"Taking Flight",  Egret.    Okavango Delta,  Botswana.    Photographed from a helicopter,  during the morning in July,  2009,  an egret takes to the air over the Okavango Delta.   The helicopter had the side doors removed so there was no issue with shooting through glass,  with the problem of glare and reflections which often make photographing from aircraft difficult.   The downside to that is the amount of air turbulence which occurs buffeting the photographer as he directs the lens.     It was advised in the circumstances to use lenses without lens hoods attached as they tend to act like a sail,  catching the wind and adding to the problem of camera shake.   Given the vibration of the aircraft and the air turbulence,  fast shutter speeds were essential and a zoom lens proved most useful regards framing the subject.     The Okavango Delta is fed by the waters of several rivers originating in the highlands of Angola.    2009 provided one of the best seasons seen for many years in the delta with substantial rainfall in the catchments ensuring that water levels were high.  Indeed some channels,  such as the Savuti Channel,  which had been dry for 20 years,  were full.     Canon 5D with 70-300mm zoom at 210mm, aperture F5.6, shutter speed 1/800 second,  ISO 640.     Processed in Adobe Lightroom 2.6,  the exposure on the right 2/3rds of the image was reduced by 1.5 stops to even out the excessive contrast between the dry grasses on the right of the image and the dark waters on the left of the image.      With the egret being small in frame and a lot of detail in the grasses and reeds,  this image really needs to be viewed larger to fully appreciate it.    The image is available as a wallpaper via the downloads page.

Red Lechwe.    Okavango Delta,  Botswana.    Photographed shortly after sunrise in July, 2009,  the lechwe (Kobus Leche) is well adapted to the waterlogged conditions of the delta.    Considered one of the most "aquatic" of the antelope species,  its greasy coat sheds water whilst its widely splayed hooves enable it to run through water and swampy ground.   The males have the ridged horns seen on this animal and the colour of the lechwe's coat varies from one region to the next.   Preyed upon by lions,  leopards,  hyenas and wild dogs,  the lechwe,  if threatened,  will instinctively run to water.     A characteristic of long telephoto lenses is their limited depth of field (DoF).   Given the size of the animal and that it was at an angle to the camera,  stopping the 500mm lens down to F9.0 was required to give sufficient DoF that the entire animal is in focus.   The high shutter speed helped freeze the movement of the splashing water droplets,  whilst the resulting high ISO of 1600 is still capable of giving excellent image quality with today's digital SLR cameras.    Canon 5D, focal length 500mm at F9.0,  shutter speed 1/2000 second at ISO 1600.

Lion at sunrise.    Okavango Delta,  Botswana.    Photographed at sunrise in July, 2009,  this young male lion,  in beautiful condition,  walked across the floodplain in front of us,  patrolling his territory,  stopping occasionally to scent mark as he did so.   In my eagerness to photograph him,  I accidentally engaged exposure compensation on the camera,  a mistake I didn't recognize until after I'd taken a series of 20 or 30 shots and he'd walked out of view.    I pulled out several strands of my own hair in frustration when I reviewed the images and saw that the entire series was heavily underexposed, probably by about 3 stops.     On getting home and downloading my digital files,  I opened the image up in Lightroom 2.5 and adjusted the RAW file adding 2 full stops of exposure.   Whilst not a process I'd knowingly repeat,   the image still ended up being worthwhile.   We learn from our mistakes!   Fortunately,  the current state of digital technology gives a great deal of flexibility and in this case was forgiving enough to still end up with the final result shown.    Canon 5D,  focal length 500mm at F4.0,  shutter speed 1/8000 second at ISO 1600.   (Unintended exposure compensation resulted in significant under exposure).

Giraffe Portrait.    Okavango Delta,  Botswana.    Photographed in the Okavango Delta,  Botswana in July, 2009,  I took several close up,  portrait shots,  of this, and other, giraffes.     The long telephoto lens allowed me to get a clean image without a distracting background.  Because of the giraffe's long neck,  it's tempting to go with a vertical format,  but in this case I decided to go horizontal format and give the subject some space to look into.     When it came time to process the file,  I felt that monochrome would work well and experimented with the split toning options in Lightroom 2.5.   This was really a case of playing with the sliders until I got something that appealed to me.  Having set different hue values for highlights and shadows,  I then pulled the saturation down to low levels for each to try and ensure a subtle effect.     This was a case where I processed the image and then didn't look at it again for several days before coming back to it.   That break was worthwhile as my feelings about the image and my processing changed in that time.  I found that,  on a second viewing,  I wasn't entirely pleased with the image and so reopened the file and made a further,  small but I think necessary,   adjustment.   Canon 5D Mk 2,  focal length 700mm (500mm +1.4x converter)  at F6.3,  shutter speed 1/1250 second at ISO 200.

Lion walking through water.    Okavango Delta,  Botswana.    Photographed on the flood plain near Kwetsani camp,  in the Okavango Delta,  Botswana in July, 2009, shortly after sunrise,  this young male lion was patrolling his territory and in the process provided us with some excellent photo opportunities.       In our safari vehicles,  we followed this lion as he steadily walked the length of the flood plain stopping only whenever he encountered a shrub or tree to scent mark it.   Like most of the major species in the area,  he was aware of our presence but quite unconcerned by it.   In this game reserve the wildlife is fully protected from hunting with the result that lions,  and other species,  don't perceive the four wheel drive vehicles, nor their occupants,  as a threat.         There are of course common sense protocols that need to be observed such as remaining in the vehicle and keeping noise to a minimum.    Canon 5D Mk 2,  focal length 130mm at F5.6,  shutter speed 1/100 second at ISO 400.

Lily pads and sunset,    Okavango Delta,  Botswana.   Another shot from the Okavango Delta near Kwetsani camp,  as part of my 2009 photographic safari,  this shot was taken from a small boat and features some of the abundant lily pads that were present on the waterways.    In order to give the landscape a feeling of depth,  I used the wide angle positioned low and close to the foreground.   The wide angle perspective gives emphasis to the foreground subject and also means that there is a graduated effect to the light.  The distant water reflects the warm tones of the sunset whilst the foreground,  being at a relatively steeper angle to the camera,  is less influenced by the reflected sunset.  I used a small aperture,  which when combined with the wide angle's inherent extended depth of field,  means that everything from close to far in the image is sharp.    In post processing,  I accentuated the foreground contrast and colours and added a slight vignette to the scene.    Canon 5D,  focal length 24mm at F13,  shutter speed 1/40 second at ISO 400.

African Jacana.     Okavango Delta,  Botswana.      During the course of a photographic safari/workshop through the Okavango Delta in Botswana in July,  2009, we spent some time in small boats exploring the waterways around Kwetsani.   It was whilst exploring the channels,  pools and lagoons,  that I got some shots of African Jacanas.     Taken during the late afternoon with the jacana jumping from one lily pad to another,  if you look closely you'll see the bird's long toes which are an adaption for walking on the lily pads.  Taken with the long telephoto plus the 1.4x tele extender, the warm tones in the image are the result of the late afternoon light,  the shot having had very little digital manipulation of the colours.   Whilst some other waterbird species would take flight on the approach of our boat,  the jacanas were unconcerned by our presence and continued walking across lily pads foraging for insects.     Compositionally,  I'm pleased with the wing position and the position of the feet.   Ideally I would have liked some more room in front of the bird.  I considered cropping in from the bottom of the frame so as to exclude the partial reflection of the bird and give a more "panoramic" aspect ratio,  but in the end left the image full frame. Canon 5D,  focal length 700mm (500mm lens with 1.4x tele-extender)  F7.1, shutter speed 1/1000 second at ISO 400.

Malachite Kingfisher.     Okavango Delta,  Botswana.      In July,  2009,  I took part in a photographic safari/workshop through the Okavango Delta region of Botswana.   The safari involved 3 nights at each of 4 tented camps the first of which was Kwetsani Camp situated to the west of the Moremi Game Reserve.      Kwetsani is regarded as a "wet" camp as it is alongside a broad flood plain which at the time of my visit was indeed flooded due to favourable weather in the preceding months,  with excellent rainfall recorded in the highlands of Angola feeding into the rivers which form the delta.      On our first afternoon we took to small motorized boats and explored the waterways and channels around Kwetsani which meant some good sightings of several species of waterbirds including the beautiful malachite kingfisher.   In the warm late afternoon light we saw several of these kingfishers perched on,  and flying between,  reeds at the water's edge.       The challenge was getting clear shots of the birds without distracting or obscuring reeds.  A wide aperture was used here which gives a narrow depth of field and throws the background out of focus,  an effect I like, particularly with birds.   The head position of the bird means that the narrow depth of field is still enough to get everything that's important in focus.       Compositionally,  the bird is slightly off centre of the image and looking back into the negative space of the left of the frame.   I'm usually pleased when there is a strong diagonal element in the frame and the perch here provides that.   One frustration of using the 5D,  I found,  was that it's easy to accidentally turn the quick control dial on the rear of the camera without being aware of it and hence unintentionally deploy exposure compensation.   Such was the case here where the image was unintentionally underexposed.      With the histogram being biased to the left side,  it was necessary to increase the exposure by about 1.6 stops in the RAW conversion.   The result was that noise started to get noticeable in the background shadow areas.   I used Noise Ninja at the 5D profiled settings to effectively clean up the shadows.   This is the first time I've ever used this software and even at this early stage,  I think it will prove to be a worthwhile investment.      Canon 5D,  focal length 700mm (500mm lens with 1.4x tele-extender)  F5.6, shutter speed 1/3200 second at ISO 800.

Huangshan Mountains, China.    Whilst travelling through China during 1999,  I visited the Huangshan Mountains,   (see images below) where,  like so many before me,  I was drawn to the elements of rock formations,  forests and lighting.   All those elements are present in this image which was made whilst walking one of the many trails.   The image was captured late in the day hence the low angle light which can be seen coming in from the left.     The image was originally captured handheld on 35mm colour negative film using a Pentax SF7 with 28-80 mm zoom lens.   Photoshop processing of the image involved contrast and minor colour saturation enhancements together with dodging and burning to bring out the sky toning and vignette the corners.    A localized contrast adjustment was made to the rock outcrop.

Huangshan Mountains, China.       Whilst travelling through China during 1999,  I visited the Huangshan Mountains, a region which has inspired artists and poets for centuries with its scenery and often misty weather.    This image is a little different to most of the shots I took there,  in that it doesn't rely on fine detail, indeed the foreground is shown in silhouette.    Also the weather conditions were clear at the time,  which for this region can be rare.      I was drawn to this scene by the contrasts,  the dark silhouetted foreground vs the light sky background.  Also the different forms,  the sharp distinct form of the ridge and the trees along it compared to the wispy indistinct form of the clouds.    The image was originally captured handheld on 35mm colour negative film using a Pentax SF7 with 80-400 mm zoom lens.   Very little has been done to the image by way of digital enhancement.      Opinions may vary as to the relative weight given to dark values vs light values in the image and whether the image should be cropped,  either in camera at the time or in post processing,  to give greater emphasis to one over the other.  In this case the image is presented very much as it was composed in camera with a weighting roughly 2/3rds to 1/3rd,  light to dark.   To me personally,  this feels about right.

Snow Monkeys,  Huangshan Mountains, China.     Whilst travelling through China during 1999,  I went through the Huangshan Mountains,  a region which has inspired artists and poets for centuries with its scenery and often misty weather.   In addition to marveling at the craggy mountains and rock outcrops,  I also had the opportunity to observe and photograph some wildlife at reasonably close range.      Snow monkeys,  members of the macaque family,  are found in this region and at one location were in the habit of coming down and gathering near a creek where they knew that people scattered loose corn for them.      The monkeys pictured here were part of a troop numbering probably 40 to 50 individuals and included quite a few very young ones.   Looking at the image,  it's natural to assume that it's a mother with its infant,  but in fact the adult pictured is a male.      It seems to be a behavioural characteristic of this species that it's the males who carry and care for the young.  Presumably this means the young have progressed to the point where they are no longer entirely dependent on their mothers.       The image was originally captured handheld on 35mm colour negative film using a Pentax SF7 with 80-400 mm zoom lens.    Very little has been done to the image by way of digital enhancement other than a slight cropping.

The waterfront,  Yangzi River,  Fengjie,  China.    This particular image was taken during a trip I took to China in 1999 and shows passengers disembarking from boats on the Yangzi River at the small town of Fengjie.  As can be seen in the picture,  access from boats to the town was gained by walking across barges and walkways over the water before climbing up the steep stairs to the town proper.     The history of the town actually dated back beyond the year 700BC during which era it was an important commercial centre for the region.    The weather was dreary and showering rain on the date of the photograph,  perhaps an omen for the town which when I visited was on borrowed time.   It has since been abandoned,  submerged beneath the waters of the Yangzi River following the completion of the Three Gorges dam project which at the time was well underway.       The image was originally captured on 35mm colour negative film using a Pentax SF7 with 80-400 mm zoom lens.

River boat,  River Li, Guangxi Provence,  China.     Taken during a trip I did through China in 1999,  the River Li flows through a landscape of steep sided rock formations or karsts with numerous boats plying the river between the city of Guilin and the smaller town of Yangshuo.      The river and the surrounding landscape are frequently cloaked in fog which adds to the sense of mystery and the region has inspired artists and writers for generations.   Originally captured on colour negative film I felt the image worked better as a monochrome and I carried out selective dodging and burning to add a little emphasis as needed.       The image was taken with a Pentax SF7 35mm film SLR and a 28-80mm zoom lens from the deck of another boat and the camera was hand held.       This is one of a series of shots I'm preparing from my China files,  I intend to compile a slideshow of these shots in due course.

Wildebeest,  Crossing the Mara River.   Serengeti National Park,  July,  2008.        One of the most remarkable things I saw during my time in the Serengeti was the crossing of the Mara River by migrating wildebeest.      In one of nature's greatest spectacles,  the wildebeest migrate from the southern part of the national park,  north towards the border with Kenya where they remain for the calving season in January-February.   The critical point of this migration is when the wildebeest have to run the gauntlet of predators to cross the Mara River in order to continue north.      We were out on the plains just to the north of the river when we heard that the wildebeest had gathered in large numbers on the southern side of the river and there was a chance they may cross. We dashed to the northern bank in time to see the crossing which proved to be one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. On the far bank there were tens of thousands of wildebeest.  They made their way down the steep bank of the river and then threw themselves into the water and swam,  battling against the current and then clambered over slippery rocks and boulders to get to the far bank.  They were jumping in at a rate of at least one every second with the northern bank and it's rocks so congested with animals that they were frantically trying to climb over the top of each other. Some couldn't get a foot hold and ended up crawling on their knees over the rocks, some falling back into the water and having to try repeatedly to get up.     The activity was so chaotic and frantic that at times the water churned like a washing machine with water spray going in every direction.    All the time there were crocodiles lying at the water's edge.  We didn't see the crocs attack anything,  they didn't have to.   At the point where we observed all this,  there were 7 or 8 wildebeest carcasses floating in the water,  drowned or trampled to death.   Goodness only knows how many die this way.   The carcasses we observed were floating in eddies,  no doubt many more would have been carried away by the current.     We observed this activity for about 30 minutes when suddenly they stopped crossing.    Why we'll never know,  a change of wind direction?    The sun went behind a cloud?   Don't know but it was so abrupt that it was as though someone had thrown a switch.    Those thousands of animals still on the southern side gradually moved back from the river,  presumably to try again at a later time or at a different point on the river.     Thinking that the activity was over we then noticed that about 200 to 300 metres upstream the wildebeest had started crossing the river at that point.    We moved our vehicles closer and watched in awe as the spectacle played out again for another 30 minutes at least.   In all we must have seen 4 or 5 thousand animals cross.     It was only afterwards that I really appreciated just how lucky we'd been.    One of our drivers had been doing these safaris full time for the last 30 years and had only witnessed the river crossing 4 times.     This particular image was cropped from the full frame taken on the Canon 5D with 500mm lens at F 5.6,  shutter speed 1/2000 second at ISO 100.  The high shutter speed was required to capture the splashing water. Further images from this event can be seen as part of the Tanzania,  Wildebeest gallery.

Cheetah in Long Grass.    We were in Serengeti National Park, watching a herd of wildebeest,  numbering several hundred,  running past.  I was experimenting with some pan and blur shots,  when I saw some movement in the long grass.   Moments later a pair of ears popped up and I realized that we were not the only interested spectators!    This cheetah watched intently,  unseen by the wildebeest as they ran by.    We watched as he stalked through the grass,  creeping up on the herd,  but then decided not to try and attack them.   I'm sure a cheetah would be quite capable of taking down a wildebeest calf but may have been dissuaded by the presence of so many adults on the move,  or maybe he just wasn't hungry enough.     Shortly after taking this shot a second cheetah also popped up from the long grass,  the two later walked out into a clearing close to our vehicle and wandered past quite unconcerned by our presence.     This image was captured with the Canon 5D with the 500mm F4.0 lens plus 1.4x tele extender at F6.3,  shutter speed was 1/500 second at ISO 50.    The image was had very little post processing,  a very slight increase in colour saturation,  vibrance and "clarity" in Adobe Camera Raw followed by a modest cropping and some selective sharpening in Photoshop CS3.

Lion,  Ngorongoro Crater,  Tanzania.      Photographed by the edge of a vehicle track in Ngorongoro Crater,  this male was part of a pride of about a dozen lions,  including several cubs,  which sat and lay about unconcerned by the presence of several safari vehicles.   Lions generally hunt at night using the cover of darkness to stalk prey and tend to be fairly lethargic,  conserving energy,  during the day.   In Ngorongoro Crater,  the grass on the floor of the crater was quite short and so sighting lions was reasonably easy,  whereas in some other regions,  such as the Serengeti,  the grass was longer and lions could easily conceal themselves even during daylight.     This photograph was taken late morning in late June,  2008,  using a Canon 5D DSLR with a 500mm lens at F4.0,  shutter speed of 1/500 second,  and ISO 400.     The image is presented here without cropping.    Having looked at the image in colour,  I decided to do a black and white conversion in Photoshop CS3 and then give a toning effect.    Although due to the wide aperture used there is a selective focus to the lion and out of focus background,  I decided to exaggerate that effect by selectively sharpening the lion and selectively blurring the background further.    Finally I introduced a subtle vignette effect to draw the viewer's eye to the central subject.      This is an effect that I enjoy and so decided to use it on several of the lion images and present them as a themed set.

Masai Giraffe,  Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.      Whilst on safari in Tanzania,  one of the things I was surprised by was the number and proximity of giraffes we saw.   I'd read somewhere that giraffes were weary of humans and wouldn't tolerate vehicles nearby,  but this proved to be quite wrong.   This individual was photographed in the Serengeti National Park late morning in early July,  2008.      The image was captured using a Canon 5D DSLR with a 500mm lens at F5.6,  shutter speed was 1/1250 second at ISO 200.  The vehicle we were using was a pop top long wheelbase 4 wheel drive,  typical of the vehicles used by several tour/safari companies that operate in the area,  and the camera/lens combination were supported on a bean bag.      This is not the full frame but has been cropped down,  the giraffe was feeding on the foliage of a nearby tree,  but I chose to ignore the nearby tree and show the face of the animal juxtaposed against another tree on the horizon.   I like the fact that the distant tree is out of focus to the extent that it's clear the giraffe is the main focus of attention,  but the tree still has enough form that it is immediately identifiable.       Although numerous lenses can be used to good effect on such a safari,  I found the long telephoto to be particularly valuable,  indeed I used the 500mm either with or without tele-extenders for probably 80-90% of all the shots I took.    In addition to the obvious reach that the lens gives,  I also value its limited depth of field when used at a wide aperture,  allowing for the selective focus effect seen here.

Dik Dik,  Tarangire National Park,  Tanzania.     This image was taken whilst on safari in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania,  at 9.00 a.m. on a morning in June, 2008,  using a Canon 20D set to ISO 100 and mounted to an 800mm F5.6 super telephoto lens at F5.6 and 1/200 second.    The original RAW file was converted in Adobe Camera Raw on the default settings,  no further colour or contrast adjustments have been made.   In Photoshop CS3, slight sharpening was given to the animal and the seed head it's sniffing,  whilst a very slight gaussian blur was given to the background.    The image is presented here full frame.      The Dik dik is the smallest of the antelope species being only slightly larger than a domestic cat and tends to shelter in scrub and tall grass.    The species tends to be fairly skittish,  and given its habitat,  it was difficult to get a clear,  unobscured,  photograph.     This particular animal was about 10 to 12 metres from my safari vehicle and was only clearly visible for a few seconds before retreating behind bushes and out of sight.      For wildlife photography,  long telephoto lenses are particularly useful for several reasons.     Firstly,  and perhaps most obviously,  is the reach of the lens.    Wildlife such as the timid Dik Dik will not tolerate a closer approach that would be necessary with a shorter focal length lens if one is to get anything other than an "environmental" shot.    Further to that,  whilst on safari in most of the African national parks,  almost all photography has to be carried out from within a vehicle due to the possible presence of predator species such as lions.    Another advantage of using a telephoto,  particularly when used at the widest aperture,  is the narrow depth of field.    A narrow depth of field enables selective focus on the subject whilst allowing the background to become blurred.    In this instance the animal was close to its background and so the background blurring effect wasn't as great as I would have liked.      The lens used (the 800mm) was just becoming available at the time of my using it,  and is the subject of a separate article which examines image quality achieved with the lens and also some of the considerations for transporting and using super telephotos.

Mountain Ridges,  Annapurna circuit,  Nepal.      This image was taken late afternoon whilst trekking in the Annapurna region of Nepal in November,  1995,  using a Pentax SF7 35 mm SLR with a 28-80mm zoom lens and Kodak ISO 100 colour negative film.    Exposure details were not recorded,  but I believe the lens was close to the mid point of it's zoom range,  so about 50mm,  at about F11 at 1/30 second.      The negative was scanned using the Epson V700 flatbed scanner and Epsonscan software and is presented here full frame with minimal digital enhancement.    As discussed in a previous article,  in falling light at the end of the day,  you can find yourself using fairly slow shutter speeds making the use of a sturdy camera support such as a tripod worthwhile,  some would say essential.    In addition to camera shake the other consideration in a shot such as this is depth of field (DOF).   The smaller the aperture the greater the depth of field,  but of course with resulting longer shutter speed,  so it's a trade off.    This shot being taken on film,  I was a bit restricted,  however,  these days with digital I'd have no hesitation in bumping the ISO rating up to 800 or higher so as to allow a suitable aperture for good DOF with a higher shutter speed.      I often hear,  and read,  references to "landscape format" or "portrait format".    I regard these terms as nonsense,  they are horizontal or vertical format.   Looking back over the images I've taken over the years,  about 1/3rd of all my landscapes would be in vertical,  or so called "portrait" format.   This is particularly true when using wider lenses where the inherent extended DOF invites the inclusion of interesting foreground elements into a composition.      I like this particular image for several reasons,  the single shrub on the nearest ridge with the foreground almost,  but not quite,  in complete shadow and the repeating lines of the mountain ridges receding into the distance.    The time of day and the cloud cover combine to give a soft light and what I find a pleasing colour to the sky and distant ridges.

Sunset on the Annapurna circuit,  Nepal.     This image was taken at sunset whilst trekking in the Annapurna region of Nepal in November,  1995,  using a Pentax SF7 35 mm SLR with a 28-80mm zoom lens and Kodak ISO 100 colour negative film.   Aperture and shutter speed were not recorded,  but given that the shot was taken handheld prior to the development of image stabilization technology,  it was likely to be around F8 at 1/125 second.     The negative was scanned using the Epson V700 flatbed scanner and Epsonscan software and is presented here full frame without digital enhancement.   Whilst the subject matter itself was appealing,  the lighting was (and often is) critical.   With the sun low in the sky,  the scene is strongly side lit which has the effect of giving the features in the landscape some dimensionality.   Also at the start and finish of the day the colour temperature is warmer,  the light takes on a golden,  even reddish,  toning.    That's why so many people love sunsets!      Ideally with a scene such as this,  no subject movement,  an acceptably sharp image would require the use of either a support,  such as a tripod with a cable release or self timer,  or if handheld,  a shutter speed fast enough to overcome camera shake.    Sometimes when travelling,  carrying and using a decent tripod can be a hassle,  so what are the considerations for hand held photography?     The traditional rule of thumb is that to get acceptably sharp images handheld,  the shutter speed used should be faster than the inverse of the lens focal length.   So for example with a 50mm lens you would be using a shutter speed of 1/50 of a second or faster (in practice it would be 1/60 of a second or faster).   This is a fairly rough guide and will vary from person to person dependent on how steady you are and how careful you are with your technique.    By concentrating on holding the camera firmly and pressing the shutter release slowly and smoothly,  I found that I could often get acceptably sharp images 2 or even 3 stops slower than the rule of thumb would suggest.    Another consideration when talking about acceptable sharpness is how large are you going to print or display the image.   The rule of thumb described above is a useful guide,  in my view,  if you're printing to postcard sized or maybe 10x8 inches (25x20cm).    At larger sizes,  small defects in the image become more apparent,  and even slight camera shake becomes more obvious.   With this particular image I believe I can get an acceptable print quality to a size of 18x12 inches or maybe even 24x16 inches without any detail loss due to camera shake.   At these sizes the limiting factor becomes the appearance of obvious film grain.    Image stabilization (IS) technology is a great development allowing extra leeway when taking hand held shots in falling light.   IS,  or "vibration reduction" (VR) if you're a Nikon user (effectively the same thing),  uses tiny motors within the barrel of the lens acting like gyroscopes.   The result is that the lens will steady itself to the extent that hand held shots can be achieved 2 to 3 stops slower than without IS or VR employed.

Shepherd's hut & Dhaulagiri, Nepal:      This image was taken whilst trekking in the Annapurna-Dhaulagiri region in Nepal in October-November,  1995.   The Annapurna Sanctuary area in central Nepal, outside the town of Pokhara,  is the most popular trekking region in Nepal and offers superb mountain scenery,  as well as views across terraced farmland at the lower altitudes.     The Annapurna circuit itself is fairly well served by teahouses along the trail,  indeed it's possible to hike from one teahouse to the next most of the way around the circuit.       Dhaulagiri at 8197 metres is one of the highest mountains in the region and dominates the horizon in this picture.     On the trek I did,  we ventured away from the main trail in order to get closer to Dhaulagiri.    Trekking through this region really necessitates the use of porters who are quite remarkable in the loads they carry.     Camp was set up each afternoon on ridge lines at altitudes up to about 3500 metres where overnight temperatures commonly dropped below freezing.       Each day would typically involve 3 to 6 hours hiking with the main consideration being,  not the distance covered,  but the change in altitude.    The region has numerous deep valleys and canyons between mountain ridges,  so that a day's hiking could involve alternating steep downhill then steep uphill sections.    This image was taken using a Pentax SF7 35 mm SLR with a 28-80mm zoom lens and Kodak ISO 100 colour negative film.     Aperture and shutter speed were not recorded,  but I believe would probably be F16 at 1/60th second with the lens at the wider end of its zoom range.   The small aperture together with the wide angle being used to ensure good depth of field.    The negative was scanned using the Epson V700 flatbed scanner and Epsonscan software.    The image is presented here full frame with minimal digital enhancement.       When standing in front of an impressive landscape,  such as a mountain range like this,  it is all too easy to be so captivated by the view that the resulting photographs are disappointing.    The wind on your face and the sense of achievement at the end of a day's hiking at altitude,  are part of the experience but don't translate into the photograph,  which is of course a 2 dimensional representation of only the visual element.    It's at times like this that it pays to pause and carefully consider the compositional possibilities.    In order to give the image a greater sense of depth,   it's worth including whatever interesting foreground material may be present,  in this case the rock and timber hut.    In this image I've attempted to give the foreground and background similar weight,  with the lines of the roof timbers leading the eye towards the distant mountain.

Bats leaving Deer Cave,  Sarawak, Borneo:      This image was taken in Gunung Mulu National Park,  Sarawak,  Borneo in 1999.  The national park boasts a series of massive caves,  including the Sarawak Chamber,  the largest single cave chamber in the world.   Deer Cave, in addition to being huge,   with an entrance 100 metres wide, is notable for its bats.  The cave contains millions of them, 12 different species have been observed there including an estimated 3 million wrinkle lipped bats making this one of the largest bat colonies anywhere in the world.      Each evening the bats fly out of the cave setting out over the surrounding jungle to feed on flying insects.   It's estimated that each bat will consume 5 to 10 grams of insects each night,  so collectively consuming several tonnes each night.      The number of bats is such that it takes over an hour for them to clear the cave,  the spectacle resembling a column of smoke rising up from a fire before stretching out over the treetops.      This image was taken using a Pentax MEF 35 mm SLR with a 80-400mm zoom lens and Kodak ISO 100 colour negative film.   Aperture and shutter speed were not recorded,  but given that I was using slow film towards the end of the day with light levels falling,  it's safe to say the aperture was wide,  probably F5.6,  so as to allow the fastest possible shutter speed.  A slow shutter speed of course would have rendered the bats as a blur given their movement.      The negative was scanned using the Epson V700 flatbed scanner and Epsonscan software.   The image is presented here full frame and contrast was increased slightly in Photoshop so that the bats stand out against the darkening sky.

Sepilok,  Borneo:  Orangutan eating banana:      This image was taken at a feeding station at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre near Sandakan in Sabah in May,  1999.  The centre was established in the mid 1960's with the aim of rehabilitating orphaned or rescued orang-utans and returning them to the forest.   The feeding stations are set up to provide bananas and milk to those orang-utans who have not,  as yet,  become fully independent.    The centre also aims to educate visitors regards the plight of this endangered species and has become a tourist attraction in the process.      The actual number of orang-utans still surviving in the wild is not clear,  but believed to be about 7000 in Sumatra and probably 50,000 to 60,000 on Borneo.    Their range once included much of south east Asia from India to southern China,  through much of the Indonesian archipelago into Borneo.      The threats to their survival are numerous with loss of habitat due to both legal and illegal logging,  forest clearing for agriculture,  notably for the development of vast palm oil plantations,  and the illegal trade in animals and animal products.   Part of that trade includes the capturing,  shipping and then sale of baby orang-utans as pets in places such as Bangkok and Taiwan.   The capture of a baby usually involves killing the mother first.   As if that's not disturbing enough,  it's worth pointing out that for every captured baby orang-utan that gets to "market",  another two or three die en route.       The image was captured using a Pentax MEF 35 mm film camera with a 80-400 mm zoom lens fitted.    The film used was Fujicolor Press ISO 800 colour negative,  shutter speed and aperture were not recorded but resulted in an,  unintentionally,  underexposed image.   The negative was scanned with an Epson V700 flatbed scanner using Epson's own "Epsonscan" software,  and a curves adjustment was employed during scanning to extract what little shadow detail was available.   The image is a close crop of the original 35mm frame so as to exclude distracting elements and focus attention on the face,  and in particular the eyes of the orang-utan.   In the original negative,  a person was partly visible at the edge of the frame and has been removed in Photoshop.       Suggested further reading regards the plight of,  and threats facing Orang-utans: www.orangutans.com.au

Phnom Penh,  Cambodia:   Cyclo driver in profile:      This image was taken on the streets of Phnom Penh,  the capital of,  and largest city in Cambodia,  in late August,  2004.      The image was captured using a Pentax SF7 35 mm film camera with a 28-80 mm zoom lens fitted.   The film used was Fujicolor Press ISO 800 colour negative,  shutter speed and lens aperture were not recorded.       Why use 800 ISO film for a subject outdoors in the middle of the day?   Well simply because that was what was in the camera at the time.    When shooting film I was in the habit of using ISO 800 in dimly lit situations,  and ISO 100 or 200 in brighter conditions.   One of the problems with 35mm film was that it wasn't really practical to change film mid roll,  unless of course you were prepared to sacrifice half the roll.     How much simpler and more flexible it is now with digital cameras where you can change your ISO setting on the fly as desired.    The other advantage with digital is that at ISO 800,  or even higher,  there is very little loss of detail due to noise,  the modern equivalent to film grain.   Whereas with film,  ISO 800 was probably at the limit of what was acceptable in regards to grain.   This image was one of two that I took at the same location just a few seconds apart with the same camera settings.    Prior to the digital age I considered the shot a "near miss" because of a distracting motor vehicle which had entered the frame behind the main subject.     The second shot didn't have the cyclo driver in it,  but had other traffic passing by.    So after scanning both negatives into the computer,  I went into Photoshop and removed the distracting vehicle,  replacing it with what I considered less distracting elements from the second image.    The image is in effect a composite but realistic depiction of the location and the people present.         This raises an interesting ethical dilemma.    Should an image be manipulated in this way,  or should it simply be presented as is with its perceived faults evident (or consigned to the rubbish bin!).    Some people would take the view that there should be no manipulation at all and that the "integrity" of the image be preserved.   At the other extreme are those that would depict camels walking across Antarctica,  or pigs with wings.      For my own images,  I'm happy to treat each one on what I consider to be its merits.   If I believe the image can stand on its own I'll let it,  on the other hand,  if I believe that it can benefit from digital enhancement then I'll use that.   Numerous choices need to be made when creating an image,  what camera angle am I going to adopt,  what lens will I use,  what shutter speed will I use,  will I present or print it in colour or black and white?    Digital processing/manipulation becomes one more link in that chain.   In the end I think it comes down to presenting the image honestly.     I could present the image without explanation and allow the viewer to assume it was an "unprocessed" strictly "documentary" shot,  or I could do what I have and openly acknowledge the process involved.

Luxor,  the lone cyclist:       Previous visitors to this site may have seen the image "Balloon over Luxor" and read the explanation for that image.  This image was captured on the same date,  4th April, 2007,  shortly after sunrise.     The image was captured with a Canon 5D digital SLR camera fitted with a 24-105 mm zoom lens at 105mm,  aperture and shutter speed were not recorded, but I believe they were about F5.6 and 1/250 sec with image stabilization employed,  ISO was 100.       The RAW file was processed through Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop CS3 with a slight increase in colour saturation and contrast.  As it's presented here,  the image is cropped to approximately 75% of the original frame.    Simplify,  simplify,  simplify,  if there is a mantra to remember in photography,  I think this is it.     The lone cyclist caught my eye as we drifted over the landscape and I wanted to make him the main focus of the image with the only other significant element being the beaten tracks forming diagonal lines across the image.   I like the slightly abstract feel to the image,  the cyclist himself isn't immediately obvious,  but becomes apparent because of the distinctive long shadow he casts.       Regardless of whether or not the image has any particular aesthetic value,  I think it does serve as a testament to the extraordinary technical capability of modern digital SLR cameras.    When I enlarged the original file on the computer screen,  the individual spokes in the bicycle wheels were clearly visible,  you can count them.     Pretty amazing when you consider;           (a)  how small in the frame the bicycle is,           (b)  the man was riding the bike at the time and hence the wheels were spinning,           (c)  it was taken with a handheld camera from a moving balloon from a height probably about 200 metres above the ground,  and           (d)  they're bicycle wheel spokes!   They're made from wire the same gauge as used to make coat hangers!

Pyramids Giza:      This image was taken at Giza on the outskirts of Cairo,  Egypt.    The location is of course a prime tourist site and visited by thousands of people each year.    Cairo has grown to the point where the suburbs now stretch out as far as Giza,  indeed getting to the pyramids and the nearby Sphinx requires only a short drive from the suburban rail station at Giza.    I don't intend here to give a detailed history about the pyramids,  there is ample information on the subject elsewhere.   They were of course built in ancient times,   and not by slave labour as depicted in so many movies.       The huge stones used in the construction were quarried further up the Nile Valley and floated downstream on rafts/barges to the site.   Interestingly the Nile River has changed course over the centuries and no longer flows directly past the pyramids as it did in ancient times.      This image was captured early afternoon on the 30th March,  2007.     Unfortunately the middle of the day is classically the worst time of day to be taking photographs outdoors as the sun is high in the sky and the resulting light is harsh.   Sometimes when travelling,  it's not always possible to be where you wish,  at exactly the time you'd prefer,  photographically,   so you make the best of what is in front of you.      The final image is a composite of three almost identically framed shots,  taken handheld from the same position,  seconds apart with a Canon 5D digital SLR camera fitted with a 24-105 mm zoom lens at 32 mm,  aperture was f16 and the shutter speed 1/125 sec with image stabilization employed,  ISO was 100.    The RAW files were processed through Adobe Camera Raw and then brought into Photoshop CS3 where they were auto aligned.   The individual images were then blended together so as to remove a couple of fellow tourists who were moving through my field of vision at the time.   A curves adjustment layer was used to modify the contrast in the scene,  a black and white conversion with sepia toning was then used and finally a vignette was introduced.       I choose to present the image this way for several reasons.   For me the black and white treatment is in keeping with the "timeless" nature of the subject,  as is the decision to use a vignette and exclude modern day tourists from the frame.   Whilst today we can use some amazing technology to capture images with vivid colour and using fast shutter speeds,  it of course wasn't always that way.    I find it fascinating to look back at some of the images produced in the mid-late 19th century by people such as John Thomson and Roger Fenton,  working with equipment and materials now considered archaic.   Hopefully this image captures the "timeless" nature of the subject whilst "tipping the lid" to the photographic pioneers

Balloon over Luxor:     As the title suggests,  the picture was taken from the air (another hot air balloon) whilst drifting over the landscape on the outskirts of Luxor,   Egypt.     Luxor is a major historic and tourist town on the Nile and is the major town nearest to the Valley of the Kings historic area where many of the ancient pharaohs' burial tombs are located and are open to the public for viewing.     The treasures once contained in the tombs are long removed,  either in ancient times by thieves,  or,  as in the case of Tutankhamun's tomb,  in modern times by archaeologists.   Whilst mummies and associated artifacts and burial objects have been removed,  some quite remarkable artwork/hieroglyphics can still be seen.      This image was captured shortly after sunrise on the 4th April, 2007.   Ballooning appears to be a major business in the area with a steady flow of tourists supporting it.   On the morning that I did it there must have been at least 15 balloons in the air.       The image was captured with a Canon 5D digital SLR camera fitted with a 24-105 mm zoom lens at 65 mm,  aperture was f10 and shutter speed 1/125 sec with image stabilization employed,  ISO was 200.     The RAW file was processed through Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop CS3 with minimal digital manipulation and is presented here without cropping.       There were a number of elements in this scene that appealed to me.   The relationship between the Nile in the background and the irrigated fields in the foreground is not only of photographic interest,  but is of historic,  cultural and economic significance as well.   It has often been said that without the Nile,   Egypt wouldn't exist.   I also liked the atmospheric conditions that were present in the early morning with a mist over part of the landscape.   The mist was partly due to fog that was rising off the fields and also to smoke from household fires.   The balloon of course tells part of the story of the mornings activities,   but also  provides a colour contrast against the earth and vegetation tones.   I placed the balloon off centre in what I felt was a pleasing composition

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