Flamingo

Kitty

Stripes

Stopping for a drink

I promised not to post too many animal portraits, but there are a few that I particularly like from the Africa trip. Here I was able to catch this leopard stopping for some water... you know it is important to keep hydrated!

Elephant

Elusive

This is the hard to find wild african dog. It was shot at dusk at very high ISO but somehow it enhances the elusiveness of the animal. The wild dog is so rare in the Chobe park that the rangers ask for images of sightings. 

Africa

I have recently returned from two weeks in southern Africa and have been sorting and developing my images. I have well over a thousand images before culling the undesirables. I will be posting over the next few days but I will not post many animal portraits like this as it would get pretty mundane. The reality is safari drives take you to great viewing opportunities for a wide variety of animals, but simply capturing the most species is not what I strive for, especially in this blog.

This male lion posed for us while watching over his pride. Although I did use a long lens, it is still breathtaking to be so close to these wild animals in their natural environment, proof being our guide traveling with a loaded and handy rifle. 

Swimmer

Eye

Trunk

Taking photos at a zoo is always a challenge because there is always clutter around and behind the animals that take away from the subject. Close-ups are a a way to deal with this problem... in this case, an extreme close-up.

Butterflies Are Free

Behind

This is the view if you are closely following a zebra, but I think it looks like the face of some strange exotic animal.

Just standing around

Slow: Baby Deer

I noticed something new on a side street I pass each day. Someone must be an animal lover, although I think everyone would love to see a baby deer protected.