I have just sent a book on Tanzania to the publisher. It should be available by mid April.
In the meantime, you can take a look at my first book published in 2009 with some of my favorite scenes from nature. You can get your own copy from Blurb.
For full screen viewing, click the “4 arrow” expansion button next to the blurb logo.
This has been a great year for photography. Trips to Tanzania – whoo hoo – and Yellowstone/Tetons and the CA Coast. I’ve seen some wonderful sights and wild things. This is a collection of some of my very favorites.
After seeing elephants late one day at a watering hole, we decided to return in the morning, hoping they would still be around. They were.
Watching the rest of the herd come over the hill toward the water, I was able to capture two of the littlest ones on their own.
When the family got to the water, they were very protective of the newest member of the family. Mothers, aunts and sisters make sure the baby is safe.
It was a great morning of photography watching the elephants at the watering hole.
In Alaska it is not too difficult to find eagles to photograph. However, it is hard to get close enough to get really good pictures. In Homer, we were “camped” on the spit, a narrow peninsula where much of the tourist business resides as well as all the fishing business. So eagles were easy to spot and sometimes easy to photograph.
One morning I watched and shot this eagle for some time. It was on the ground for quite a while and I was waiting for it to finally take flight. They look so fierce and focused and you can see how the expression “eagle eye” really fits.
Ready
Set!
FLY like and Eagle!
One morning as we were driving off-road to see giraffes, we came upon a large group foraging in the trees. There were two males engaged in a display of their fighting prowess. When giraffes “fight” for dominance, they head-butt each other on the thigh/butt. One of the giraffes kept trying to trip the other by putting his head under the leg and lifting it.
Tripping up
In this photo the giraffes have wrapped their necks around each other. They look like boxers who need to “break”.
Wrapped up in each other
One giraffe kept stretching as tall as he could go, apparently to show the shorter one how much bigger he was.
I'm bigger than you
It was really fun to watch these giraffes – as well as many others in the area. Their colors and markings are beautiful and they are so graceful – and TALL. We were fascinated, and watched them for about an hour.
To all the cats out there that give comfort and love to their people, thank you. To my cat, Pippi, thanks for all the joy you gave me for the past 10 years. I will miss you. Here are some other cats to enjoy – for now.
Big Bro
This little guy was in the first group of lions that I saw in Tanzania. What a way to start! He had two siblings, but this one seemed to be the boldest. They were waiting for mom to lead them to wherever.
These three cubs were on a kopje with two adult females, probably sisters. One was very relaxed (right) and one was restless (center). We watched the group for 45-60 minutes to see what they might do.
Three little cubs
Future Queen/King of the Kopje
This is one of the three cubs above, I think the one that is resting. He/she stretched and climbed up on this boulder like he owned the place! And he/she probably will.
The Serengeti is a huge area extending through parts of Kenya and Tanzania. Serengeti National Park is part of the area in Tanzania. The Ngorongora Conservation Area is also a reserved part of the Serengeti, and is adjacent to the Ngorongoro Crater National Park. These are the primary areas I visited on my adventure. Lake Manyara and Arusha National Park were each a day on the agenda.
The Serengeti is everything and more of what I expected from my many viewings of nature programs and books. The expanse of land and sky is greater than anywhere else I’ve been. The plains have long waving grass in places, and short grasses in others – depending on the rains. And you see animals almost everywhere! They’re all looking for something to eat, or resting from just having eaten.
These pictures can’t quite do justice to the spectacle, but they are representative of the beauty and expanse. There are a few pictures of Massai herders in their environment; one picture is of Connie, our tour operator and Boni, our tour guide/driver. We were Connie’s 109th safari; Boni has been showing people his country for 18 years. A great pair to learn from.
Tomorrow is the day I’ve been waiting for; I’m off to Tanzania for 2 weeks of photography. Should have some great photos to share when I return. Until then…
Takeoff
The animals we see as we travel are always amazing, from the smallest to the largest. Click HERE, to see some of my favorite photos of critters.
Big Horn Sheep
I have created a new video, which you can find under the Videos tab above. I hope you enjoy these great bears. They were definitely fun to watch.
msummersphoto 