While driving along a dry riverbed in Botswana’s Mashatu Game Reserve we came across these two Whitefronted Bee-eaters (Merops bullockoides) perched on a twig with the riverbank in the background. This provided an attractive, sand-coloured backdrop that’s different from the usual blue sky and/or green leaves against which perching birds are normally photographed.

I used a borrowed Canon 300mm F4 image-stabilised lens with a 1.4x converter attached to my Canon EOS 450D body for the picture. Shutter speed was 1/400 sec with aperture-priority set to F8. The 300mm is an excellent lens for wildlife as it’s relatively light and not too bulky, so can be carried on a vehicle without too many hassles. Even with the converter it’s a little short for bird photography, but is great for most animal shots.

Morgan sports cars in a row

Another image of classic cars, this time a close-up of a row of Morgans with the emphasis on the headlights and the bright primary colours.

Redbilled and Yellowbilled Hornbills

I posted the above pic on my Wildlife Photography Blog yesterday and decided I like it enough to feature it here as well. There is nothing unusual about the subject – hornbills, both redbilled and yellowbilled – are common in the bushveld areas of South and southern Africa and safari visitors, once they’ve seen the first one, hardly give them another look. So it’s more the composition that appeals to me, with the prominent redbilled bird in the foreground and the others out of focus in the background but their shapes and colours sufficiently clear to make them easily recognisable.

The scientific names for the redbilled hornbill is Tockus erythrorhynchus and Tockus flavirostris for the yellowbilled. Local safari guides like to refer to them as the “flying chilli pepper” and “flying banana” respectively – certainly more descriptive for the average safari visitor! The photograph was taken in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, using a Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi) and Canon 70-200 F2.8L IS USM lens.

A Pair of MG TD classic sports cars

A pair of MG TDs, showing the coloured grills, headlights and long bonnets of these classic British sports cars. The prior models, the MG TCs, did not have front bumpers while the tyres were carried by 19″ wire wheels.

MG TD Grill and Headlights

Like most men, I like cars, although I’m by no means “car crazy” and have never had the cash to own anything exotic. Once a year there’s a car show in my town, called “Cars in the Park”, where mainly older cars are displayed. I like to wander around taking photos, but it’s difficult to get anything other than close-ups, as there’re always people milling around. But that’s fine, as I enjoy the colours and shapes, so tend to concentrate on line and form.

The pic above is of a British classic, the MG TD, that was popular in the 1950s, and was the successor to the MG TC that came out after the Second World War. The image has been digitally “painted”.

Black-backed Jackal

This photo of a black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) trotting through gold-coloured winter vegetation was taken in Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana and originally appeared on my Wildlife Photography Blog. I used a slow shutter speed (1/30th) to blur the background and subsequently digitally “simplified” the image by removing extraneous detail, using software called Buzz Simplifier.

This software unfortunately is no longer available, but what I like about it is the way it softens the image, giving it a painterly feel, without blurring the edges, so sharp areas of the picture remain so.

I used a Canon EOS 450D (Canon Rebel XSi 12.2MP) camera with a Canon EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens at full zoom. Shutter speed was 1/30, aperture f16 and ISO of 400.

Here’s where I post pictures that appeal to me and that I enjoyed making, including some of my more experimental and playful images, particularly those using slow shutter speeds to create motion blur, and/or digital manipulation for a “painterly” effect.

It’s also where I occasionally like to chat about the subjects that interest me – photography, wildlife and conservation, the Web and internet marketing, safari travel, and living in Africa. Please feel free to post your comments, questions, and/or observations.