nThambo Tree Camp Day 4 - Another Day in Paradise

Day 4 at nThambo Tree Camp was another stunning day with superb winter weather (cool in the  morning and warm in the afternoon) Bother game drives produced some wonderful sightings. The morning began with yet another beautiful South African Sunrise  - the sunrises and sunsets here in southern Africa are remarkably orange relative to what a comparably clear sky in Texas produces. It seems that a greater presence of dust in the upper atmosphere here (potentially blown by winds from the Namib desert to the west) give this special color without the presence of clouds.

Elephants were the early highlight of the day as we were privileged to witness a relaxed breeding heard come down to  the waterhole to get a drink. The early light and their imposing presence made their visit all the more special  - I always love watching elephants manipulate their trunks in interesting ways and this encounter did not disappoint.  

 

We also got to visit with two of the most "prehistoric" looking creatures of the Klaserie Game Reserve - I'll leave you to decide which is your choice for "Most Prehistoric". 

 

As is always the case on came drives, there is the tension between predators and prey. The tiny steenbok (left) and impala (right) are always on alert and ready to alarm call and flee at a moments notice when any hint of hyena or lions crosses their sensory radar. 

 

 

I feel truly privileged to get to have and share this amazing experience in a truly magical place with you. While I am always a little disappointed when a game drive comes to an end, it's hard to stay that way when presented with a another glorious sunset! 

Pawley's Island Sunset Series - Part 1

We all have places in the world that resound deeply in our souls regardless of where we happen to be in the world either geographically or emotionally. 

(Click in an image to view in higher resolution)

The South Carolina Grand Strand area surrounding Pawley's Island is such a place for me. Initially it was a fond memory of my childhood when my family would make the trek from New York City to South Carolina to spend time with family at the beach.  Memories of those times will always hold a special place in my heart as they were shared with loved ones who have since passed away. 

As an adult living in Texas, I had little chance to make my way back to Pawley's until a spring break trip in 2008 with my wife and children to visit my brother who had rented a house there. Needless to say, old memories were rekindled and a whole series of new memories and relationships began to blossom. As a result, Pawley's has become a regular summer vacation spot for my family over the past few years. It's well worth the 20 hour drive from Dallas at the end of my school year to bask in the beauty of the South Carolina coast between Charleston and Myrtle Beach. I have also developed a great appreciation for the history of the area that ties me back through relatives on both sides of my family to tumultuous events in history ranging from the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina in the 1960's  to the 1860's and the America Civil War. (Here's an earlier post relating the Civil War history)

This past summer, I paid particular attention to the beauty of the late afternoon light as the sun began its long summer sunset over the marshes to the west of Pawley's Island proper as well as the extended color casts in the clouds over the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. The beautiful color ranged from the familiar warm glows of sunset to some striking deep blues as the sun would sink below the horizon and my patience was rewarded with the cool tones of fleeting  twilight. 

While the late day light of the Pawley's area is incredibly special to me for a range of reasons, every spot on Earth has the chance to be bathed in such light each day. The secret for us is to be alert to such possibility and seek it out -- for it is in seeking that we shall all find the beauty that lurks on the margins of our days and our lives. 

Come back next week for a second look at more sunset images from the area! 

ON SAFARI - DAY 2

Welcome back to the Blue Lion Blog for the next installment of my “Safari Series” which details my visit to the Ngala Safari Lodge in South Africa in July, 2013.

This entry focuses on the animals I photographed on day two of my visit. After being lucky enough to see a Verreaux’s Eagle Owl the previous afternoon, I was again lucky to see another at a distance in the dawn light. It made a nice silhouette against the rosy-fingered African dawn.  

As the sun rose, we encountered a breeding herd of giraffes. The young seemed odd to me as they obviously had yet to grow their necks to the wonderfully ridiculous length we are all used to. The second image here features a bird known as an oxpecker working to remove small insects and ticks from the hide of this adult giraffe. 

   

From one of the largest of the African animals, we drove on to discover the smallest of Africa’s carnivores – the Dwarf Mongoose. These adorable little fellas live in matriarchal colonies centered on abandoned termite mounds that they use for shelter and as lookout posts. 

This next sighting was a great thrill for me as it was my very first wild cheetah sighting of my three safaris! This female was moving from termite mound to termite mound in hopes of scanning the surrounding area for potential prey. Since it was getting later in the morning, she was not having much luck. However, it did provide the chance for her to pose for me as if she was a feline supermodel! 

  

To make the day complete, during our afternoon drive, we came across a pride of four lions – an adult lioness and her three young offspring (two females and a male) as they were stalking a herd of impala. The images of this pride show how well these tawny colored lions can be camouflaged against the winter grasses in South Africa. Despite their best efforts, the impala were able to spot them before the lions could sneak close enough to launch an attack. While the lions have a great deal of stealth, they are unsuccessful in the vast majority (approx. 80%) of their hunting attempts. 

The day concluded with a brilliant sunset and a ride back to the lodge in the dark using a bright spotlight to alter us to the presence of nocturnal animals. We were lucky to catch brief glimpses of more mongooses, some bush babies, and a small nocturnal cat called a serval. 

A delicious meal in the boma followed by local tribal singing and dancing rounded out the evening before bed called my name as the African morning comes awfully early at 5:00 am the next morning!  

2012 COUNTDOWN - THE WINNER!

THE 2012 COUNTDOWN - THE WINNER! 

Over the past week we've counted down the most popular 25 images of 2012 as determined by how members of the Blue Lion “Pride” responded to them during the year on various social media sites.  If you happened to miss any of the previous countdown posts just click on them here!

• Part 1 – Images 25-22
• Part 2 – Images 21-18
• Part 3 – Images 17-14
• Part 4 – Images 13-10
• Part 5 – Images 9-6
• Part 6 – Images 5-2

The Most popular Blue Lion image of 2012 is:

#1 – INLET SUNSET

This photograph was taken from Garden City, South Carolina looking west across Murrell’s inlet to the village of the same name. I had gone out the night before in hope of shooting good sunset shots, but was greeted by a rather pedestrian sunset. A chance visit to the town of Garden City the following day let me realize there was a great vantage point across the inlet that would afford a much better view of the setting sun. This image was the result!

If you are in the Dallas area this coming summer and would like your children to get an introduction to Nature Photography, I will be teaching several weeks of Nature Photography Camp in June and July. I will post details when they become available in March. If you’d like to see some of the work of my “Nature Photography Campers from 2012 please click on the following links:

• Nature Photography Camp Week #1 Morning Session

• Nature Photography Camp Week #1 Afternoon Session

• Nature Photography Camp Week #2 Morning Session

• Nature Photography Camp - Week 2 Afternoon Session

Thanks so much for all your support and encouragement this year. I am looking forward to an exciting and productive 2013!

Oxbow Sunset

This week's SKYWATCH FRIDAY / SCENIC SUNDAY post takes me back to Grand Teton National Park and the oft visited Oxbow Bend observation point. This view looks toward the massive Mt. Moran across the Snake River. On this night late in June, I was luck enough to capture the brilliance of sunset on the fleeting clouds. The richness of the color was due in part to the presence of smoke in the atmosphere from California wildfires that had been burning the few days prior.

Oxbow Sunset

Click in the image to see it in the original gallery

Zambezi Sunset

Zambezi Sunset

This week's Skywatch Friday & Scenic Sunday post comes from my 2006 visit to Southern Africa. I was lucky enough to be able to present at a conference in Johannesburg, South Africa that June. To make good use of the long trip and to live out a lifelong dream, I booked two safaris. The first was at Ngala Private Game reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park. The second was in Botswana at the Chobe National Park. The trip from Ngala to Chobe entailed a two-day stay in the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. As the name suggests, this is where the mighty Zambezi River falls more than 360 feet (more than double the height of Niagara Falls) into the Zambezi River Gorge. The falls is also more than a mile wide at this point. The evening before I kayaked the rapids of the lower portion of the Gorge, I was able to enjoy a sunset cruise on a flat-bottomed barge on the Zambezi just above Victoria Falls. Lucky, it was the dry season and we were treated to a stunning, cloud free sunset in addition to sightings of crocodiles and hippos.

Enjoy your view of one of Africa wildest rivers!

Click in the image for to see it in the original gallery

PS - several of you have already emailed and asked about any images I have of the Victoria Falls. Due to the mist that the the Falls kick up (the locals call Victoria Falls - "The Smoke that Thunders") it is tough to get a good view if the Falls from the land based viewing spots. As such I took one of the local helicopter rides to see the Falls  from above. The images are not great as I felt like I was holding on for dear life  as we sharply banked over the Falls.

Click in either image for a higher resolution version

LAST LIGHT

Last Light  on Aoraki/ Mt. Cook

Southern Alps, New Zealand

Click in the image to see the original gallery

A post to WORDLESS WEDNESDAY, SKYWATCH FRIDAY, and SCENIC SUNDAY

Teton Twilight - An Ode to Maxfield Parrish

Even as a kid I really enjoyed the look of  Maxfield Parrish's work. He seemed to always find the perfect hue of blue to supplement the mood of whatever piece he was creating. I am especially keen on his tones of cobalt blue.... this twilight silhouette makes me feel that I captured some of his spirit as I clicked the shutter here.

Click in the image to see it in the original gallery.

See some other SKYWATCH FRIDAY Images.

Enjoy a peek at this week's SCENIC SUNDAY Collection.
This is also part of  the WEEKEND REFLECTION series.

Zambezi Sunset

Zambezi Sunset

This week's Skywatch Friday post comes from my 2006 visit to Southern Africa. I was lucky enough to be able to present at a conference in Johannesburg, South Africa that June. To make good use of the long trip and to live out a lifelong dream, I booked two safaris. The first was at Ngala Private Game reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park. The second was in Botswana at the Chobe National Park. The trip from Ngala to Chobe entailed a two-day stay in the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. As the name suggests, this is where the mighty Zambezi River falls more than 360 feet (more than double the height of Niagara Falls) into the Zambezi River Gorge. The falls is also more than a mile wide at this point. The evening before I kayaked the rapids of the lower portion of the Gorge, I was able to enjoy a sunset cruise on a flat-bottomed barge on the Zambezi just above Victoria Falls. Lucky, it was the dry season and we were treated to a stunning, cloud free sunset in addition to sightings of crocodiles and hippos.

Enjoy your view of one of Africa wildest rivers!

Cheers!

John

Click in the image for a higher resolution version



PS - several of you have already emailed and asked about any images I have of the Victoria Falls. Due to the mist that the the Falls kick up (the locals call Victoria Falls - "The Smoke that Thunders") it is tough to get a good view if the Falls from the land based viewing spots. As such I took one of the local helicopter rides to see the Falls  from above. The images are not great as I felt like I was holding on for dear life  as we sharply banked over the Falls.

Click in either image for a higher resolution version

Photo of the Week - August 22-28

The most viewed image at BlueLionPhotos.com for this past week was an image I took while on safari in Botswana.  We had a wonderful sunset which coincided with our stoping for a "sundowner" (a sunset drink & chance to stretch legs out of the safari jeep) so I could set up my tripod and capturea great scene. As I set up the tripod, the giraffe decided to walk by and add it's distinctive silhouette to the scene. Some days you just get luckier than you deserve!

This image is available for purchase as a print or as a card set from my store at Etsy.com. The link is http://www.etsy.com/shop/bluelionphotos.

ENJOY!

Click this image to view a larger version