Mixed Bag of Links. And a Dove.

Middle of another week. Amazing how fast time is going!

I was going to do a Daily Photo post but this week I have been spending a lot of time on the web researching potential lodges and other venues to use for workshops and photographic safaris.  (If you have any thoughts or suggestions, let me know!)  In between  all of this, because one tends to get distracted when you’re on the web, I happened on quite a few interesting blogs, articles and images on the web so this post is a selection of links, news and sites you might find worthwhile visiting.

Before the sharing starts, the photo I was going to use for the Daily Photo post.

Yes, it’s a dove.  In my entire bird database I think I might have three dove images so since yesterday’s post featured one of the African icons I reckoned I would give one of the more common birds species it’s moment in the spotlight as well.  This specific image shows that it’s not always about the subject but about the light and how you shoot it.   I was flat down on my stomach next to a lodge’s infinity pool waiting for a Red-Billed Firefinch to come back to the water’s edge.  I ended up getting the shot, but while I was waiting for the colorful little guy to come back this dove kept on landing at the water, checking me out and taking off again.  Used him to check exposure and background for when the Red Billed Firefinch came back and in the end I was actually quite chuffed with my dove shots.  Catchlight in the eye, out of focus background and nice reflection off the water. Goes to show, never dismiss the small stuff!

Right, on to some sites and links you have to go and check out.

Mammals R Us

If there is anything about any mammal you ever wanted to know, this is the site you need to visit.  On the front page you will find an amazingly detailed and interactive breakdown of the various orders of mammals, what makes an animal a mammal and other general info.  The levels of detail you can go into is phenomenal and best of all it’s very easy to follow.  For regular updates, notifications of new blog posts and interesting animals facts you can follow Mammals R Us on Twitter as well.  Great site, amazing information and a definitely one to bookmark for future reference.

Interesting Articles

One of the great things about Twitter, and to a lesser extent Facebook, is the amount of information that gets shared.  Articles, links and images gets shared at a furious pace and scanning through the posts can be a very fruitful exercise.  For more regular updates and articles you can follow me on Twitter as I share these links on a regular basis.  Here are a few interesting links from the last couple of days, all having something to do with wildlife, environment, photography and everything in between.

• The Business of Photography:  The Business Plan – Article by Nature Photographer Chris Dodds.
• Botswana Wildlife Decreases by a Staggering 90% - Article on Mmegi Online.
• Why Africa’s National PArks are Failing to Save Wildlife - Article on Yale Environment 360.
• Why Economic Growth isn’t Possible if We Want to Save the Environment – Article on New Economics.
• Facebook Picture Rights – Article by Wildlife Photographer Andy Rouse on Facebook discussing your rights when posting images on Facebook.
• Photoshop Dodge & Burn Tutorial – Article on take-out photo.
• Why You Should Memorize the f-number Series – Article on Photo Naturalist
• Tuesday Compositions:  Patterns - Article on Photocrati
• 13 Steps for Shooting the Perfect Water Droplet – Article on Photo Tuts+

Another link I felt I wanted to include was one that shows images from Port au Prince, Haiti.  Some of the black and white pictures are very graphic but shows the true story of the immense pain and devastation caused by the earthquake just more than two weeks ago.  These images really hit home for me and if I can help to create even more of an awareness and look for ways in which we can all help I will.

• Photos of The Earthquake in Port au Prince, Haiti – The Haitian Earthquake in Pictures - Posted on Zoriah Photojournalist

If you have any interesting inks you think might be worth sharing leave the links in the comments below!

Cool Picture Gallery

This is another cool link I found on Twitter.  The post is called ‘Wild Toughness:  12 Amazing Photos of Animals Fighting.’

It is not all as brutal as it sounds and features images like Bullfrog versus Sparrow and Dolphin versus Salmon.  The image on the right is also included and shows a lioness on a buffalo’s back trying to pull it down.  Other African wildlife in the post includes a crocodile attacking a zebra as it tries to cross a river and then there is the leopard and mouse images.  This is a sequence of images that has done the rounds a couple of times on email and shows a captive leopard and a mouse trying to share it’s meal.  Cute, if anything.

These kind of images are fun and can keep you busy for about 2 minutes during your lunch break.  If you have any other links to images like these, or better ones, share in the comments below.  To check out the Cool Picture Gallery simply click on the image on the right.

Right, with tomorrow being Thursday it’s guest post day. Make sure to join Shem Compion, a professional wildlife photographer, naturalist and conservationist, as he shares his thoughts on the photographic safari industry along with some awesome images from Africa.

That’s quite a mixed bag and should keep you busy for a while. Oh, I have also been updsting the Links page slowly but surely over the last while so if you need more sites to visit go and check it out.

Enjoy, and I’ll see you again on Friday!

Gerry