Welcome to July!

A few days late, but here goes with this month’s free wallpaper downloads.  As always there are a few for your desktop or laptop, with a handy little calendar, and also a few for you iPhone.

All four the desktops are available in both a large (2560 x 1600) and small (1280 x 800) version.  To download your favorite simply click on the image of your choice for the large version or use the text link for the small version.  Enjoy!

July 2010 – Wallpaper #1

I photographed this young lion yesterday morning.  Overcast conditions made for quite an easy exposure as the lion and dry winter grass were pretty much the same color and I quite like the way the big cat almost disappears in the grass.  When you are photographing sleeping lions you have to use composition to create interesting images so placing the subject in the top corner makes it work.  To download the small version click here.

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July 2010 – Wallpaper #2

When you are out in the field you will have times that there are no living subjects around.  It’s during times like this that you have to keep you eyes open as there are abstract images everywhere.  To download the small version click here.

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July 2010 – Wallpaper #3

One of the most African of animals having a drink.  The simple composition works as there are no distractions that pulls your eye away from the zebra while the diagonal line also works well in pulling your gaze to the subject.  To download the small version click here.

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July 2010 – Wallpaper #4

This image, by Kerry de Bruyn, is simple yet effective in it’s composition.  The three hippos are spaced almost perfectly in the frame, something you can not plan for.  Patience and a bit of luck goes a long way when photographing wildlife.  To download the small version click here.

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iPhone Wallpaper #1

Getting a little creative with a photograph of a lion cub.  To download this image as an iPhone wallpaper click here.

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iPhone Wallpaper #2

Also photographed yesterday morning, this young male made for a very simple yet effective image.  To download this image as an iPhone wallpaper click here.

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iPhone Wallpaper #3

Photographed from the deck at our lodge, this is Tsokwane.  He is one of the oldest and most relaxed elephants in Madikwe.  Awesome character, great photographic subject.  To download this image as an iPhone wallpaper click here.

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Hope you enjoy this month’s selection.  Feel free to share with family and friends and let me know which is your favorite!

See ya tomorrow!

Gerry

Welcome to June!

Amazing how fast this year is going and with everything going on I can see the remainder of this year flying by as well. Photo workshops, photographic safaris, new business partners just to name a few.

With so many things to juggle it is quite a challenge to keep you focus on the important things.  You see, some of the future plans I am currently working on includes a number of items that have been on my photographic bucket list for quite some time which make for a lot of amazing photographic prospects on the horizon.

It is important… no, imperative that you stay on top of the business side of things and not get swept up in the romance of all the photographic possibilities.  Yeah, those moments are what makes it all worthwhile and why we do what we do but still.  You have to keep the focus.  Difficult sometimes and feels like (and is) a lot of work, but important to keep the focus.  With everything going on, so far so good!

Right, with that out of the way I am still in the fortunate position to photograph African wildlife on almost daily basis and that brings us to this months free wallpaper downloads.  All of the following subjects were photographed in the wild, in their natural environment, and you can now download the desktop calendar wallpapers for free.

Simply choose your favorite, click on the image, or on the link below the image for a smaller version, and save it to you PC or iPhone. Done!

Here goes with June’s free wallpaper downloads.  Enjoy!

June 2010 – Wallpaper #1

I photographed this Wild Dog a few weeks ago in Madikwe.  We sat watching the pack for a good 30 minutes or so as they played around our vehicle before they took off into the bush.  In post production I dropped the greens and added a very soft glow and feint warm tint to the image to end up with the final product.  To download the large version (2560 x 1600) click on the image or click here to download the small version (1280 x 800).

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June 2010 – Wallpaper #2

Late afternoon in the African busy is a magical time.  The afternoon after I shot the Wild Dog image above we found a young female leopard.  Well, actually see found us as we pretty much bumped into each other on the road.    Little by little she led us to a large leadwood tree where she stashed a kill from the previous evening.  Watching her climb the tree and feed off the impala was amazing but this scene made for such an amazing moment that it just had to one of this month’s wallpaper choices.  To download the large version (2560 x 1600) click on the image or click here to download the small version (1280 x 800).

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June 2010 – Wallpaper #3

This image from Kerry de Bruyn shows another great moment.  African sunsets are amazing on their own but when you add a silhouette it just goes to that next level.  To download the large version (2560 x 1600) click on the image or click here to download the small version (1280 x 800).

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June 2010 – iPhone Wallpaper #1

Was hoping to catch the Purple Roller as he took off but after a while it became apparent that he had no immediate plans to go anywhere soon.  Luckily these colorful birds are strikingly beautiful even when they are sitting still.   To download this image click here.

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June 2010 – iPhone Wallpaper #2

Giraffe silhouette against an African sky,  Enough said.  To download this image click here.

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June 2010 – iPhone Wallpaper #3

I decided to add this one as a part of Bush Warriors Rhino Week. It is very sad that these beautiful giants are under serious threat from poaching and human greed.  To download this image click here.

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There you go.  Free wallpapers for your desktop and iPhone but why stop there!

Below are two more free wildlife wallpapers from Andrew Beck from Moya Wa Tenga Safaris.  During the next few weeks you will be reading a whole lot more about Moya Wa Tenga here on Photo-Africa.  Some very exciting collaborations coming up so watch this space!

Love the late afternoon feel of this one.  Great use of lines also lead your eye down from the mountain to the tree and then to the lone elephant.

Single subject plus great use of color makes for a fantastic wildlife image captured in Madikwe.

To download any of Andrew’s desktop wallpapers simply click on either of the above two images which will take you to the Moya Wa Tenga site where you will find download instructions.

I hope you enjoy this month’s wallpapers and please feel free to share them with your friends and family. Also, please take a moment to let us know which is your favorite!

See you tomorrow!

Gerry

A day early but since I am not going to have time tomorrow, here goes with the wallpaper downloads for April 2010.

I had my wallpapers all finalized and ready but during the last two weeks I have had a blast photographing in and around Johannesburg and the Krugersdorp Game Reserve so I decided to include a few of these as well.  I reckon this is quite a nice mix of images that you can download for free to use as desktop wallpapers or on your iPhone during April 2010.  Even if I have to say so myself.

Later today I will be updating the 5 slideshow images at the top of the site but for now scroll down to choose your favorite desktop image.

April Wallpaper #1

The first wallpaper this month is an abstract of color and textures.  It shows a close up of the Grey Crowned Crane featured in this post. To download the large version (2560×1600) of this wallpaper simply click on the image or alternatively click here to download the smaller version (1280×800).

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April Wallpaper #2

This image was featured in ‘Worth Another Look‘ and it was just begging to be used as a wallpaper.  I did a little more processing on the image and added a very feint blue tint leaving quite an arty elephant scene.  To download the large version (2560×1600) of this wallpaper simply click on the image or alternatively click here to download the smaller version (1280×800).

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April Wallpaper #3

Not wildlife, but I just had to include this.  Being in Johannesburg for a while I was up early and needed something to do at 05h00 in the morning.  Climbed on the roof, waited for the light over the city skyline and captured a sunrise over the city of gold.  To download the large version (2560×1600) of this wallpaper simply click on the image or alternatively click here to download the smaller version (1280×800).

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April iPhone Wallpaper #1

I shot photographed this zebra in the Krugesrdorp Game Reserve.  Click here to download this image for your iPhone.

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April Iphone Wallpaper #2

Ostrich in open grasslands.  Click here to download this image for your iPhone.

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April iPhone Wallpaper #3

Ground squirrel feeding.  Click here to download this image for your iPhone.

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There you go.  Download your favorite, send it to your friends and family and then let me know which one is your favorite for April 2010!

See ya tomorrow!

Gerry

Start of a new week and a new month.

Having only been back in the bush for three weeks I am quite amazed at the amount of good images, both diversity and amount, that I have been able to get.  Ranging from lions and other large game to landscapes and macro the photography has been great.  What has made a lot of the images come to life is the varied types of light that we have had due to a lot of overcast skies.  With anything from soft light to scattered beams of sunlight it has been fantastic to shoot the light.  It’s one thing saying how great the light is but to actually capture the small variances created by different types of light is what makes for a real challenge when heading out into the field.  Many people try.  Not everybody actually get’s it right.   Will be digging into this subject in more details as soon as I get the opportunity shoot two specific images I have in mind that I can use to illustrate what I mean.

For now, since it the first day of the new month, here goes with the free desktop and iPhone wallpaper downloads for March 2010.  Enjoy!

March Wallpaper #1

The last few weeks we have spent a lot of time with five young cubs.  Fantastic sightings and even better photo opportunities.  After getting tired of being pounced on by his siblings, this youngster decided to hit the road.  To download the large version (2560×1600) of this wallpaper click on the image or click here to download the smaller version (1280×853).

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March Wallpaper #2

As with last month’s wallpapers, African sunsets never fail to disappoint.  To download the large version (2560×1600) of this wallpaper click on the image or click here to download the smaller version (1280×853).

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March Wallpaper #3

I featured this image of a Green Woodhoopoo a few days ago and thought it would work quite well as a desktop wallpaper.  To download the large version (2560×1600) of this wallpaper click on the image or click here to download the smaller version (1280×853).

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iPhone Wallpaper #1

Not one of the young cubs mentioned earlier, but still a good looking little guy.  Click here to download this image for your iPhone.

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iPhone Wallpaper #2

The Lilac Breasted Roller must be one of the most colorful and most photographed birds in Africa.  Click here to download this image for your iPhone.

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iPhone Wallpaper #3

Also small but weighing a little more than a lion cub, young ellies are great to watch. Click here to download this image for your iPhone.

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As always I look forward to hearing which of the above images you prefer and end up using as your desktop or iPhone wallpaper and please feel free to share these with all your friends and family as well.

Lots of posts lined up for this week which includes a look at the use, and importance, of DOF in wildlife photography.  Depending on your combination of camera, lens and distance from your subject the focal range that you  have to ensure a sharp image could be as small as 5cm.  When aiming your camera at a leopard from a distance of 20 meters this leaves very little room for error.  In wildlife photography it is imperative to get your subject’s eyes sharp and in focus and it is sometimes a small change to your aperture that can make all the difference.  If none of this makes sense make sure to check in soon.

Enjoy the wallpapers. See ya tomorrow.

Gerry

Welcome to February!

With the year well underway it’s time for this month’s free wallpapers.  The first three are for your desktop and, as mentioned in a previous post, I have also included three wallpapers for your iPhone and yeah… it’s free.  No cost!  Nothing!  All you have to do is download your favorite image, use it as your desktop and (hopefully) tell everybody to come and get there free downloads as well.  To download simply scroll down, pick your favorite and click on the appropriate link.  Done!

Here goes with my choices of desktop and iPhone wallpapers for February 2010.

February Wallpaper #1

If you have ever experienced an African sunset you will know that it seems to lasts forever.  It is an absolutely fantastic time of day and this image shows just a little bit of that magic.  To download the large version (2560×1600) click on the image above or alternatively click here for the small version (1280×800).

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February Wallpaper #2

In  most game reserves in Africa you will get fantastic elephant sightings.  After you have all your normal elephant shots look for different angles, zoom in or focus on a specific body part.  This image shows the trunk as the big guy was trying to get our scent.  To download the large version (2560×1600) click on the image above or alternatively click here for the small version (1280×800).

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February Wallpaper #3

I know this is not a wildlife image but with all the great images I got during our trip to Bangkok I thought I’d throw one into the mix.  I shot the above image just as we entered the Grand Palace.  The size, detail and absolute splendor of this place is difficult to explain.  It is truly an ancient wonder and a photographers playground.  I shot the above image at a very wide focal length of 10mm to try and get as much visual elements into one frame.  You can see the obvious distortion in the image but I think it actually works to have all the elements pulling together.  To download the large version (2560×1600) click on the image above or alternatively click here for the small version (1280×800).

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Iphone Wallpaper #1

About as African as you can get – a giraffe silhouette at sunrise.  Click on the image to download this image for your iPhone.

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iPhone Wallpaper #2

A monochrome image of a male Waterbuck.  This image was ok in color but the black & white brings the texture of the thick fur alive.  Click on the image to download this image for your iPhone.

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iPhone Wallpaper #3

When a male Buffalo stares at you, you know about it.  This image shows an old boy with water still dripping from his mouth after having a drink.  Click on the image to download this image for your iPhone.

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As always I look forward to hearing which one you chose and why!  To view these and previous desktop and iPhone wallpapers click here and use the password – thisisfree

Later today Adele and I leave for the Drakensberg to complete a hotel shoot that was rained out last week.  So far all forecasts are looking good so looking forward to getting back to the mountains for a few days.  The hotel is fantastic and the scenery in and the around the mountain breathtaking.  Hmm… landscapes!  I have already loaded the post for tomorrow in which I look at the five new images at the top of the site.  You might by now have noticed that these slideshow images get updated every month so tomorrow I share thoughts on why I chose these specific ones.

Enjoy the wallpapers, send this link to all your friends and family so they can also get their free wallpapers and I will be back on Wednesday.

Bye 4 now!

Gerry

Right, after a bit of tech-talk with yesterday’s iPhone applications back to wildlife photography.

Before carrying on, I have to however mention I was informed that there is in fact an iPhone application called Sit or Squat which can find you a restroom anywhere in the world.  So there you go.  An application for absolutely anything.

I was originally thinking of doing a Daily Photo today but to celebrate the fast approaching end of 2009 I thought I would not only post more than just one image but also make them downloadable as iPhone wallpapers.  As with the previous three iPhone wallpapers, the following images have all been optimized for use as an iPhone wallpaper but they might work on other handsets as well or, if you don’t want to downlaod any images, you can just browse through some African wildlife photographs!

All the following images were shot during the last month yet it barely even start to showcase the diversity of Africa’s natural heritage.  With the year almost at an end I suppose it is quite normal to start thinking ahead and start planning, hoping and dreaming about what the future holds or what  you can make of it.  At this stage I am doing the same, both from a photographic and personal point of view.  I believe that as a photographer you need to look at and question your style, how you shoot and what you shoot all the time as it will keep things fresh and stop you from getting caught in a rut.  I have already started looking at this and am starting to get quite excited about the New Year and all the possibilities when I think of all the plans, ideas and goals I am working on.  More on this as 2010 unfolds!

It is very easy to start shooting images that all look the same and in there is one of my goals for next year but jumping the gun a bit.  For now I am quite happy with the diversity of the following seven images that don’t seem to all look or feel the same.  It was a tough choice but here goes with seven of my favorite images, available as free downloads, from the last month.

Angry Sunset.  Shot this a few weeks ago as an approaching thunderstorm was trying to overpower an African sunset.  The result was spectacular!

A close up black & white image of a male lion shows the intensity of their stare.

Baby Jackal.  Cute.

Elephant Close Up.  These grey giants offer so endless amounts of shapes and angles to photograph.

Elephant Trunk.  Love the depth of field on this one.

Lion Silhouette.  Enough said.

Male Lion.  Seeing Africa’s largest predator move through the bush like this is an amazing experience.

To download any of the above images simply click on the image of your choice, save it to your computer and sync it to you iPhone.  Simple as that!  I would love to hear which one you chose and why so feel free to comment below and make sure to tell all your friends and family to come and download there favorites!

Tomorrow, being Thursday, I am very please to have Greg du Toit as the guest blogger.  Greg is a professional wildlife photographer and 8th generation African.   Born in South Africa in 1977, he has lived and worked in four different African countries.  From a young age, he has engaged the wilds of Africa, and there was never any doubt as to what he would do with his life.  It was therefore no surprise that after completing his tertiary education in Nature Conservation, he went to live permanently in the African bush.

Greg’s photography is truly inspirational and his work was recently commended in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, one of the most prestigous wildlife competitiosn in the world. What is it like to be a professional wildlife photographer?  For an insight make sure to visit the blog tomorrow for his guest post, ‘A Time to Reflect‘.  I am very happy to have a photographer like Greg end of 2009 on Photo-Africa.  Some truly fantastic African wildlife photographs to inspire a New Year of going out into the field and capturing the beauty of nature.  Viewing other people’s work for ideas and inspiration is a great way to give your own creative juices a kick start so there you go.  Another reason to pop in tomorrow and if you need another reason, the zebra image is mind blowing!  I will be back on Friday for the first post of 2010.

However you decide to celebrate the start of a New Year – enjoy, keep safe and thanks so much for sharing this year with Photo-Africa!

Wishing you health, happiness and many great photographic opportunities in 2010!

Gerry

The iPhone has changed the way the way people use their cellular phones.

Apart from the friendly and very funky user interface it is the thousands of applications that you can download to your phone that makes the iPhone such an addictive little gadget.  With a multitude of photography apps and numerous references available I had an interesting thought.

If you are going on an African safari, which iPhone applications would you like to have on your phone?

I asked this question on both Facebook and Twitter and got some very ‘interesting’ suggestions but will run through those at the end of this post.  For now, here is a short list of apps I currently have on my iPhone and that could be useful when you head out to that Africa safari.

• Camera Genius – This app adds a lot of functionality to the iPhone’s camera.  Burst mode, zoom capability, visual grid lines, an auto timer and many more makes for a great app.  This is what the iPhone camera should have been.
• Camera Plus – Similar to Camera Genius in that it improves the functionality of the built in camera.  A simulated flash makes for interesting results.
• Best Camera - This app by Chase Jarvis, put the cool back into cellphone cameras.  You can either take a new pic or use one form your gallery and then apply various filters and adjustments to the image.  This app let’s you share your images immediately by uploading them to Twitter, Facebook or the Best Camera website gallery.  This one is a must have!

• Photoshop for iPhone – Pretty much what it says.  Process your iPhone images on the go.  Not as advanced as it’s bigger brother, this app is easy with great results.
• Tiffen FX – This app lets you simulate some of the many Tiffen lens filters.  This must be the most comprehensive collection of digital filters out there.  Easy and great fun.
• Photo Buddy – Another must have.  This app is like having your own photo assistant in your pocket and includes sunrise / sunset times, exposure presets, depth of field calculator and many more.

• Wildlife of Southern Africa – An extremely useful app which includes all the basic info you might need.  Categories include Insects, Fish, Frogs, Grasses, Wild Flowers, Mammals and many more.
• Sasol e.Birds of Southern Africa - I use this one almost every day.  Based on the best selling field guide, this app includes a full species account of Southern African Bird Species.  Apart from images and distribution maps all the basic information is also included.  What makes this app great is that you can take notes, keep a checklist and also listen to the call of the various species.  Stunning application!
• Weather Pro – For me this is one of the best weather apps out there.  You can view weekly forecast, which get updated all the time, graphs, predictions and radar images of your area.  The app picks up your location and gives your weather forecast specifically for your location.  Not sure whether to go on the morning game drive?  This app will help.

• Luan – This app shows you, all on one screen, the phases of the moon for the current month.  Should you want to shoot stars or landscapes with a large full moon just above the horizon this is a must.
• Distance Cam - Clever little app that helps you judge distance to you subject.  By moving the figure of an average sized person you can get a rough idea of distance which could help with you desired depth of field decisions.  Photo Buddy, mentioned above, can also help with this.  Should you need something s little bigger to try and judge distance you can also use a bus or s ship.

The options are endless and the image on the right shows just a few of the photography apps I have on my iPhone.  The iPhone will obviously never stack up to a DSLR but you can have a lot of fun with it and you will probably end up learning, or at least reminding yourself of the basics, as well.  You can find any of the above apps on iTunes Store by searching for the highlighted names.

Now as mentioned I had quite a few ‘interesting’ suggestions of applications people have used or would like to see on the iPhone.  Apart from things like weather and camera apps, which got mentioned quite a few times, check these out:

• Deborah – Used the built in Notes and Voice Recorder apps to record places, sightings and names of birds / animals.
• Cassio – Needs an app that will record GPS coordinates of sightings which could then let you view a map afterwards.  Nice idea.  (I use MotionX GPS which does exactly that and more.)
• Les - Something called to Trek-Transporter to get out out trouble QUICKLY should the need arise!
  
• Beth – Would like to have an app that will tell her where the bathroom is.
• Magi – Would like an app where you can enter the liquor you have available and it makes suggestions as to delectable treats.

Not sure if those last few are possible but if you have heard of any applications that could work let me know!  Tomorrow I will be posting the new iPhone wallpapers so make sure to come and download your favorite ones free.  Even if you don’t have an iPhone the images should work on other phones as well or you can just pop in o lok at some wildlifephoogs!  I also have a great guest blogger lined up for Thursday (and the next week!) so check in for a sneak peak tomorrow.

See ya soon.

Gerry

Hope you are all having a great weekend so far.

I have been thinking about doing this for a while but it’s always the ‘time’ issue.  Being on leave is not only great due to the kicking back and relaxing part of it but it also gives me a chance to get stuck into those things we always seem to put on the ‘one-day-I-will-get-to-it‘ list and learn.  The learning part is easy.  Read, check out photography blogs for inpsiration, watch videos on Kelby Training and shoot things I don’t normally get a chance to photograph.  Great fun and a very easy way to keep on learning.

The one item on my ‘one-day-I-will-get-to-it‘ list that I have finally started paying attention to is to create wallpapers for the Apple iPhone.

If you own an iPhone you will know that it is an absolutely amazing device for photography in general, with thousands of great applications, but it is also a great way to showcase images.  By adding a striking wallpaper you can give your phone a whole new look which will make it feel all fresh again!

Here are the first three of, hopefully, many iPhone wallpapers to come in 2010.  All three images have been optimized for the iPhone so to get a little bit of Africa as your wallpaper simply click on the image of your choice, download the file to your computer and sync the image to your iPhone.  Easy as that!

Since the images have been optimized for the Apple iPhone I am not sure how these images will display on other phones but feel free to give it a try and let me know if it works.  The dimensions might be slightly off but shouldn’t be too much of a problem!  From January 2010 you will be able to get both your desktop and iPhone wallpapers at the beginning of every month simply by visiting the blog and clicking on the images of your choice.

Let me know which of the above image you choose and what it looks like on your iPhone!  Also, what animals / scenes would you like to see in future iPhone wallpapers?

Will be back on Monday!  Enjoy!

Gerry

The last few days I have been taking my iPhone with me on game drive with the idea of trying to actually shoot wildlife with the 2 megapixel camera.  Possible??

I have said this before – it is not about the camera you are using!  With wildlife photography we have all been conditioned that larger is better.  More zoom.  Always.  So is it then possible to shoot African wildlife with a phone camera at a focal length of around 37mm?  I reckon it is and as a little sideline self project I will attempt to get decent iPhone images of Africa’s Big 5.  Only rhino and leopard to go!

Firstly you have to either get very close to your subject or actually think about and plan your composition.  What??  I cannot just zoom in or out to make an image?  After this you have only a few very basic editing applications with which you can process your images.  Challenging, but I reckon it can teach you quite a bit.  Here are a few of my ‘using-an-iPhone-to-capture-wildlife’ attempts.  Underneath each image I have given the iPhone applications I used to capture and process that image.

Shot with iPhone camera and processed with Best Camera.

Shot and processed with Best Camera.

Now if the first thing you notice in the above images is noise, distortion and other technical issues – you are missing the point.  Look past that.  The reality is that the images were shot with a 2 megapixel phone camera with a really bad zoom function and no functions to speak of.  That’s it.  As photographers we sometimes forget that photography is not only about the technical side of things but about the actual picture.  The vision you have for your images.  Telling a visual story.

For wildlife photography I suppose the lesson is this – for a shot time at least, forget about the technical side of your photography and just shoot.  Look at composition rather that aperture.  Look at visual elements rather than ISO.  As an exercise, try this.  For one week limit yourself to one single focal length and for the entire week shoot only at that focal length.  No matter what.  You will initially find yourself quite frustrated but soon you will start seeing things differently.  You will actually use your feet, or vehicle, to compose better shots rather than just turning the zoom ring.  It is a brilliant way to start thinking again.  To start seeing again.

During the last few days of game drives I have been shooting with a 50mm f/1.8 fixed focal length, apart from taking the iPhone along.  Not only was it quite handy to have the wide aperture during all the gloomy overcast conditions but I also had to think and compose differently compared to using the 500mm.  Great exercise and there is a reason many people do self-assignments like 50/50 where they use a 50mm fixed focal length and shoot one image a day for 50 days.  Here is one of yesterday’s 50mm images.

No zooming or funny stuff.  Look through viewfinder.  Compose in viewfinder.  Click.  Image done and one more lesson learnt.

So whether you have a fixed focal length lens, use discipline to limit yourself to one focal length or you use you iPhone give it a bash.  Don’t just zoom in and click.   Look, see and then photograph your subject.

Oh, if you don’t have an iPhone you can use any phone camera and if you do have an iPhone remember this – your iPhone is very much like a penis.  It’s fine to play with it when you are on your own but it’s considered rude to yank it out around the dinner table!!

Until next time.

Gerry