What a wonderful afternoon we had at the Immedia offices in Umhlanga near Durban. We launched the iBook version of or print book, In Search of the African Lion. Pat and I have been blown away by what the creative team at Immedia have done and our iBook, complete with the full text from the print edition, photographs, video and sound is available to download in the iTunes Store.
Here Pat, and Basil Percimoney cut our iCake (the cake Immedia had made for us to celebrate the launch). It was Basil, and Duncan Prince that actually put the iBook together.
In 2009 we produced a book called In Search of the African Wild Dog and last year we released In Search of the African Lion, a sister book that tells the story of Africa’s Lions. It’s a fascinating tale about these magnificent cats, their biology, relationship with humans, and the sorry and sad tale of the reduction in wild lion populations in Africa from some 450 000, 50 years ago to just 23 000 today. Buy the print version of the book here.
But there is more, much more… Pat and I were approached by African Storybook and Immedia (the technical knowhow behind the iBooks) to head up their illustrated iBook publishing operation which we are doing this under the Africa Imagery imprint. While we love beautiful print books (and who doesn’t) we have realised that there are huge benefits to using modern digital methods to distribute information around the globe. The size of the market is just one. Ease of distribution another and the beautiful, rich media (video, animations, live links and sound) that one can include make the whole iBook thing seem such an obvious way to go. Have a look at (and download a fee sample) of the iBook version of In Search of the African Lion.
Pat and I are thrilled with the book and are convinced that this is the way of publishing in the future. If you have a book that you would like to converted to an iBook, or indeed an iBook created from scratch, please get in touch. We would love to chat about how we can help you take you story to the world.
Wow, just a short while after releasing Lightroom 4.4, Adobe has announced the Beta version of Lightroom 5. But what is a beta version? A beta version is a pre-release of the final program that will enable Adobe to get feedback from the public on how the program performs. Beta versions are free to download and use but will “expire” after the test period and Adobe may very well release a Beta 1, Beta 2 and so on until they are happy to release the final full version. A great thing about these Beta releases is that they allow you to have input into the testing process and, from past experience, it seems that Adobe really does take your input seriously.
There are some very interesting features and performance improvements that I am looking forward to trying:
Advanced Healing Brush: Enables one to easily remove objects and fix defects with a single brush stroke. This one looks as though it will be a real goodie – previously one had to go to Photoshop to perform major edits – not any more it seems….
Upright: Wonderful for correcting converging verticals and skew horizons – all with one click.
Radial Gradient: Lead your viewer’s eye through your images with more flexibility and control. The radial gradient tool lets you create off-center vignette effects, or multiple vignette areas within a single image.
Offline editing with Smart Previews: Easily work with images without bringing your entire library with you. Just generate smaller stand-in files called Smart Previews. Make adjustments or metadata additions to Smart Previews and your changes will be automatically applied to the full-size originals later.
Video slideshow sharing: Easily share your work in elegant video slideshows. Combine still images, video clips, and music in creative HD videos that can be viewed on almost any computer or device.
Improved photo book creation: Create beautiful photo books from your images. Lightroom includes a variety of easy-to-use book templates, and now you can edit them to create a customized look. Upload your book for printing with just a few clicks.
Serendipity is a wonderful thing. I looked it up in the dictionary on my Apple Mac, just to check, and this is what I found it means: chance, happy chance, accident, happy accident, fluke, luck, good fortune, fortuity, fortuitousness, providence, coincidence, happy coincidence. All these words seem pretty close to what we experienced while visiting Jozini Dam.
We work a lot in the Zululand area of KwaZulu Natal, doing Stock Photography, running Photo Workshops or doing Commissioned Photography and as a result, have driven past and marvelled at the lake on many occasions. It has always looked magnificent from the long and winding pass that snakes up the side of the Pongola River Gorge in the Lebombo Mountains and takes you from the N2 to the little town of Jozini high up in the ancient mountains, but somehow we had never actually visited the dam itself. This all changed when we were invited to spend easter weekend with family and friends on board Shayamanzi II Houseboat.
Pongolapoort Dam / Lake Jozini and the Lebombo Mountains. Jozini. KwaZulu Natal. South Africa
Jozini Dam (previously called the Pongolapoort Dam) is on the Pongola River, built in a narrow part of the in the gorge very close to the town of Jozini. It was completed in 1974
Jozini Dam Map
and covers an area of 17 000 hectares when full, most of the lake flooding the flat areas to the west of the mountains. The dam wall is 70m high and was originally build to supply water to local farmers on the Makatini flats for the cultivation of crops such as sugar cane, maize and cotton. The lake is surrounded by game and nature reserves that have good populations of animals and birds, while the lake itself forms the most southern range of the African Tiger Fish. Catches of this spectacular species have grown to the point where Jozini is now one of the more popular fishing destinations in South Africa, with catches comparable to places like the Okavango Delta and the Zambezi River.
We took a long, slow, easy drive to Jozini from Howick in KwaZulu Natal where we live. The Easter traffic en route was heavy in places (the Pietermaritzburg/ Durban section of the N3 being particularly crazy with tourists and travellers blocking up our favourite breakfast spot) resulting in the urgent need for an ice cold G&T at the luxurious Tiger Lodge in Jozini where we were to meet not only the rest of the family group but also the
Shayamanzi people. Sanity restored we were transported to the berthing spot for the 30 metre Shayamanzi II.
Paul du Toit with one of his catches while Mike Wadge shoots a pic. Pongolapoort Dam / Lake Jozini. Jozini. KwaZulu Natal. South Africa
This is where the serendipity began. The next few days were filled with a great deal of fun and excitement. The crew catered wonderfully and the cabins were compact but comfortable, the upstairs ones being particularly attractive with large sliding doors providing wonderful views of the passing scenery. The food on board was tasty and plentiful – no one went hungry!
One of the objects of the trip was to test the tiger fishing reputation of Lake Jozini. Now, while I really enjoy fishing, I am not very good at it. In fact, if truth be told, I’m really
On the left, our guide and Captain, Bramson, who’s knowledge and help made the fishing successful. Pongolapoort Dam / Lake Jozini. Jozini. KwaZulu Natal. South Africa
awful at it. So, it was with a great deal of surprise (surprise that bordered on disbelief) that I caught the first fish of the trip – a lovely little 1,2kg fighter that had me, er, hooked on fishing! The African Tiger Fish is considered by many to be the ultimate fresh water game fish and with good reason. Even small ones provide a good fight on light tackle so heaven knows what a 5Kg one will do. My record for the weekend was 3kg and the fight resulted in a lame left arm from holding the rod after a long fight.
Bramson Chihota, the Shayamanzi Captain and fishing guide on the tender boats provided help and instruction for us newbies – leave the line loose and wait for the fish to take the bait, let it run for a count of three or four, flip the bail, strike, keep the rod tip down and reel, reel and reel. Sound advice – it worked.
Alas, the weekend flew by as tends to happen when you are having fun. We fished, relaxed in theon-board jacuzzi, ate way too much, did some game viewing, and generally
We had good elephant, giraffe, zebra, waterbuck and kudu sightings from the boat. Pongolapoort Dam / Lake Jozini. Jozini. KwaZulu Natal. South Africa
had a good time. It’s a must do!
What to take:
Fishing gear if you have it and prefer your own. (The gear provided by Shayamanzi is actually more than adequate..)
Binoculars
Camera
Reading matter – a good book, bird book, a magazine or two, or, if you have one, all of these and some movies on your iPad.
A hat or cap (man it gets hot out there!)
Book on the Shayamanzi here or email me for more info about our photography safaris and workshops.
Nikon has just announced firmware updates C:1.01 for the D600 and A:1.01 / B:1.02 for the D800 cameras.
Nikon D800 Photograph
The upgrade for the D800 addresses the following:
Support for the AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR has been added.
Subject tracking performance in AF-C (continuous-servo autofocus) autofocus mode with framing using the viewfinder has been improved.
Gamut for Adobe RGB images displayed in the camera’s monitor has been changed. This enables more vivid display of images.
With live view photography in [M] (Manual) exposure mode, exposure preview was always on. This issue has been resolved.
In some very rare cases when certain memory cards were used, movie recording would stop, even when the time remaining display indicated remaining recording time. This issue has been resolved.
With shooting at an image quality setting of TIFF (RGB) and an image size setting of Small, the right edge of images contained a purple line. This issue has been resolved.
In some rare cases, images recorded in JPEG format could not be opened by some software applications. This issue has been resolved.
In some very rare cases, colors would change with shooting when white balance was set to a specific color temperature, as with Preset manual or Choose color temp. This issue has been resolved.
Basic D800 Upgrade instructions: for detailed instructions, see pdf files here. Please read carefully before proceeding.
Create a new folder with an appropriate name on your computer.
Choose the correct download below for the computer system you are using, and save the download to the folder created in step 1.
Run the downloaded file to create the folder titled D800Update, containing the following file: D800_0102.bin
Format an approved memory card in the camera, then remove .
Copy the D800_0102.bin file to the top level of the memory card using a memory card reader or similar device, do not copy the file into anyfolder on the memory card.
Insert memory card into the cameras memory card slot, and switch on.
Select Firmware Version from the setup menu and follow the instructions displayed to upgrade the camera’s firmware.
DO NOT switch off the camera at any time during the update, doing so may result in the need for service.
After the upgrade is complete, trun the camera off and remove the memory card.
Check the cameras firmware version to be sure it completed.
Format memory card in camera for use.
* – Firmware updates can be performed for you at authorized Nikon service centers.
And for the D600 it deals with:
Support for the AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR has been added.
Subject tracking performance in AF-C (continuous-servo autofocus) autofocus mode with framing using the viewfinder has been improved.
Frame output size has been changed from 95% to 100% when movie live view display is changed to “Information off” and an HDMI-compatible device is connected.
An issue that caused the right edges of images to be somewhat white when captured at an Image area setting of DX (24×16) 1.5x withActive D-Lighting set to Off has been resolved.
When the camera’s shutter-release button was pressed repeatedly for uninterrupted shooting with the “Record to:” option in Camera Control Pro 2′s Storage tab set to “PC+CARD”, the camera would stop responding with displaying “Err” in its control panel. This issue has been resolved.
In some very rare cases, colors would change with shooting when white balance was set to a specific color temperature, as with Preset manual or Choose color temp. This issue has been resolved.
Basic D600 Upgrade instructions: for detailed instructions, see pdf files here. Please read carefully before proceeding.
Create a new folder with an appropriate name on your computer.
Choose the correct download below for the computer system you are using, and save the download to the folder created in step 1.
Run the downloaded file to create the folder titled D600EUpdate, containing the following file: D600_0101.bin
Format an approved memory card in the camera, then remove .
Copy the D600_0101.bin file to the top level of the memory card using a memory card reader or similar device, do not copy the file into anyfolder on the memory card.
Insert memory card into the cameras memory card slot, and switch on.
Select Firmware Version from the setup menu and follow the instructions displayed to upgrade the camera’s firmware.
DO NOT switch off the camera at any time during the update, doing so may result in the need for service.
After the upgrade is complete, trun the camera off and remove the memory card.
Check the cameras firmware version to be sure it completed.
Format memory card in camera for use.
* – Firmware updates can be performed for you at authorized Nikon service centers.
We’ve just got back from a wonderful, fun filled photography workshop at uMkhumbi Lodge near Hluhluwe in KwaZulu Natal. While the rough idea was to spend time shooting snakes and crocodiles, we did manage to get some lovely pix of False Bay (part of Lake St Lucia) and of a Shembe Priest and his place of worship – an amazing experience. The Shembe are associated with a small group of churches, often referred to as African “messianic” churches, where the leader or founder is ascribed by his followers with supernatural powers. A circle of white stones (and in this case circling a tree) indicates his place of worship. We choose to shoot this in the early evening and into the night so that we could capture the stars of the Milky Way. A lovely experience…
A Shembe Priest at his place of worship, the blur created by camera movement. A photograph by June Holtzhausen.
A Shembe Priest at his place of worship. A photograph by Don Holtzhausen
A Shembe Priest at his place of worship. A photograph by Jenna Taylor
A Shembe Priest in black and white. A photograph by Celeste Thomson
There’s always a wealth of reptilian things happening at uMkhumbi and we found a flap-necked chameleon shedding its skin and got some interesting shots of it in the late afternoon light.
Flap-necked Chameleon shedding it’s skin. A photograph by Kathryn Coulson
Flap-necked Chameleon shedding it’s skin. A photograph by Nick Evans
Just down the road from uMkhumbi is Zulu Croc, a really fun and well run crocodile centre where we saw and photographed long snouted, nile and dwarf crocodiles as well as an alligator or two. They also have some pretty interesting snakes and many of the trees there are labeled with the common and scientific names which is great for us “tree” people.
A nile crocodile portrait. A photograph by Anton Roberts
Detail of a Nile Crocodile. A photograph by Gayle Watkinson
Detail of Nile Crocodile tail. A photograph by Pat de la Harpe
Detail of a nile crocodile – a photograph by Keith Castle.
Our visit, very early on Saturday morning to False Bay was a treat and the sun rising between Hell’s Gates was superb. Some of us saw the abstract side of things…
Sunrise through Hell’s Gates at False Bay. Isimangaliso Wetland Park. KwaZulu Natal. South Africa. A photograph by Roger de la Harpe
A water feature abstract. A photograph by Gayle Watkinson
Detail of grass and light at False Bay. A photograph by Kathryn Coulson
We will be running another workshop at uMkhumbi from 24 to 26 May 2013 but also have our Wild Dogs of Madikwe Photo Safari to Jaci’s Lodges happening from 20 to 23 June. Drop me a mail to book on one of these exciting photographic events.
It was the giraffe’s stillness that first attracted our attention. As our vehicle approached she moved slightly and we saw why she stood so quietly. She was giving birth, the front legs and nose of her calf already visible and as the late afternoon sun beat down a miracle unfolded before us in the dusty veld in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana.
The Giraffe has a gestation period of about 400–460 days, after which a single calf is usually born, although twins do occur on occasionally.
The mother gives birth standing up. The calf emerges head and front legs first, having broken through the fetal membranes, and falls to the ground, severing the umbilical cord.
She strained forward suddenly and the calf’s head appeared and then time stood still as we waited for the shoulders to emerge. It was an anxious wait, which seemed to stretch endlessly into the approaching dusk. If we had noticed her predicament, there was every chance that the reserve’s predators would have too. She looked a particularly young giraffe and perhaps this was her first pregnancy. And then, almost as if our concerns prodded fate, two jackals materialised from the scraggy bushes behind her and she moved off a short distance, luckily not very far and still within the range of our camera lenses. The intruders sniffed the area, lost interest and headed elsewhere to hunt, much to our relief, as Tuli’s jackals can be demons at harassment.
The mother then grooms the newborn and helps it stand up. Within a few hours of birth, the calf can run around and is almost indistinguishable from a week-old one. A newborn giraffe is about 1.8 m tall.
She lowered her long neck again as she pushed and almost imperceptibly more of her calf started to show. Suddenly its shoulders were out and then with incredible grace it arched its long body and landed with a plop on the dusty earth in a great whoosh of amniotic fluid. She licked her new arrival with her long black tongue and nudged it with her nose to encourage it to stand. The calf tottered repeatedly to its feet only to wobble about and collapse in an unhappy heap of shaky knees and trembling limbs. The shadows grew longer as time passed and then in the fading light it finally stood and nuzzled its mother for a drink.
We cheered them both, unashamedly emotional.
These images are available in the Africa Imagery Photo Library for use in magazines, books and web sites etc. Why not join us on one of our Photo Safaris and stand a chance of coming across sightings like this.
We have thousands of photographs available for use in magazines, books, advertisements, brochures and in fact anywhere great images are required. Visit our online, searchable Image Gallery
Photo Safaris
Join us on one of our fantastic Photographic Safaris or Workshops
to our favorite destinations and learn how to shoot amazing images?
We use and sell Nikon Cameras. Contact us for pricing.
