera flash. For a sense of scale, this turtle is basically the size of a VW Bug; it weighed approx. 600 kilos.

Kalahari the cheetah climbing a hill under a dreary late afternoon sky. I loved the vantage point of the images I shot at this time, but the harsh light made them a challenge to work with. October, 2014.

For the then and now section this week, I chose this image of the Sand River at sunrise captured in 2013 on my first journey to Africa. I actually quite like the original edit that I did, so I tried to interpret it in a bit of a different way, focusing on the warmth and the fog on the updated edit.

Sunrise on the Sand River – original edit.

Sunrise on the Sand Rover – updated edit.

February 11, 2018

2018-02-11: Revisiting Old Work

Another week, and another trip down memory lane in terms of my photography. I’m really glad I made the decision to work on images already captured for this month, as we got rather buried in the snow the past week, and I haven’t had the time, or the energy, to get out and try and capture anything new.

This week is a mixed bag of images, shot locally and in Africa, in colour and black and white.

20180211_Revisit_JSawicky0 — From 2014, a sunrise image of the Golden Ears from the dikes in Pitt Meadows where I used to walk my dog.

20180211_Revisit_JSawicky1 — Flying over Victoria Falls on the way into Livingstone airport in Zambia. Previously, I wasn’t really able to pull out any decent texture from photos shot through windows. Zambia, April 2013.

20180211_Revisit_JSawicky2 — Victoria Falls from the Zambian side. I was very fortunate to see it with just the right water level; enough so the falls looked incredibly impressive, but not so much that it was completely shrouded in mist. Zambia, April 2013.

For my then and now image, I chose this zebra from my first trip to South Africa. The original black and white conversion was done in Lightroom using a few basic adjustments, not long after I returned from my trip. The updated image was edited recently using a combination of plugins in Photoshop, including MacPhun Tonality and Topaz Detail. I’m sure I could achieve similar results simply using On1 Photo Raw (I’m not using Lightroom any longer for processing), but I like the ease of using Tonality for black and white edits.

Zebra original.jpg — Then – a basic black and white conversion lacking a lot of contrast.

20180211_Revisit_JSawicky0 copy — Now – the zebra stands out much better against the foliage, and there is a lot more detail throughout the image.

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.

February 4, 2018

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:

20180204_Revisit_JSawicky0 — I originally edited this giraffe image upon returning home from a trip in 2014. below is my revisit to the image.

20180204_Revisit_JSawicky1 — Today’s take on the same image; the changes are not dramatic, but textures in the images are definitely a lot more apparent.

20180204_Revisit_JSawicky2 — I love the surreal nature of this deer at sunrise in thick fog. Taken along to Pitt River October, 2013.

20180204_Revisit_JSawicky3 — 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.

20180204_Revisit_JSawicky4 — 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.

January 28, 2018

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.

20180128_TheFrozeonWorld_JSawicky — 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

20180128_TheFrozeonWorld_JSawicky2 — 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.

January 21, 2018

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.

20180121_TheFrozenWorld_JSawicky2 — The tracks of snow machines heading off along the edge of a lake.

20180121_TheFrozenWorld_JSawicky3 — 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.

20180121_TheFrozenWorld_JSawicky5 — 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.

20180121_TheFrozenWorld_JSawicky1 — 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.

20180121_TheFrozenWorld_JSawicky4 — 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.

January 18, 2018

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.

20170425-P1020564 — 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.

20170426-P1020631 — The Skeleton Coast. Vast desert and the Atlantic Ocean as far as the eye could see.

20170427-DSC_0994 — 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

January 16, 2018

2018-01-16: WPC – Weathered

The photo challenge topic of the week is weathered, and I have chosen to share some landscape images captured in the Namibian desert. There, it was easy to see the effects of wind and water on the landscape, both from the ground and from the air.

I hope you enjoy my selections.

20170424-DSC_0583 — While driving through the desert, we came to this spot where the wind and water had carved the sand and soft stone into beautiful shapes.

20170424-DSC_0589 — The tallest of these sand sculptures only came up to my knees.

20170424-DSC_0591 — Some day, these too will be gone, reduced to grains of sand blowing in the wind.

20170425-DSC_0612 — Devil’s Thorn growing in the rapidly drying desert.

20170427-P1020867 copy — Mountaintops weathered flat by the wind. Somewhere between Hoanib and Windhoek, April 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: Weathered