African King

Madikwe Game Reserve, 12 March 2010, 18h13

Nikon D300, Nikon 80-200 @ 110mm, 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 250

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Two days ago we were lucky enough to spend time with a large male lion as the sun was setting combining two of the most amazing sights on safari.  As the lion walked between us and the setting sun a few people immediately requested that we move around so that we can get ‘good’ lion images with the sun over our shoulder.  Small problems there.  You don’t always need to shoot with the light over your shoulder in order to get ‘good’ images. We decided to shoot against the light and ended up with a few great images.  The difficulty with shooting against the light is that it is very easy to get the metering wrong or get seriously distracting lens flare.  Shooting with the sun over your shoulder will always be the easiest option but there are so many more ways in which to use the light.  To tell nature’s story.  After spot metering off the lion I used my hat to block out most  of the sunbeams that were falling directly on my lens causing some serious flares.  The final result worked out pretty well, I think, and I particularly like the rim lighting and different shades of light and dark in the scene.  Nice image of a great sighting.

Don’t always go for the easy option.  Try shooting with the light, against the light and at different angles to the light.  You might end up with a few missed shots but apart from the keepers you get you will also learn a lot about how light works in wildlife photography.

Bye 4 now!

Gerry

African Wild Dog

Madikwe Game Reserve, 27 Feb 2010, 06h29

Nikon D300, Nikon 80-200 @ 200mm, 1/640, f/3.5, ISO 800

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Photographing one of Africa’s most endangered carnivores is definitely a highlight when visiting the Madikwe Game Reserve.  On this specific morning we had just left the lodge when a group of Wild Dogs burst out of the bushes and ran down the road straight towards the rising sun that had barely broken the horizon and apart from a soft golden glow, we did not have to much light to work with.  If you look closely you will see a very small bit of rim lighting around the ears of the three dogs.  Normally photographing Wild Dogs require quite a bit of attention to your metering and exposure settings as it is not all that easy to get the dark eyes to show up properly on the black face, something that can make or break your image, but the above image was a lot simpler.  As there were no harsh shadows and I did not have to worry about the eyes I simply used matrix metering, followed the dogs as they ran down the road and fired away.

With a number of workshops and photographic safaris in the pipeline, let me know if you would be keen to come to Madikwe to photograph the African Wild Dogs!

See ya tomorrow!

Gerry

A Few Remaining Moments

Madikwe Game Reserve

Nikon D300, Nikon 80-200 @ 170mm, 1/8000, f/2.8, ISO 250

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On Saturday afternoon we took a very easy drive during which I only shot one frame – the last remaining moments of the African sunset during our drinks stop.  As we stopped I took my camera, aimed, very briefly checked exposure and clicked the shutter.  Nothing fancy.  Sometimes you just have to shoot whatever catches your eye.  No planning.  No artistic interpretations.  No fancy settings and techniques.  Just see something, appreciate it, shoot it.  To keep the simplicity of the moment, the only thing I did in post processing was to crop the image a little to loose some of the sky and give the image more of a landscape feel.  African sunsets seem to last forever but it only takes a few seconds for you to capture that moment.

More soon.

Gerry

Lion.

These magnificent cats are without a doubt one of the icons of Africa.  I mean, and no disrespect here, but when was the last time you heard someone say ‘ I cannot wait for that once in a lifetime opportunity to go and photograph warthogs in the wild!’  Uhhh… nope.  Not quite the same thing!

Apart from being one of the key species in an African ecosystem lions have, and always will be (hopefully!), an icon when it comes to tourism.  Seeing, and photographing, these animals in the wild is a fantastic experience.  They exude a powerful arrogance, the kind only the apex predator in an area can.  When you are with lions in the wild there is always a slight tension in the air as anything can happen.  What if?

Later this year South Africa plays host to the FIFA Soccer World Cup and apart from complete sporting mayhem I reckon quite a few people will be heading out in to the wild places of Africa with all sorts of cameras.  Imagine if you could have US$1 for every lion image that gets taken during the World Cup tourism boost…

There are certain things to look for when you are photographing the African icons.  Lions.  Elephants.  Buffalo.  Leopard.  Rhino.  Each of these amazing animals, and other like zebra and giraffe, are naturally photogenic but some of them you need to approach with a little but of technical skill, specific to each, in order to capture strong images.  You need to expose differently for an elephant when it is wet and much darker than usual.  Clearly capturing a lion’s pupil is non negotiable as it creates a much powerful image.   And the list goes on.  That is also the reason you need a photographic guide when you visit South Africa later this year but that’s a whole different story!

In time I will look at each of the African icons and what it takes to create strong images of each but before we get there, and I doubt the warthog is gonna come up as a contender for this title,  which wild animal would you call the definitive photographic icon of Africa?

Which animal would you most like to photograph?  Which animal would you most like to see photographs of?  Leave a comment with your choice of the definitive photographic icon of Africa?

And just to show that there are no hard feelings…

Kinda cute, but an African icon?  Let me know what you think!

Gerry

Elephants Along the Chobe

I normally discuss the importance of having the sun to ones back or at a favorable angle when shooting during the golden hours to make sure that there is sufficient light to add features to your subject.  However, for many, the most powerful images of Africa are those creating silhouettes while shooting into the sun as it sets on distant African lands.  This shot can be quite simple, but there are a few critical tricks of the trade that will really help put your shot over the top.

The perfect sunset begins with color and typically is enhanced with strong silhouettes.  This combination is powerful and feedback to these images usually are not as much about subject details but emotions from or moods created for the viewers of your photos.  These images often stand out on calendars and albums due to their simplicity and the straightforward story they convey.  This power makes the shots excellent material for lead images on articles and cover images for magazines. I love them because they convey the photographer’s purpose clearly but leave details of the image up to the viewer’s imagination.

The basic strategy you’ll need to employ in taking silhouette shots is to place your subject (the shape you want to be blacked out) in front of the sun and to force your camera to set its exposure based upon the brightest part of your picture (the background) and not the subject of your image. As noted early, this is a simple technique, but to create a truly differentiated image, you will need a little more information will be needed.  More discussions on exposure will follow but we also need to review subject matter, lens selection, positioning for the shot, other camera settings, focusing and general composition.  So with no further prologue, here is how to capture that shot that captures the essence of your African safari.

The color and drama is all about the light

Drama Created from Light:  Fish Eagle Circles a Lone Tree Near Sunset

When it comes to exposure, you will need to throw out a lot of what you’ve learned about normal photography.  You will also need to know a little about proper setting of your camera. Instead of lighting the front of your subject, in silhouettes you need to ensure that there is more light shining from the background than the foreground of your shot.  Basically you want to properly expose the back of your subject rather than the front. Further – and this is really important – you will want to underexpose the lighted background so colors are enhanced rather than blown.  My rule of thumb is that I am shooting directly into a setting sun, I bias my exposure setting by two full f-stops (-2 exposure bias).

Great image begin with great subjects

The Giraffe’s Profile Makes Viewer Identification Easy

Begin by choose a strong subject. On safari, it’s usually easy to find a lone animal as a subject, but be open-minded.  You should also consider subject such as a lone tree or a riverfront scene with light reflecting off of the water.  Almost any object can be made into a silhouette; however some are better than others. Choose something with a strong and recognizable shape that will be interesting enough in its two dimensional form to hold the interest of those viewing your image. Silhouettes can’t draw on the colors, textures and tones of subjects to make them appealing so the shape needs to be distinct.  Often it is best to have animals in a sideways/profile position.

Lens Selection

The sun looks huge behind this hippo due to the use of a telephoto lens

A simple concept that will separate your image: a telephoto lens will compress objects in the image.  By example, a 100mm lens will give you a beautiful sky and small distant sun; a 400mm lens will give you a giant sun relative to the subject, conveying a more powerful image.

Positioning for the shot

Darters Along the Chobe at Sunset.  Positioning and waiting for the sun made this image easy.

Below the horizon subject make separation from background difficult.

This sounds like the simplest step, but I have found that it can be the most challenging.  At most safari destinations, one is not allowed to leave the vehicle.  This greatly decreases your freedom to position for the shot.  For example, the primary riverfront drive at Chobe National Park is elevated in relation to the flats along the river.  There are always a lot of elephants and hippos to use as subjects, but often they are located below the horizon.  If you properly expose the sky, you will be challenged to get adequate contrast between these animals and the landscape.  One, low cost method to overcome this limitation at Chobe is to charter a boat to allow one to bet low relative to the subject.  Another solution is to get the silhouette, but pass on including the sky in the composition.  Remember, the key is simply to have a subject that requires greater exposure than the background, regardless of whether the sky is included – often the pans, flats and savannahs easily satisfy the requirement.

Another important element of position is to keep your lens selection in mind.  If you choose to use a telephoto lens, it is preferable for one to be back from your subject enough to allow a depth of field that will yield a sharp subject, but also nice detail at infinity so horizon objects and/or the sun has sharp edges.

Other camera settings: suggestions for ISO, f-stop and shutter speed

Probably all during your safari you have faced the struggle of enough depth of field (dof), adequate shutter speed and lowest possible ISO setting.  Finally, this will not be a problem!  Since you are shooting into the sun, you will have ample light.  If you want, you can crank that ISO down to 100 to minimize noise in the shadows; however, I leave mine at 400 ISO to give me even more latitude on other settings.  Shutter speed will also not be a problem; however, since the subject is not moving quickly, I will compromise shutter speed in favor of increase dof.  While this is strongly a function of distance you have set between yourself and the subject, many underestimate how high the f-stop needs to be with a telephoto lens.  If using a 600mm lens, I like to have at least f11.  If using a 400mm lens, I want to shoot at a minimum of f/8.  Typically more dof is better, but an exception would be when your subject is has distraction compositional elements in front or behind it.

Focusing your camera

A National Geographic Photo of the Day – Sharp focus on the foreground elephant and control of depth of field helped make this image a winner.

With today’s autofocus systems, it is easy to take this step for granted.  I hope you can, but here is my warning:  shooting into the sun with a subject having little to know contrast is a big challenge for most camera focus systems.  On my last two trips into the bush, I have used Canon 30D and 50D bodies and will often shoot the 100-400L telephoto lens at sunset.  This is pretty good equipment, yet my camera often ‘searches’ quite a bit in these conditions rather than locking quickly as it does with traditional shots.  If this occurs, consider manual focus or try to focus on the edges of your silhouette.

General Composition – Keep it Simple

Simple image of a classic sunrise in the bush.

While many rules for the technique are quite different from traditional photography, compositional rules really don’t change. Frame your shot so you are shooting with your subject in front of a nice plain, but bright background. During African winter months, this is usually easy as a bright cloudless sky is typical for the sun setting. You may want to consider positioning the brightest light source behind your subject to enhance silhouette and to minimize chances of blown colors or lens flare.

Generally you do not want to ‘cluster’ animals.  Single animals are best. If there is more than one object in the silhouette, try to keep them separated. As noted earlier, it’s typically easier on the viewer to distinguish the subject silhouetted if in profile to the camera rather than facing into or away from the lens.

Additional tips:

• Turn off your Flash – this article is written assuming the camera is in aperture or shutter priority mode, however; sometimes some of the more ‘automatic’ settings are set on the camera.  This is particularly true for beginners.  Some of these modes activate the pop up flash, so make sure that your flash is off.
• It’s your image to print/post as you prefer, so I softly offer this final advice. In post processing your image, with today’s software, you can recover some detail in the shadows and you may be tempted to do so.  However, from my experience, most viewers prefer silhouettes to be dark with minimal features.

Sunsets and silhouettes have become my favorite shots on safari.

Afternoon with Junior

I hope these tips allow you to also share my love of this special technique.

P.B. (Buddy) Eleazer

Buddy’s Info

P. B. (Buddy) Eleazer is an avid landscape and wildlife enthusiast.  His images have won numerous local and international contests. To support other travelers and photographers, he manages a safari blog, www.ChobeSafari.com.  If you are interested in any of Mr. Eleazer’s images, he can be contacted via buddy@ChobeSafari.com

I have just added 11 new images to the Photo-African Stock Library.

Male Lion in Sepia by Gerry van der Walt

Elephant Close Up by Gerry van der Walt

To view more of or purchase any of my images click here.

More soon.

Gerry