Creative Processing Techniques eBook from Guy Tal

Fellow photographer and good friend Guy Tal has just released his newest ebook, Creative Processing Techniques, and is filled with many how-to processing tips and techniques that all nature photographers can take advantage of. I read the book recently and there are many many things that I have learned and will put into practice in my own photography workflow, and I recommend Guy’s book for your own collection.

Photo of the Day - Leopard

Leopard

Chitabe Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Nikon D700, 200-400mm, 1/200 @ f/5.6, ISO 6400

I do prefer dramatic lighting wherever I can find it, and if I can get a golden rim light on my subject I am going to race towards it. In this example, I waited and waited and waited for her to have a golden rim light on her chin, and the added bonus was the light on her right paw. I have about 30 shots of her prior to this one, but the sun was behind clouds for the earlier shots. This shot required a high ISO of 6400, and even then I was only able to get 1/200 of a second for my shutter speed. My exposure compensation for matrix metering was +1 2/3, as the only thing that matters in this scene is the leopard, and not the blown out sky.

I am leading more and more safaris to Botswana in 2012 (will be a total of 4), and I should have more safaris listed very soon.

Photo of the Day - Elephants in the Okavango

Elephant Family

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Canon 1DMk3, 100-400mm, 1/1250 @ f/5.6, ISO 400

Here is an image that was taken from a helicopter over the Okavango Delta, Botswana. I love to shoot aerial photographs, especially in and around the Okavango. I often take my safari travelers up in the air, as we are able to take off the doors of the helicopter and shoot away. I try and keep my minimum shutter speed at around 1/1000, as slower speeds start show some blur. Shooting wide open isn’t a big deal, because the subjects are far enough away where depth of field isn’t a concern at all. I have to make certain that my harness in the helicopter is extremely tight and won’t come loose, as it would be a loooong way down!

Here is a quick view with a 15mm fisheye, looking down from my shooting position.

Photo of the Day - Himba Women

Himba Women

Along the Kunene River in Hartmann Valley, Namibia.

Maasai Portraits from Troy Covey

Troy Covey, my assistant, shot some very compelling photographs of the Maasai last month when we were both in Tanzania. We spent some time at a Maasai village in the Ngorongoro Higlands, and I acted as Troy’s assistant with his lighting on the first afternoon there. I love Troy’s use of space in his panorama portraits, as it helps paint a picture of where the images were created.

The Maasai are a very colorful and proud people, and I absolutely love spending quality time with them. As many of my guests can attest to, we all crack jokes together, laugh together and have genuine cultural exchanges with each other. Heck, I even know some Maa so we can communicate without Kiswahili or English. Troy’s portraits reminds me that I need to get back to shooting more portraits of people, and his work inspires me to do a better job of it.

Photo of the Day - Zebras and Wildebeest

Running Zebras and Wildebeest, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. March 2011

Nikon D3x, 200-400mm, 1/40 @ f/7.1, ISO 125

Photo of the Day - Andy and the Lion

Yours truly out on safari

Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa. November 2010.

Photo courtesy of Matt Meyer

How to Photograph from an Open-Roof Safari Vehicle in East Africa

There are many different types of safari vehicles in Africa, and this is my first video to try and explain what the vehicles are like. This video specifically describes what the pop-top, or open-roof vehicles are like in east Africa. There are other vehicle types in east Africa (Tanzania and Kenya), however this video specifically addresses the open roof type. I will shoot similar videos in Botswana and in Kenya later on this year, and my goal is to use these videos to visually explain what the vehicles are like before my travelers get to Africa.

How to Photograph from an Open-Roof Safari Vehicle in East Africa