HAWK Photography: August 2015

Tuesday, 18 August 2015

#myshot: African Elephants

A Special thanks to each and every one that contributed to our challenge.

The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest living terrestrial mammal, with the largest recorded individual reaching a massive four metres at the shoulder and weighing an impressive 4.5-6.0 tonnes.Photographing elephants, because of the animals' size, can be less demanding than photographing other wild animals as you don't need to be as close to fill your camera's frame. It's nevertheless still a challenge to produce images that adequately portray the immense power, dexterity, and strong family bonds of Africa's largest mammal.

By Astrid Stevie Winberg

Monochrome magic elephants : taken at Mana Pools, July 2015. Walking with these
gentle giants was so inspiring and surreal. Truly Blessed.

By Elana Erasmus

Image was taken on the Chobe River, Botswana.

This herd crossed the river to gather on a little island to graze.

By Jasper van Zyl

Matriarch and calf. Rietfontein Waterhole Etosha Pans. Herd of Elephants came

to drink at the waterhole and the calf came up to the Matriarch to feed,

and she went into this "pose" while the calf suckled.

By Rian van Schalkwyk

A bull elephant makes his presence known at a watering hole in

Etosha National Park, Namibia

By Astrid Stevie Winberg

Walking with Giants ... taken at Mana Pools, Zimbabwe July 2015. Nothing more humbling
than to walk with these gentle giants. A priviledge that we as humans need to uphold.

By Elana Erasmus

Image was taken on the Chobe River, Botswana.This baby elephant was very tiny

and was constantly looking for the protection and comfort of its mother.A moment of affection

between mom and baby presented me with this image.

By Good Grief Photography-Deon Greeff

Image taken in the Kruger National Park

By Johan Jooste Snr

This shot I took one afternoon late at the Chudob waterhole in Etosha,

just before I wantedto depart, and then spotted the herd coming to drink.

As they came closer, I could see dust blowing off their bodies and they

got more and more in a hurry to get to the water.

By Elana Erasmus

This image was taken on a trip to the Serengeti.This youngster was very playful, but kept to the
side of its mother.It was when he ran off for a moment into the long grass that

I was presented with this image.

By Johan Wolmarans

Image taken in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

By Petri Ackermann

close-up of a beautiful elephant of the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Friday, 7 August 2015

#myshot: Namibian Landscapes

A Special thanks to each and every one that contributed to our challenge.

Landscape Photography

There’s something about getting out in nature with the challenge of capturing some of the amazing beauty that you see. It’s easy to fall into the trap of dialing in a very small aperture when you’re shooting landscapes, particularly when you’re relatively new to photography.

It may be better to stick with apertures in the middle of the range – somewhere in the region of f/11 and f/16 rather than f/22 and f/32. You may lose a little in terms of the depth of sharpness, but your landscapes may look sharper overall.

One element that can set apart your landscape shots is to think carefully about the depth of your shots and by placing points of interest in them. Another element to consider is the sky in your landscape. Most landscapes will either have a dominant foreground or sky – unless you have one or the other your shot can end up being

1. By Naude Dreyer

Took this a few days ago on a hazy morning at Pelican Point. The spring tide had flooded the beach the previous evening, and left this pool to create the reflection. I always love combing natural and urban aspects together....