More Africa in Monochrome

I have recently been intrigued with how interesting African wildlife looks in monochrome.  I took this photo of a beautiful leopard while on safari at Okonjima Private Reserve in Namibia.  This was our first opportunity in four African safaris to actually see a leopard in the wild.  I took this picture with a Nikon D300 and the original Nikon 80-400mm lens.  ISO 800, f5.6, 1/2000 second.  I converted the photo to monochrome in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

This image will shortly be displayed on my daughter's wall in Denver as a 16 X 20 inch print.

Africa in Monochrome

Recently I began a project that involved creating many of my nature images that I took while on several Africa safaris into monochrome images.

It is fun and sometimes it is rewarding to go back to your earlier photos and try to do something unique with them.  I think that the monochrome treatment offers that opportunity.

I use both Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 as well as One On Software's Perfect Black & White program in conjunction with Lightroom and Photoshop to get the best creative images from the color rendition.

Vervet Monkey 

Bat Eared Fox

All of these images were taken in Kenya, but these are just a few of my conversions.  I have many thousands of wildlife images from all over southern Africa.  I know that this endeavor should keep me busy for quite a while.

Dreaming of our next Africa Safari

This is a photo of one of Kenya's famous Brothers...a famous cheetah family that prowls the Masai Mara.  Lynn and I have been on four African safaris and we look forward to our next adventure to the Dark Continent.

Of course the photographic opportunities were the first reason that we decided to take an African safari.  But, I will never forget the words of Sarah Taylor of the Africa Adventure Company who designed our first trip to Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana) in 2004.  She said "There is something spiritual about an Africa wildlife safari that will cause you to return again and again."  She was so prophetic.  We always return to the States thinking about our next trip.  And, not just for the wildlife, but for the spirit that is there...the people, the energy..Capetown!

Daily I dream and plan about our yet unscheduled trip to Tanzania to return to the Serengeti (The Tanzania side of the Masai Mara) and the Ngorongoro Crater.

Hopefully, soon.

   

Quiver Trees and Impalas - Namibia

This is the ghostly Namibian desert in southeast Africa. During our 3 week driving trip in Namibia in 2011 we drove as much as 300 kilometers at a time through landscape just like this...gravel road, few or no other automobiles.  My interest in this photo was to feature the threatened Quiver trees in the foreground.  I accomplished this with the new Radial Filter in Lightroom 5.  I will be interested in your thoughts.

 

This is one of my favorite photos from my 2011 trip to Namibia.  A pair of Impalas are sparring in the wilderness in Etosha National Park. It is always fun to go back and take another look at photos that you have taken earlier to see if you can give them a new treatment.   This was the first time that I have converted this photo to monochrome.  What do you think?

Africa is an amazing place to photography birds in addition to the Big Five and all of the wildlife that abounds.  I photographed the following two birds while on a safari in Kenya om 2007.  I think that they are both pretty interesting.

The longtailed widowbird is unique with its tailfeathers that extend about 20 inches!

This is a Bateleur Eagle

Nikon D70s, Nikon 80-400mm lens.  I am so looking forward to owning the new version of this lens for my next safari.

More later...