Should we be concerned about the future of conservation?

The reason I ask this is that last night a few of us went to a talk hosted by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and I was very disappointed with the turnout.

No no, don’t get me wrong.  The talk, by Andrew Jenkins of the Western Cape Raptor Research Program, was very well attended so that was not the problem.

The problem, for me, was the demographic breakdown of the people at the talk.

Now just before I carry on.

The possibility is obviously there that the make up of the attendees on this particular evening just happened to be the way it was but I spoke to some of the EWT staff and they confirmed that the turnout was a very good indicator of the type of people they get at their other events as well.

Firstly, me and my group had an average age of around 35.  If I had to estimate the average age of the rest of the people attending the evening I would probably go with a number of around 65.  That’s average.

Secondly, out of the 160 people at the event all of them were white.

Now PLEASE do not see this as a racial issue because it is NOT intended that way.  I just found it very striking that there were only white people at the event and this in a country where white people make up a small minority of the total population group.

Now, to get back to my initial question.

Yeah, I think we might have a bit of a problem.

Yes, there are people out there – black, white, young, old, whoever – who are doing absolutely amazing work in the conservation field but the lack of support, or at least the perceived lack of support, for an organization like EWT does raise a bit of concern.

Do young people not find conservation ‘cool’ enough?

If it is not online or on a cellphone does it not feature as something to do or be a part of?

Is there a way to bridge the apparent gap between various ethnic groups to create a more unified approach to conserving our natural heritage?

I applaud, respect and completely support bodies like the EWT for the work they are doing but in my mind, if we do not have conservation buy-in from the younger generation and all the ethnic groups that make up the South African population we have a serious problem.

So I’ll ask it again.

Should we be concerned about the future of conservation?

Gerry van der Walt 

* * *

Some photographers just try too hard.

Let me explain.

In my mind there are two main types of images of images can you create when you go on safari.

The first is a ‘proof’ shot.  This is the happy snappy kind of images a great deal of people come back with and all it does is prove to friends and family that you actually saw a specific animal.

Proof.

The second type, and hopefully this is your goal, is an actual wildlife image.  A good, solid wildlife image that does more than just show people what you saw but shows them the way you saw it.

An image that tells a story.

Evokes emotion.

The natural progression is to move from the proof shots to more solid wildlife images but unfortunately a lot of people get lost somewhere in between the two and when they reach this point they start trying too hard.  They try new lenses.  Different settings.

When you reach this point, one of the best things you can do is to check, and simplify your backgrounds.

Paying attention to and eliminating a distracting backgrounds has got to be one of the most effective ways you can immediately improve your wildlife photography.

Here are a few examples.

For the happy snappy type of safari going photographer an image like this would be spectacular!

However, as a strong wildlife image it is not all that strong for two reasons.

Firstly, the focus locked on to the leopard’s tail leaving the face a little soft.  Secondly, the background is just a little messy.  The twigs on the right distracts your viewer’s eye a bit and the scrub below the animals’s chin is not out of focus enough.

Remember that these things might seem small and petty but, for the purposes of this post, it is worth considering all the small things that can take your photography to the next level.

How could this image have been made even better?

One option would have been to be patient and see if another chance presented itself, which it eventually did, and failing this you might have been happy to grab the above shot and just enjoy a sighting of one of Africa’s most elusive cats.

This situation is one that you might not find all that often so it is definitely worth look through your camera.

Again, there are two problems with the above image.  Firstly, the lion has been ‘chopped’ off close to the hip – something which could have been done with more purpose but can be discussed another time – and secondly the trees on the horizon looks like they are growing out of the elephant’s back.

The merging together of two objects in a frame has got to be one of the easiest things to fix in camera – if you see it when you look through the viewfinder of course.

In order to fix this problem I could have either waited for the ellies to move to the left (where they were heading) or I could have tried to change my angle just a little bit in order to split the tree and the elephant form each other.

If only I had seen it through the viewfinder.

This one is close.

Apart from the horizon being a tad skew, which is easy to fix, it again looks like it is balancing on the lion’s head.  Might not seem like a major but by either waiting a few seconds or changing my perspective I could have created a much stronger image.

This image shows a cheetah doing what they do for a great part of their day.

The problem?  The little dead branches sticking out from behind the flat cat.

A lot of the time wildlife photographers will look at the scene, photograph it, not like the image and then move on.

Often, a better image is literally a few meters away.

By simply moving five meters to the right I was able to (almost) move the dead sticks out of play and also include a much more interesting background for my cheetah image.  Notice how the stronger background plus your eyes so much that you almost do not notice the sticks behind the cheetah.

Often a better background is just a jump to the left and then a step to the right… sorry…

Yeah, its might feel like the above is nit-picking but the idea of paying attention to your background is a small thing that can make a huge difference to your images.  Some areas present more difficult shooting conditions but by thinking about your backgrounds, and looking for different perspectives and positions, you stand a much greater chance of creating strong wildlife images.

So to wrap things up, and to link back to the first line of this post – when you are trying to create better wildlife images stop trying so hard.

Pay attention to your backgrounds.

Shoot what you see.

And always enjoy the experience.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

* * *

Light can make all the difference!

Yeah yeah I know.  The above statement is stating the obvious but even if you know it, like most of us do, every once in a while nature just proves the point again.

On Monday I was with a private photography client in Madikwe.  As we sat watching a group of ellies approach a small watering hole the clouds, which has been threatening the whole day, closed up and the wind picked up.

Properly.

The combination late afternoon light, red dust and scattered overcast conditions made for the most amazing light I have seen in a long time.

The scene was bathed in the most eerie, orange cast of light which made for very unique images.

Nikon D7000, Nikon 70-200mm VR II, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 250

The photography was amazing and we had a fantastic time photographing the group of ellies enjoying a quick drink before running for cover from the dust storm.

Nikon D3s, Nikon 200-400mm VR II,  f/4, 1/250, ISO 800

A few minutes later, literally, all the elephants was moving on and the orange light was gone.

Nikon D3s, Nikon 200-400mm VR II, f/4, 1/160, ISO 1600

Being out in the bush with a camera is awesome.

Photographing elephants, just as great.

But… it’s just about the light!

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt 

* * *

I have said it before – one of the best ways to improve your own photography is to go and shoot with other, like minded photographers.

So, this morning I had the pleasure of heading out with a private client to assist him in taking his photography to the next level.  We spent the entire morning with a pride of 5 lions on a private concession to the east of the Madikwe Game Reserve and we had a fantastic time!

We found the 5 cats just before sunrise and even though a thick bank of clouds came in the way of some golden light, the diffused light gave us a lot to work with.

Challenging a client to up there photographic game is not only rewarding for them but for me as well.

It is just so easy to fall into a rut but having to try and stay two steps ahead of someone keeps you on your feet.  Photography is amazing in that there are so many variables you can play with in order to change your approach and having to think of different approaches to the same subject inevitably leads to knew ideas and new images.

Whether you decide to focus on new and different technical settings or just on the artistic side of things, I strongly believe that anybody willing to take the time to learn and spend time on their photography will improve and grow as a photographer.

Yeah, it’s as simple as that.

So, after a great morning of photographing lions playing, walking and hunting we returned to the lodge with a bunch of great images and many lessons learnt.

There are still quite a bit of clouds around but this afternoon we will head out again to work the sunset in whatever shape or form we get it.  You see, one of the discussions we had was how there are always, always, more options when you are out in the field with your camera.

Clouds, rain or the sun setting is no reason to pack up your gear.  I you know your equipment and you are keen to photograph nature you will find something to photograph.  The options really are endless!

Time to go and play around in Lightroom during our post processing chat and then off on our afternoon photographic excursion!

Will be posting more images during the week but if you are on Twitter you can follow along as we go!

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

* * *

Photography and life – it’s all about perceptions.

Think about it.

You take a photograph because you like it but you are  not sure others will.

You have an idea that you are passionate about but you are not sure others will share you enthusiasm.

The answer?

Don’t worry about it.

I think too many people do worry about.  And that goes for both photography and life!

When you worry about what people are going to think of your images you are ultimately not doing it for yourself.  You are doing it for them.

If you do not follow through on ideas, on hopes and dreams, you are allowing other people to dictate where you go in life and what you achieve.

Bottom line?

Believe in yourself, your photography and your ideas.

Until next time!

Gerry van der Walt 

* * *

There are few things out there that beats an African sunset.

Everything from the colors, the textures in the sky and just the general feeling out in nature is the stuff dreams are made of.

All to often this is when we find ourselves stopped somewhere at a scene viewpoint having drinks as we watch another day in Africa draw to a close.  Nothing wrong with that at all but it is during this time that the African landscapes come alive with silhouettes.

It is that moment, when the sun is just about to drop below the horizon, that you can photograph some of the most amazing silhouettes of some of Africa’s most iconic animals.

Giraffes have got to be the most quintessentially African animal out there and make the most spectacular silhouettes.  The way they tower above there environment is just perfect for creating striking African images.

But, it is not just giraffe that can help you to create stunning silhouettes.  Here are a few more examples.

You see?

Pretty much any animal can be used to create silhouettes but it is still the giraffe that has to take the honors.

Since moving from Madikwe it is not the silhouettes so much but the time of day it represents that I will miss the most and look forward to the most when we head to Kenya later this month.  Bring it on…

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt 

* * *

Links Mentioned in This Video

• Wallpaper Downloads for August 2011
• Shades of Nature by Heinrich van den Berg
• PhotoCaddy – iPhone App
• Follow Gerry on Twitter
• Photo-Africa on Facebook

As always I look forward to your comments, questions and suggestions.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

Just had to share this!

A week or so ago we found one…

… a Pangolin!!

Umm, yeah.  That’s about it for now.

Was awesome!

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

* * *

In photography there are a lot of ‘rules’ that we get taught and which people use when judging your images.

These include the well known rule of thirds and, sometimes not as often mentioned, ones like keep your horizon straight, never chop a piece of your subject and never have the horizon split your image in two.

The problem is that newer photographers get so stuck on trying to conform to these rules, and also what people are going to say about their images based on these rules, that they start producing images that all look the same.

Yeah, you need to know the rules but then you need to forget them.

Toss them out of the window and shoot what catches your eye.

Shoot great light.

Break the rules, just shoot!

Until next time!

Gerry van der Walt

* * *

This was the start of our day.

We hit the beach early to get a few early morning images and nature did not disappoint.  Apart from penguins and stunning skies the amount of sea birds was quite astounding.  Awesome photography!

We have just finished a group discussion session where we worked through settings and creative ideas, not only for the penguin shoot htis afternoon but also our great white shark boar trip this afternoon.  We… cannot… wait!!

In our discussion we spoke about many things, one obviously being brands of cameras and other equipment. Check this out.

Camera Brands Used by Participants

• Canon = 5
• Nikon = 5
• Sony = 1

Cellphone Brands Used by Participants

• iPhone = 9
• Blackberry = 2

Pretty even spread on the cameras but the phones?  Man, iPhone is kicking butt on this trip!

Anyway, time for lunch and then off to the beach for an afternoon with penguins.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt 

* * *