Wildlife Photography Workshop – African safari in Botswana video

This week, I am presenting a short video I put together to promote the wildlife photography workshop in Botswana and the Victoria Falls. Please have a look and like the video!

And as we are in the African safari theme…

Leopard - Savuti, Botswana

Mother leopard on the prowl – Savuti, Botswana.
ISO 1600 | f/5.6 | 1/320 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 300mm f/4 L IS USM lens coupled with the 1.4x extender, the Canon EOS 5D mark II handheld from the vehicle.

The mother Leopard above was hunting to feed her cubs. She slowly came out of the high grass and crossed the trail right behind our vehicle. What a sight!

Botswana and the Victoria Falls instructional photography workshop / $9,800 / limit 6 people / Sep 2014:

Come along with me to the BOTSWANA & VICTORIA FALLS WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP next September 2014! This is truly a wildlife photography tour of a lifetime. THE FIRST THREE REGISTRANTS WILL BENEFIT FROM A $500 DISCOUNT! There is an additional discount for accompanying spouses.

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Steven

Danger from the sky? Fort Desoto Raptors

Many raptors can be seen at Fort Desoto Park, the Yellow Stone of Florida. Let’s have a look at a couple of them…

Osprey - Fort Desoto

Osprey squawking on a branch – Fort Desoto, Florida.
ISO 640 | f/5.6 | 1/1600 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review), the Canon EOS 5D mark III on a Gimbal head and tripod.

I often find that the easiest way to spot birds of prey is to be attentive to their squawking. Ospreys and Red-shouldered Hawks have very distinctive calls for instance. Then follow them for a while and see where their preferred resting area seems to be located. Hopefully, it is low enough and without vegetation obstruction. 🙂

American Kestrel - Fort Desoto

American Kestrel in flight – Fort Desoto, Florida.
ISO 800 | f/8 | 1/6400 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x extender, the Canon EOS 5D mark III handheld while standing.

Now the American Kestrel is a much tougher one to get close to. Plus, it seems to fly away pretty quick… Perseverance and patience are the only ways I know of!

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Steven

The Golden Bear

Have you ever seen a Golden Bear? Check out the following Polar Bear with sunset lighting in its back. It gives him a very nice rim of light around its body, while maintaining some detail on its fur.

Polar Bear at sunset - Churchill, Canada

Polar Bear bathed with back-lit sunset light – Seal River, Churchill Area, Hudson Bay, Canada.
ISO 400 | f/4 | 1/1600 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x extender, the Canon EOS 5D mark III handheld while sitting on the ground.

I love the effect of the golden light bathing this bear while he is walking towards us. The bear looks like a magical creature coming out of a heroic fantasy book. I am very glad I had the chance to create a photograph of the bear walking towards us during the scene. It really gives life to this image. From an image optimization standpoint, I tuned down the white balance a bit, making the image a bit less yellow. I also applied Detailed Extractor filter from NIK software to bring out some of the fur detail, which had been a bit overpowered by the sunset light. The rim of light or ring of fire around the body really add a dramatic effect to the overall. That type of impact can only be created when your subject is back-lit, which is usually not an ideal situation, but can render stunning results when mastered properly.

Polar Bear standing - Hudson Bay, Canada.

Polar Bear waving while standing – Seal River, Churchill Area, Hudson Bay, Canada.
ISO 400 | f/4 | 1/800 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x extender, the Canon EOS 5D mark III handheld while standing.

What do you think this Polar Bear is doing when standing like this?
Not only is the bear standing, but he was actually waving with his left arm. That photograph was created towards the end of this specific afternoon shoot, so I am left to believe it was a goodbye wave for the day.

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Steven

Summer Time Polar Bear Safari In Canada

When you think about a Polar Bear safari, you think about snow and ice… Correct? Well, did you know you could take amazing Polar Bear photographs during Summer time as well? During the Summer season, Polar Bears descend South of the Arctic circle and spread out in the Canadian grasslands. They tend to conglomerate around the West bank of the Hudson Bay, waiting for the Bay to freeze before going back further North during Winter.

Polar Bear in the blooming fireweed - Canada

Polar Bear walking through the blooming fireweed – Seal River, Churchill Area, Hudson Bay, Canada.
ISO 1000 | f/5.6 | 1/800 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x extender, the Canon EOS 5D mark III handheld while sitting on the ground.

The striking photograph above is quite a different result from the traditional Polar Bear on the ice. In the middle of Summer, the Fireweed start blooming, giving a splendid purple backdrop. You have to time it right though, as the blooming only occurs during a three week-span.

Polar Bear in the Summer landscape - Seal River

Polar Bear walking through the blooming fireweed – Seal River, Churchill Area, Hudson Bay, Canada.
ISO 640 | f/7.1 | 1/1250 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x extender, the Canon EOS 5D mark III on tripod and Gimbal head.

You might be able to appreciate better the Summer landscape with this one. As you may see, it is a colorful view. Drop a Polar Bear in the middle… and voila! Note that this is actually very close to Bay itself.

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Steven

Shorebirds at Fort Desoto, Florida

Shorebirds are one of my favorite subjects to photograph! Often, beach goers do not pay too much attention to them, which is quite a miss. They are usually small in size, but if you come down to their World you might see a few amazing things.

Rudy Turnstone at Fort Desoto - Florida

Rudy Turnstone walking along the beach – Fort Desoto, St Petersburg, Florida.
ISO 640 | f/8 | 1/8000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x extender, the Canon EOS 5D mark III handheld while laying flat on the sand.

When I photograph shorebirds, I strive very hard to be as low on the ground as possible. To the point that I would almost go to the point of digging a whole in the sand for myself! What I love with shorebirds’ images is a very low angle, which makes everything blurred but the bird. The photograph above is great example of what I aim for. I also try really hard not to lose the feet in the sand.

Sanderling Fort Desoto, Florida

Sanderling running in the surf – Fort Desoto, St Petersburg, Florida.
ISO 640 | f/8 | 1/8000 sec. | Manual mode | AI servo rear focusing
This photograph was created with the Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM lens (Canon 600mm f/4 L IS II USM review) coupled with the 1.4x extender, the Canon EOS 5D mark III handheld while laying flat on the sand.

The creation above is another great example of the lay low approach. This Sanderling is in the middle of changing direction during its run, adopting a tilted position before heading the other way. You would not think, but shorebirds can run quite fast on the sand and keeping them in the frame is sometimes quite the challenge!

Support our blog by following our links for your purchases. It comes at no extra cost to you and it helps keeping this photography blog lively!

Steven

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