At the end of the dry season in Etosha National Park, it is common to see hundreds of individual animals congregate at the remaining waterholes, with several different species all vying for their share of hydration. The scene is chaotic as zebras fight amongst themselves or chase off the impala, giraffes extend their legs laterally to carefully lower their necks, always looking side to side out of caution before vulnerably taking a drink, and prey is ever wary of lions. The elephants are clearly dominant, and always shown deference.
I often prefer monochromatic images when shooting in Namibia's harsh midday sun, and here I employed a panning technique to accentuate the movement and convey the chaos that ensues at the waterholes.
We've got the details posted for next year's Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours on our website (Oct 11-25, 2024): https://natexpotours.com/2024-namibia/
Please message me if you are interested in joining us and feel free to share.
Cheers!
Colin
Lioness
Lioness, Etosha National Park, Namibia.
What you can't see here is that she is wearing a radio collar, which is cleverly camouflaged by the tall grass. It almost seemed as though she was intentionally hiding it...
Cheers,
Colin
Day 4, Etosha in Black and White: "The Lion Tree"
In celebration of my Facebook page recently passing 6,000 followers, I am sharing my favorite image from Namibia and the final installment of the “Etosha in Black and White” series. As the lions left the waterhole and started making their way to the shade of the camel thorn tree, I had a vision that soon came to fruition. The first lion lay down facing toward the second, approaching lion, and they paused for this moment with the Etosha Pan in the background - a massive dry lakebed of approximately 1900 square miles (4800 square km), comprising around 20% of Etosha National Park. Again, the high key/bright highlights of the harsh midday sun made for an excellent black and white image that conveys the torrid environment.
This image will be added to my online store, available on canvas and metal: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
As always, thank you for following my journeys. Reminder that I will be giving a slideshow on Namibia and discussing the 2023 tour with Nat Expo Tours (www.natexpotours.com) this Sunday, Nov 20, 2pm at the Eagle River Nature Center, Alaska.
Colin
Day 3, Etosha in Black & White: "Zebra Plain"
Zebras are the most common animal in Etosha National Park, Namibia, numbering around 20,000. They are usually found in groups, but this lone animal provided a beautiful composition against the open plains. I switched from my telephoto to a wider angle lens and used a polarizing filter to bring out detail in the sky, with the clouds signaling the coming of the rainy season.
I will be giving a presentation on Namibia at 2 pm this Sunday at the Eagle River Nature Center. If you are in the Anchorage/Eagle River area (Alaska), please stop by!
Cheers,
Colin
Please message me if you are interested in joining us in Namibia next October - the tour is already half full. You can see a list of all our 2023 tours on our website: www.natexpotours.com
Day 2, Etosha in Black & White: "Tusker"
A large bull elephant crossing the parched landscape of Etosha National Park (Namibia) in midday heat. A simple composition with a big sky suggests a sense of space while the single bush anchors the image behind the elephant, giving perspective and scale.
Thank you for following,
Colin
Please message me if you are interested in joining the October 2023 Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours. For a list of all our upcoming tours, please visit our website: www.natexpotours.com
Day 1, Etosha in Black & White: "Zebra Fight"
One advantage of revisiting a destination is not feeling the pressure to capture all the new species that you might otherwise be observing for the first time. It allows you to see the subjects from a more relaxed perspective; to create new and unique images.
After the golden hour of early morning, the light in Etosha National Park (Namibia) becomes very hot, like the ambient temperature of 100˚F/38˚C. While it may not have the appeal of low angle sun, it conveys the harsh environment in which these animals thrive. I chose to utilize the high key light and bright contrast to convey a sense of place in this short series of black & white images. Please stay tuned for more...
Colin
Please message me if you are interested in joining us in Namibia next October. You can find more information about all our upcoming tours on our website: www.natexpotours.com
After the hunt...
This was the first pride of lions we saw on the Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours. It was late morning and judging from the blood-soaked mane of the male here, they had just finished eating. After drinking from the waterhole, they moved to the shade of a camel thorn tree, where they likely remained until nightfall, when they would hunt again.
Stay tuned for a short series over the coming days: "Etosha in Black & White"
Cheers!
Colin
PS - please contact me if you are interested in joining any of our 2023 tours, including Cuba, Norway, Iceland, and Namibia, or visit our website for more info: www.natexpotours.com
Lions in Etosha National Park, Namibia
Mighty Lioness, Etosha National Park, Namibia
Day 3 in Etosha. On our morning game drive from Namutoni Rest Camp, we watched a pride of lions cross in front of us, some stopping to pose for our cameras. It was some of the best lion viewing I've had, with this lovely girl showing off her strength and beauty in the early light.
Please email me if you are interested in joining us (Nat Expo Tours) in Namibia next October. The tour is already half full!
Stay tuned for more lion images and "Etosha in Black & White"
Colin
Cheetah Cub on a Termite Mound
The ubiquitous termite mounds of Africa. If you've been here, you've probably seen thousands of them. Fact - if you weighed all the termites on earth, they would outweigh all of the mammals...!
While not their intended purpose, they do serve as a lookout for cheetahs and other animals, as this cub is demonstrating here. Taken in Onguma private game reserve last week while leading our first Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours.
Colin
Giraffe in Etosha
Upon our arrival in Etosha National Park last week, we stopped by a watering hole that was packed with a variety of wildlife. Directly behind me were literally hundreds of zebras along with dozens of impalas, springboks, giraffes and more. I chose to focus on this single giraffe, away from the crowd, including the sky to give a sense of place with the clouds signaling the arrival of the rainy season. I switched to a wider lens and added a polarizing filter to bring out the blue sky and soft clouds while saturating the warm tones of the giraffe.
Our first Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours has concluded. I will be spending a few days in Addis Ababa, the capitol of Ethiopia, before returning to Alaska. There will be more images to share in the coming days, so please stay tuned…
Cheers,
Colin
Zebra Patterns
Just like a tiger's stripes, the rosettes on a spotted leopard or a human fingerprint, the black & white pattern of a zebra is unique to each individual animal (almost like a walking barcode). Once you have the opportunity to observe large numbers of them at close range, you begin to identify and appreciate individual patterns...
Etosha National Park, Namibia
Colin
Onguma Game Reserve, Namibia
Wildebeest and zebras, Onguma Private Game Reserve, Namibia.
Bordering Etosha National Park in northern Namibia, the Onguma Reserve has a unique below-ground hide next to a watering hole, offering photo ops at or below eye-level with your subjects. We spent one morning in the hide and photographed an array of wildlife including wildebeest, zebras, a large bull elephant, oryx, warthogs and more.
We will be visiting Onguma and staying in one of their lodges on Days 9, 10, & 11 of the October 2022 Namibia Tourmore details here: https://naturalexposurestours.com/2022-namibia-tour/
Cheers!
Colin
Wildebeest and zebras, Onguma Private Game Reserve, Namibia.
The Endangered Black Rhino
A Black rhino with an avian hitchhiker, Etosha National Park, Namibia. Namibia is home to more than 50% of the remaining black rhinos and Etosha has become a stronghold for this endangered species. In an effort to curb poaching, rhino horns were once being cut off to remove the poacher's incentive but as a keratin tissue, it regrows. You can see the flattened horns on this rhino, evidence that they were once cut.
We will be visiting (and staying in) Etosha National Park on Days 7, 8, & 9 of the October 2022 Namibia Tour, where you can expect to witness and photograph these magnificent creatures! We will soon post the dates and a detailed itinerary for the tour, so stay tuned...
More tour info at: https://naturalexposurestours.com/
Colin
Black rhino, Etosha National Park, Namibia
Mature Bull Elephant, Etosha National Park, Namibia
After picking up additional external hard drives to transfer the mass of files I returned with, I'm getting around to editing through the images & videos from my first trip to Africa. This is one of the first and largest elephants we saw. I'll be sharing more in the days & weeks ahead and we will soon have the details posted for our October 2022 Namibia Tour at Nat Expo Tours so please check us out over there and share with your friends!
Thank you for following,
Colin
