With its biodiversity and dramatic scenery, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the Earth’s natural treasures. The “smoke” which gives the mountain range its name is due to the incredibly moist atmosphere resulting from the high rainfall, large tree density and temperature variations (although latterly much of the smoke is due to pollution). After photographing the high peaks many times over the years, in all seasons, I finally managed to get at least close to defining my vision of the mountains. The combination of heavy rainfall the previous night and a calm morning led to the perfect layers of mist in the valleys. A long telephoto lens was used to compress the perspective and emphasize the layers of mist and ridges. While every season is different in the high peaks, only now and again do all the required elements come together to make the telling image. Taken at sunrise near Clingman’s Dome, the highest peak in the park.

Image available as a print from the Limited Edition Print Collection.

Flamingo marina and campsite area in the Everglades National Park is a remarkable location to shoot many species of birds and reptiles. Many of the birds are so used to humans they just ignore you. Brown pelicans are particularly comfortable around humans, as they associate us with a source of food – often via generous fishermen returning with their catch after a day out on the Bay. Brown pelicans are particularly interesting as they perform a crash-dive technique to catch their food, with some of the repeated impact stress being taken up with “air-sacs” located beneath the skin. Two pelicans had decided to work a section of water close to where I had set up, and would dive vertically down within a few yards of me. Because the birds were close and diving at high speed, I used a high shutter speed (1/1250 sec) and the fastest focusing lens I had with me – a 300 f2.8. The image is really about technique – most photographers associate panning with capturing movement in a horizontal plane at slower shutter speeds to blur the background. In this case I used vertical panning. Initially I used my tripod with a mounted gimbal head or a monopod, but neither set up would allow a rapid pick up and smooth tracking of the birds in their dives. As a result, the only way to achieve the framing and sharpness was to hand hold the lens and pan with the bird as it dived. This technique is really just about correctly setting up the camera (including the AF settings and an AF point lower than the center point in the viewfinder), then picking up the bird early and panning so that the spot remains on the bird’s head. For this image I also disabled the Image Stabilizer on the lens. While in many cases this can be an incredibly useful aid to ensuring sharp hand-held images (even with long lenses), the system can actually overcompensate and move the sensor off the desired area when moving the camera rapidly. As with most technology, just because it is there it doesn’t mean you have to use it. Only use the technology when you need it and for what it does best!

Image available for purchase as Open Edition Print.

 
I have been fortunate to photograph in many places of outstanding natural beauty in Southern Africa and the USA. However, one place which truly touched my very soul is the Namib Desert. Like most deserts, the Namib at first glance has little to offer in terms of fauna and flora. Nothing could be further from the truth. Also, I learnt many years ago that in order to become a proficient nature photographer, I first had to learn the ecology and ethology of both wilderness areas and species. This is very much the case with the Central Namib, and with time I became enraptured with the incredible interactions between animal and environment, and the delicate natural balances which allow the coexistence of different species in this harsh environment.
Gemsbok (Oryx Gazella) are animals totally in tune with their environment. Their Namib Desert home only receives a few sparse millimeters of annual rainfall. The dunes in this particular region (Sossusvlei) are some of the highest in the world, reaching up to 300m high. Here, the Gemsbok can exist without surface water for long periods, even in the dune fields away from the dry riverbeds; obtaining the water they need from the unique desert vegetation, and having special physiological adaptations to conserve moisture and maintain their body temperature. I had worked with this particular group of Gemsbok (a bachelor herd) for some time, and could predict their movements over the dunes, picking the easiest approach angle and using their “rocking horse” gait for efficient passage over the dune crests where the sand is less packed and stable. When shooting environmental images, I try to emphasize an animal’s relationship to its home, and this is the essence of the image shown here.

Image available as a Limited Edition Print.

A new NNI workshop was presented by Rob this year in Glacier National Park. One aspect of the workshop was maximizing the capabilities of various lenses (particularly tilt and shift or perspective control lenses). This also involved concentrating on more intimate landscapes, not just the grand panoramas of this incredible location. In addition, due to the heavy snow pack over the winter, the Going to the Sun road was late opening for the season – like July 13th! This is normally the key highway for many of the best photographic locations in Glacier. The lack of access together with the cloudless skies with high winds for many days reduced the opportunities for spectacular sunrises and reflections in the lakes and ponds, which are the typically iconic images of Glacier. Fortunately, there were some good wildflower displays, including beargrass. As I have always believed in the adage of “work with what you are given”, I changed the focus of the shoot became to work with “less spectacular” scenery and maximize the potential of subjects which otherwise would have been less obvious or interesting. This of course makes for a good learning experience, but can be frustrating with so many potentially wonderful images just waiting for a few clouds on a calm morning!
In summary, this is a remarkable place to develop and hone your photographic skills, so consider joining me on next year’s workshop, which will be held in mid-end July 2012. A few images from the shoot can be seen above.
Images can be viewed and purchased from the Glacier Gallery.

 
Rarely do you see a leopard as relaxed as this, never mind photograph it at eye level. Normally leopards see much more of people than people see of leopards. This female was unique in that she was one of the first in Southern Africa that would tolerate the approach of open game-drive vehicles to within close range, even when she had young cubs with her. She was so trusting of the presence of the vehicle and its passengers, that she would leave the young cubs to play while she went off to hunt. I took this image lying over the dashboard of an open game-drive vehicle with a 300mm lens.
While it is easy to anthropomorphize about animals you become attached to, I genuinely felt there was a real element of trust, completely out of character for a wild leopard. Like humans, animals also have individual personalities. I was fortunate enough to have photographed her on many occasions, and once tracked her on foot with a Shangaan tracker. Even when we approached to within a few yards, she did not display any real aggression. This leopard female was a particularly good mother, successfully raising more than 10 cubs over her (unusually) long lifetime of nearly 14 years in Londolozi Game reserve, South Africa. Of all the animals I worked with in Southern Africa, this one made an impression and a connection that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Available as a Limited Edition Print from VisionLight Gallery.

 
July is wildflower month in many parts of the Rockies, and Glacier National Park often puts on spectacular display. These Mountain Hollyhocks (Iliamna rivularis) are part of the Mallow family which includes hibiscus and cotton. Many of the species have medicinal properties, and it is thought that the first marshmallows were made from a species of Hollyhock. I composed this image using a panoramic format, to counterpoint the old and the new; the color and tone of vibrant flowers with the burnt and dying trees.

Available as a Limited Edition print at VisionLight Gallery.

 
Environmental portrait – Sossusvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia

The monarch of the dunes; surveying his domain. The Gemsbok (Oryx Gazella) is an animal totally in tune with its environment. Its Namib Desert home is an extremely harsh environment, with a few sparse millimeters of annual rainfall. The dunes here are the highest in the world, reaching up to 300m. There are several distinctly different types of dune, such as the large Barchan and Star dunes which make the impressive, mountain-like backdrop for the gemsbok’s home. Gemsbok can exist without surface water for long periods, obtaining the water they need from the unique desert vegetation such as the thorny Nara plants. Shooting the definitive environmental study to show both the beautiful habitat and remarkable animal is a type of natural history photography I have worked on my entire career. It is not always easy to achieve the right compositional balance when depicting the environment and its iconic animal. In this case the majesty of the dunes takes precedent, and the presence of the gemsbok (although small in the image) balances and completes the study. The image was taken several years ago during a 4-month project in the Central Namib, and aims to capture context, mood and the decisive moment.

Image available as a Limited Edition Print at VisionLight Gallery.

 
Osprey chasing Turkey Vulture. Flamingo Marina, Everglades National Park, Florida.

Action photography is always something I have been drawn to, and particularly raptors in flight. The Everglades National Park is really Osprey heaven. There are roughly 20-25 pairs of Ospreys in the Flamingo area, and many have their nests close to the shoreline, for ready access to the abundance of Florida Bay. Ospreys are remarkable in many ways; one fortunately is that for a large raptor, they are remarkably tolerant of humans. Vultures are another story, however, and the ever present vultures eventually annoy either of the nesting osprey parents into a chase. The vultures often appear to deliberately provoke the ospreys by gliding within a few feet of the nest, and then just take off with the angry osprey parent close behind. Unlike other smaller raptors, I have never seen an osprey actually strike a vulture with deadly intent in their mid air combat displays. Like most images involving a chase, it is difficult to have both animals in focus at the same time, particularly with the narrow depth of field available when using a long telephoto lens and teleconverter. Another problem is on which of the birds do you hold the AF sensor to achieve the maximum sharpness? One trick I have learned is to use the AF stop buttons on the lens and camera back – particularly when the birds are flying parallel to me. As they are not rapidly moving out of the zone of sharpness; once the AF has locked on, I use the AF stop button to hold the focus, then recompose as I am panning (to ensure both birds are in the frame) and then release the shutter. After a single frame or a short burst – I then engage the AF again, and repeat the process if there is still an opportunity.

Image available as a Limited Edition Print.

 
Snowy Egret “walking on water”. Everglades National Park, Florida

This year Mrazek Pond in the Everglades actually had some water, and there were plenty of birds making good use of the fish fry (as were several gators).

I am always drawn to action photography and managed to catch the reflection just at peak action as the bird is flinging water droplets off its beak after unsuccessfully trying to grab a fish. For me, the image is all about the symmetry of the water droplets and their reflection. For shots such as this, a high shutter speed of 1/1600 sec or faster is required to freeze the action.

Image can be purchased as an Open Edition Print.