Okavango Delta Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Stuck in Customs
25
Dec 2014 : Thursday
filed under  Botswana, Okavango Delta

Flying Over the Okavango Delta

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is having great holidays! 🙂

A little mind-bending for the day from Alan Watts

And here’s something a little different for you… it’s one of those that’s worth watching full-screen with good sound! 🙂

Daily Photo – Flying Over the Okavango Delta

One day in Botswana, we took a rather incredible helicopter ride! It came to pick us up at our camp that was literally in the middle of nowhere. And here’s the kicker — our pilot was from Wanaka, New Zealand! That’s only about 45 minutes away from my home… what a strange world!

We took the doors off and it was most pleasant outside. It was so nice and warm that I took off my shoes and let them dangle out into the breeze. Actually, it wasn’t a breeze as much as it was a gale-force wind!

Flying Over the Okavango Delta

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-10-04 04:52:26
  • CameraILCE-7R
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/1500
  • Aperture6.7
  • ISO640
  • Focal Length28.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
15
Dec 2014 : Monday
filed under  Botswana, Okavango Delta

Happy Elephant Family

Part 3 of 3 – Tips for getting the Perfect Reflection Shot

And here is the final part; here you actually get to see me edit the final photo! 🙂

Thinking about Elephants

I did not expect the elephants to be my favorite animal while in Africa. But they were! Sometimes I would get close to them and see strange wildness in their eyes. I don’t anthropomorphize animals (read in human emotions), but I do see something else going on in there… something around a different time-sense. I wonder if they are a lot like whales like that. I’ve never swam with whales, but maybe some day I will and I can compare the two, insofar as I am able.

Daily Photo – Happy Elephant Family

We were actually out looking for a pride of lions in Botswana when we came across this perfect little family of elephants. It’s quite a life for these guys! They basically get to hang out with their family all day and just eat, eat, eat! Can you imagine going to a 14 hour buffet every day with your family where no one ever gets full? What a world that would be!

Happy Elephant Family

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-10-05 04:17:57
  • CameraILCE-6000
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/1250
  • Aperture4
  • ISO800
  • Focal Length146.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias+0.3

Comments
18
Nov 2014 : Tuesday
filed under  Botswana, Okavango Delta

She Stares You Down

Another good series

I know many of you have taken my recommendation on the Patrick Rothfuss series of books (!!), but I’m now into a new series called the “Mistborn” by Sanderson. It comes highly recommended! 🙂

Flatbooks Needs Authors!

We’re looking for some new authors and eBooks over at Flatbooks! Have an idea for an photography eBook, or one you’ve already finished? Come join us at Flatbooks. Check out the info here. Also, check out our latest new books on street photography and children’s portraiture if you’ve missed those.

Daily Photo – She Stares You Down

Other than watching the elephants in Africa, I think this leopard was favorite. She was really hard to find and we looked for many many days. Finally, we found her here but at the base of the tree. She had a kill already up there hanging in the tree. She left it up there to dry like warthog-jerky. While she was resting down below, a huge bird came and threatened to take away her meal, so she scampered up there at full pace to protect her kill.

She Stares You Down

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-10-03 23:56:19
  • CameraILCE-6000
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/2500
  • Aperture4
  • ISO125
  • Focal Length200.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
5
Nov 2014 : Wednesday
filed under  Botswana, Okavango Delta, Sony A6000

Mommy and Baby Elephant

Taken with the Sony FE 70-200mm Lens

Here’s one of the photos that is part of the new Sony FE 70-200 Review here on the site. The optical image stabilization really helped to make sure the shot was nice and crisp, even taken from a helicopter!

Daily Photo – Mommy and Baby Elephant

Aren’t they cute? It was really nice seeing so many baby elephants walking around. All the girls we were with would go CRAZY whenever we saw a baby elephant, but I think all the guys quite liked them too… we just kind of kept that stuff inside… you know us guys, all stoic and stuff.

Mommy and Baby Elephant

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-10-04 04:30:58
  • CameraILCE-6000
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/2000
  • Aperture4.5
  • ISO3200
  • Focal Length200.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
1
Nov 2014 : Saturday
filed under  Botswana, Camera Gear, Okavango Delta, Sony A7R

The Painted Elephant

Past and Current

If you’d like to watch me edit this photo on video, be sure to sign up for the Stuck In Customs Newsletter and you can find out first about a secret new video series that is coming. It’s gonna be awesome! And while you’re over on that page, you can check out previous newsletters as well.

Daily Photo – The Painted Elephant

I am pretty sure the elephant is my favorite animal there in Africa. It was so fun to watch them walk around. I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed it! Something else very interesting that I found out — there are over 90,000 elephants in Botswana. That’s quite a few! I thought there were less for some reason… but you absolutely see them everywhere. Every turn around a bank of trees has a good chance of seeing elephants. It was so fun…

The Painted Elephant

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-10-02 22:40:44
  • CameraILCE-7R
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/200
  • Aperture8
  • ISO80
  • Focal Length57.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
28
Oct 2014 : Tuesday
filed under  Botswana, Okavango Delta

A Black and White Photo

More Grouping Names

I got re-oriented with all my collective animal names while in Africa. Some of my favorites are a Venue of Vultures, a Journey of Giraffes (or if still, a Tower), a Coalition of Cheetahs, and a Memory of Elephants.

Daily Photo – A Black and White Photo

I thought this seemed like an ideal time to try out some black and white photography!

This dazzle of zebras (that is the group name, right? How cool!) was running around trying to find some of the pools of water that are now starting to dry up all over the Okavango Delta. It makes these places hotly contested! They were very nervous, always looking around for lions or other Big Dangerous Cats. At one point, I made a little cough, and they all scattered to the four winds before re-assembling into this amazing formation.

A Black and White Photo

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-10-03 00:21:21
  • CameraILCE-6000
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/1600
  • Aperture4.5
  • ISO160
  • Focal Length200.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments
21
Oct 2014 : Tuesday
filed under  Botswana, Okavango Delta

Fresh Kill In the Trees of Botswana

Invercargill PhotoWalk and Speaking Event!

Open to all! This will be a great event and I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks again to Val and the Southland Photographic Society for organizing the event!

We’ll start with a great PhotoWalk together. ALL Skill levels are allowed and it’s a family friendly event! Bring a friend even! Anything from a mobile phone to a DSLR is perfectly cool. The PhotoWalk will go on for about 1.5 hours and then we’ll head into the presentation + Q&A. It’ll be a great night and I look forward to meeting everyone!

Day: THIS Friday, 10/24
Time we Depart: 7pm
Meeting Location: Age Concern, 50 Forth Street, Invercargill
RSVP: Email Annie at [email protected]

Daily Photo – Fresh Kill In the Trees of Botswana

We tracked leopards for the whole week and didn’t find one until just a few hours ago. This female had killed a warthog and just dragged it up about 20 feet into this tree to keep it away from the lions and hyenas. She was eating it (you can see bits of it below her) while I took the photo. This girl was totally badass and you can see she doesn’t care. I can still hear the sound of her crunching teeth through the soul and bones in my head…

Fresh Kill In the Trees of Botswana

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2014-10-04 00:07:37
  • CameraILCE-6000
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/4000
  • Aperture6.3
  • ISO800
  • Focal Length600.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

Comments