I’d always hoped for the chance to capture an image of elephants silhouetted against a sunrise or sunset. I had the opportunity when I was in Zimbabwe last year, though the results weren’t quite what I had in mind. I think if we had been in position about 15 to 20 minutes earlier, the sky would have been a bit brighter, though still colourful enough to be interesting. Though, of course, had we been in this particular spot earlier, the elephants wouldn’t have been there, as they were on the move and just passing through the area.
There are so many sightings I think would be interesting, and images I would love to capture. I don’t put pressure on myself or guides when we are out and about to find certain situations, as part of the joy of being in the bush is the unexpected. Though if we are at a sighting, I will ask for a vehicle to be repositioned, if it is safe to do so and doesn’t adversely impact others, in order to be able to capture better images, but usually, the guide has already thought of that as they position a vehicle.
Without a doubt, the favourite excursion I did while on my Alaskan cruise in May was take the White Pass rail trip from Skagway, Alaska, to Fraser, BC. After disembarking in Fraser, we carried on by bus into the Yukon (my first time in one of the territories). I had hoped to be able to do a longer rail trip all the way to Bennett, but it was too early in the season.
There was still significant snow at the higher elevations, and a definite chill in the air on the 8:00am departure, but I spent as much time as possible on one of the outdoor platforms, watching the scenary and taking lots of photos. I was quite fortunate as only two other people in my rail car had any interest in being outside for any length of time, and there was enough room for three on the platform, so I had a great view to entire way. I’d duck in for few moments when my hands got too cold to warm them next to the heater, and then back out for more photos.
A view from the train not far out of the town of Skagway, Alaska. May, 2023.Traveling alongside a river. Being in one of the end cars gave me the chance for nice images including the front of the train.A view near the summit. Fraser, BC. May 2023.
I’m recently back from a trip, and I took loads of photos that I am excited to go through, But, since I only managed to get them onto my computer today, sharing them will have to wait a little bit. Instead, I have an image of Victoria Falls, taken from the Zambian side of the border, from my trip in November, 2022.
This is such a different feel to the first time I saw Victoria Falls in April of 2013: the volume of water was significantly less. One of these days, I am going to get around to finding some of my old images to compare just how different it was in the spring versus the autumn.
These images caught my eye while I was trying to decide what to work on this week. I do love a dramatic sky, and while the rainstorms I can do without, the clouds at sunset are beautiful watch, as the colours change moment to moment.
Dramatic skies on the Zambezi River. Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe. November, 2022.A sunset boat cruise on the Zambezi. I had to balance between sipping my wine and taking pictures.This cloud was the beginning of quite a thunderstorm. I didn’t manage any still shots of the lightning, as we were far from camp and pushing to get back before the rain, and it didn’t seem right to ask to stop for photos. I caught this image while on an evening drinks stop, just before we collectively decided it was best to get a move on. Madikwe, South Africa. November, 2022.
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.
From 2014, a sunrise image of the Golden Ears from the dikes in Pitt Meadows where I used to walk my dog.
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.
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.
Then – a basic black and white conversion lacking a lot of contrast.
Now – the zebra stands out much better against the foliage, and there is a lot more detail throughout the image.
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:
I originally edited this giraffe image upon returning home from a trip in 2014. below is my revisit to the image.
Today’s take on the same image; the changes are not dramatic, but textures in the images are definitely a lot more apparent.
I love the surreal nature of this deer at sunrise in thick fog. Taken along to Pitt River October, 2013.
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.
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.
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.
A herd of desert adapted elephants in the Hoanib River in Namibia. April, 2017.
A bachelor herd of elephants in the Boteti River in Botswana, May 2017.
Mama, Auntie and a precocious little baby seen in the Khwai concession of the Okavango Delta. May, 2017
A couple of youngsters wrestling alongside a waterhole at Phinda in South Africa, May 2017.
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.
