Scratching

Frequent visitors to Mana Pools during the last decade will remember, no doubt, the lioness with the black eye. Just going through some old shots for 2013 and spotted this image, taken with a now old 50D back then. This old girl was certainly the matriarch of the pride, and was often seen assisting other younger females with their young. A pretty aggressive lady too, when defending the cubs in the pride, as experienced in a couple of charges.

(Canon EOS 50D / EF 100-400mm f/5.6 L IS USM; 1/320 sec; f/5.6; ISO 500; 400mm)

Picture ©2013 Andrew Field – Simply Wild Photography

Digital Wildlife Photographic Tips
With a more powerful lens there is a natural propensity to zoom in on your subject and fill the frame with it. With wildlife imagery you should endeavour to show not only the subject, but its environment too. Consider composing the image approximated on the intersection of thirds and taking in more of the environs surrounding the subject. Zoom in and out on the subject and capture the image at different focal lengths. Where possible, change your angle of approach to the subject, bearing in mind your movement may frighten more skittish subjects.

Stuck in darkest Africa, lost in the wild and loving it! Don’t let me out of here…

Who is a Pretty Girl Then?

This lioness (Panthera leo – Shona: shumba; Ndebele: isilwane) had just woken from her daily slumber and is waiting for the next meal to come along. 

(Canon EOS 5D Mark III / EF 100-400mm f/5.6 L IS II USM +1.4 III extended; 1/250 sec; f/8; ISO 640; 560mm)

Picture ©2016 Andrew Field – Simply Wild Photography

Photography Quotes
Burk Uzzle is an American photo journalist whose image was used on the cover of the famous Woostock album. His career in photography took him to great heights at a young age, he being one of the youngest Life Magazine photographers ever be appointed by them in his time. He has written several books on photography.

“Photography is a love affair with life.“

Stuck in darkest Africa, lost in the wild and loving it! Don’t let me out of here…

Lioness in the River Bed

After a long day, trying to find a pride of lion (Panthera leo – Shona: shumba; Ndebele: isilwane) we eventually stumbled upon this lady, taking a late afternoon nap in the shade, in the comfort of a sandy, dried up river bed.  Behind her were the rest of the pride on the edge of the river bed, basking in the late afternoon sun.  She seems to have suffered an injury to her left eye, and is probably blinded in that eye. The old boy was to the left, hidden in a thicket, and very cross at the intrusion.
(Canon 7D / EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM; f/6.3; 1/400sec; ISO-400; 360mm)

Picture ©2012 Andrew Field – Simply Wild Photography

Content

These two lionesses (Panthera leo) seem to be most content with their lot, but it is not too clear whether they have eaten or not.  Their jowls are remarkably clean, if they have fed. Other lions are still feeding on the other side of the carcass, while the rest of the pride is spread about the kill area. It would seem that these two are merely guarding the kill, perhaps against potential scavengers, the only evidence of which was encroaching Marabou Storks, gathering like undertakers a little distance off.
(Canon EOS 5D Mk III/ EF100-400mm IS II USM; 1/500 sec; f/6.7; ISO 500; 318mm)

Picture ©2016 Andrew Field – Simply Wild Photography

The World of Lenses

Achromatic lenses are designed to address a problem familiar to both photographer and, believe it or not, astronomers, in telescopes. Chromatic aberration occurs when different colours focus at different distances from the lens, resulting in a soft image, often with colour fringing at high contrast edges in the image. The achromatic lens attempts to eliminate this by bringing two wavelengths (usually red and blue) into focus on the same plane. Lens manufacturers often combine refractive and diffractive optics in a lens to reduce chromatic aberration.

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment.”

– Ansel Adams

Alerted Lioness

This lioness (Panthera leo) was probably on a hunting mission with one other lioness when encountered by the photographer; and if looks could kill. They were watching over an open vlei from the shade of a tree, supposedly awaiting unsuspecting prey to cross their ambush area. A fit lion can gather speed up to 60-70 kilometres per hour in the chase, but can only maintain this for about 100m. With common antelope, like Impala, being able to achieve 80-90 kph during flight, the lion really needs an element of surprise and for its prey to encroach within 30m. Humans have no chance. The world’s fastest, Usain Bolt, reaches a mere 45 kph over 100m!
(Canon EOS 5D Mk III/ EF100-400mm IS II USM; 1/250 sec; f/11; ISO 320; 400mm)

Picture ©2016 Andrew Field – Simply Wild Photography