I was deliberately shooting at a slow shutter speed to get a sense of movement while panning with this beisa oryx. The foreground bushes added to the motion-blurred effect as the oryx ran through the scrub brush of Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 180, f/5.6 at 1/30th of a second.
Always fun to photograph these guys scurrying around outside our tents in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve. Male agama lizards are most colorful during breeding season, with a bright red or orange head, dark blue body, and tail. They are agile climbers and can often be seen basking on rocks or walls before darting away at the slightest movement. These lizards feed mainly on insects, using quick bursts of speed and their excellent vision to catch prey. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 220, f/6.3 at 1/320th of a second.
The light was bad. My lens was too long. Camera was shaky. Nevertheless, here’s 67 seconds of baby elephant cuteness. Enjoy. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4K/120fps.
This beauty is a red-chested sunbird, captured during one of my favorite times of day while on safari — in between game drives when I get to walk around camp while most everyone else is taking their afternoon siestas. It’s a small bird found in parts of East and Central Africa. Males, like this one, have an iridescent green head, scarlet chest, and metallic blue highlights. Using a slender, curved bill, it feeds on nectar from flowers, often hovering like a tiny hummingbird, though it will also perch to feed. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1800, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
Threat display or simply a yawn? If the former, it’s meant to warn off rivals or predators without physical confrontation. It’s sometimes accompanied by vocalizations or raised fur, which makes the tiny mongoose appear larger and more intimidating. Within the group, it can also be a way to settle dominance disputes or assert rank, part of their highly social and communicative behavior. I should state that even though it looks like she’s looking straight at me, the display started with her looking off to the side at other mongooses before she turned her head toward camera and closed her mouth. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 2000, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
The vulturine guineafowl is the largest of the guineafowl species, easily recognized by its electric-blue feathers, long neck, and bare, vulture-like head. Native to East Africa’s dry savannas and scrublands, it travels in tight, coordinated flocks. Though it does fly, it prefers to run, darting through the brush when alarmed. Other than elephants, this was the only other chance I had on our recent trip to lower the camera to the ground and use my inverted monopod technique. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.
This was the second of the three leopards we saw recently in Kenya. She gave us a nice show as she climbed up and then down a tree before disappearing into the bushes. She must have gotten into some sort of a fight with that little chunk taken out of her nose. We caught up with her again later when she was lounging on a big boulder in the foothills of Samburu National Reserve. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 195mm) ISO 200, f/2.8 at 1/1250th of a second.
Male Grant’s gazelles have long, elegant horns, which can reach up to 32 inches. These ridged horns are used in ritualized combat with other males, locking and twisting in displays of strength to win mating rights. Unlike some antelopes, both sexes have horns, but the male’s are noticeably thicker, longer, and more deeply curved. The horns not only serve as weapons but also as visual signals of dominance and maturity. We primarily see the Grant’s gazelles in Samburu National Reserve in the north of Kenya, whereas the smaller Thomson’s gazelles are much more common in the Masai Mara in the south. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 560, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.
The eastern yellow-billed hornbill is a striking sight in flight, with its broad, rounded wings and long tail feathers fanning out as it moves from tree to tree. Its flight is typically short and swooping, with bursts of flapping followed by glides, giving it a bouncing motion through the air. When it takes off, you can often hear the flap of its wings and catch a flash of its black-and-white plumage and oversized yellow bill cutting through the sky. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1250, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
A lion’s yawn might look sleepy, but it’s often a social signal rather than just a sign of tiredness. Lions yawn to help wake up the body and brain, especially before a burst of activity like a hunt or going on patrol. Among pride members, frequent yawning can also help synchronize group behavior, like getting everyone up and moving around the same time. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 560, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.