World Image Issue 47 August 2017

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National and Regional Management 

Gordon Longmead - England - CEO 

Peter Hogel - Uganda - Deputy CEO 

Scott Hurd - Namibia 

Tom Coetzee - South Africa 

Paul Welch—Australia 

Steve Cook - USA 

Robert Murray - Scotland 

Tina Andreasson - Sweden and Mexico 

Jack Glisson - Kentucky USA 

Contents: 

4 Looking at Trees - Gordon 

6 USA - Massachusetts with Patricia McNamara 

10 Sri Lanka with Tony Sparkes 

16 A Study in IR - Landscapes With Alan Griffiths 

18 Oh To Be a Photographer - Gordon 

21 A Study in Nature - Jay Landing - Pictures by Scott Latham 

22 India with Subhasish Bhattacharya 

24 Sarah McKeenan 

25 Uganda with Matthias Mugisha of Pearlescent. 

26 Australia, Eden NSW with Geoff Bowers 

28 Canadian Sunrise with Kevin W. Moore 

30 People of Uganda With Gordon Longmead 

34 Turkey Shoot with Patricia McNamara 

36 Dangerous Photography Part 1 With Paul Welch 

43 Wildlife of America - Ducks by Larry Hitchins 

44 Flowers in My Lens - Gordon Longmead 

48 Murchison Falls Uganda with Peter Hogel 

52 Canada with Bob Breakell 

60 British Dreams - Photography by Gordon Longmead 

© Please remember that all articles and images published in this magazine are copyright protected 

Cover picture - Greater Double-collared Sunbird by Tony Sparkes 


Africa and South Africa are adorned with many 

species of sunbird sporting many beautiful 

colours. 

During the winter month's (March-August) the 

wild aloe's flower in South Africa giving not only 

a glorious flush of colour to the country side and 

the road side but much needed food (nectar) for 

many birds, especially the Sunbirds. 

This Greater Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris 

afer) is no exception. I captured this male during 

and early morning photographic session in 

Wilderness National Park - Eastern Cape - South 

Africa. 

Fact: Sunbirds have special 'adaptive' tongues to 

retrieve the nectar from various plants..A ploy by 

the plants to assist with pollination. If you look 

closely at the photograph you can see his long thin 

tongue. 

Tony Sparkes 

I like nothing more than the peace and solitude of empty camps.. Here in South Africa the camps do 

become a lot less full in the winter months.. Here we are a few weeks back in Augrabies National Park - 

Northern Cape - South Africa, on quite a cold chilly morning. The only other inhabitants were the Vervet 

monkeys - Tony Sparkes 


With the onset of autumn the trees begin to change, 

shedding the leaves to get rid of the poisonous 

elements they extract from the atmosphere and 

returning them to the earth where they belong as 

harmless fertilizers. 

It is this process that gives us the stunning colours 

that we all love to see at the end of the harvest. 

Oddly, the colder the air temperature gets the more 

vivid the colours. 

The sun being lower in the sky also takes on a 

distinctive glow that appears to enhance the picture. 

But how often do we really look at the trees? 

Today I was taking the picture of the area you see 

above and that very thought came to mind. I realised 

that although we often photograph trees and 

woodlands, we almost always forget about the tree. 

This is really sad in many ways, we miss the beauty 

of the structure, and yet we miss something else 

which is far more important, we miss the history. 


As a historian I have come to look at the buildings 

and wonder about the histories they might have 

witnessed since they were built. Indeed I have 

researched and written those histories, some a few 

hundred years old others just a few decades. 

Yet the tree on the left of the picture above has 

probably stood on this village green for in excess of 

300 years, others in the area considerably longer. I 

wonder what changes they have witnessed. 

So today I decided to take a closer look, and I saw 

the scars of mans intervention. But I also saw the 

majesty of the tree carved into its very skin. 

The bark cracked with age becoming home to 

insects, its great branches holding the canopy aloft 

so that the birds might have shade and protection for 

their nests. 

In the natural world these great trees are also quite 

clever, they know when winter is approaching with 

its icy winds and strong gales. They start to change 

when the weather is still warm and mild. 

We are excused to the thinking that the biggest 

threat to these magnificent structures are the 

powerful winds that rage across the planet. 

In fact the greatest threat to their survival is 

humanity. The mighty oak forests of Britain were 

destroyed to provide wood for ships so that ancient 

mariners could explore the world and dominate the 

seas. 

Smaller trees are cut and burned for fuel. Some 

forests are set alight because ignorant people do not 

know how to use fire, or perhaps they do and use it 

to destroy the woodlands for fun. 

If we allow the trees to grow and follow their 

normal cycle of life, our children would have more 

to wonder at. 

What ever happened to the balmy days sitting under 

such trees with a good book and a picnic hamper, 

doing nothing more than listening to the wildlife. 

Gordon Longmead 


Taken on Cape Cod, Surprise! Both the photographer and the deer 

are thoroughly surprised to come across each other in the woods. 

We stared at each other for a bit, then I started taking photographs. 

The deer was comfortable enough to stay around for a little while . 

Coming in and building nest 

Taken on Cape Co 

Osprey looking for dinner. 


Cape Cod Canal Sunset 

Spring Colour at Mashpee River Woodlands 


The Hawk and The Hummer - amazing with the Hummingbird harassing a Hawk 

The Avenue of Flags at the National Cemetery in Bourne, MA. 


Catbird playing hide and seek with me in the Bayberry Bush. 

Red-bellied Woodpecker having a tasty treat 

from the Tea Pot. 


Glenda and I spent the 10 days at The Coconut Garden 

Hotel and Restaurant -Tissamaharama - Sri Lanka. We 

spent 5 awesome nights there and used it as a 

'photographic base' for access to the local game reserves 

and the great Tissa Lake. 

Just to give you a taste of what can be experienced there 

for those who haven't been, these are samples of the 

sunsets. 

I was photographing birds at Tissa Lake at the bottom of 

our hotel this gave me a great location to swop out the 

lens and get up close and personal for this sunset pic. 

Below, another take on my last sunset, as I said at the 

time I was photographing birds at Tissa Lake at the 

bottom of our hotel, another close up of the same sunset, 

a little later into the evening just before dropping below 

the horizon . 


A pair of Green Imperial Pigeons (Ducula 

aenea) sat on top tree's in the early morning 

light of the gardens of the hotel - 

Tissamaharama - Sri Lanka. 

Staying with the theme of 'pairs', this pair 

are Oriental Darters (Anhinga 

melanogaster) bathing in afternoon sunshine 

on the great Tissa Lake just below the hotel 

-Tissamaharama - Sri Lanka. 

A Tufted Gray Langur (Semnopithecus priam) mother 

and her infant clinging to her for security. 

One of 2 primate species I encountered in Sri Lanka's 

Bundala National Park on a recent trip. I felt the high 

contrast monochrome image gave good detail to the 

Langurs fur for this shot. 


A cell phone 'pano' shot of 'Yala' Beach in Sri Lanka.. Just playing around with some 

Sri Lanka has 4 Bee-eater species, 2 winter migrant 

species and 2 resident species. Here is the Green 

Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) a common breeding 

resident. I just love the many colours of the worlds 

Bee-eater populations and the Green-bee Eater is This is the Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) 

no exception. 

a common winter migrant. 


Yellowed, Grain, etc.. added - Tony Sparkes 

It was a long, long way away but this was my first sighting of a Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) 

a sub-species of the Leopard species (Panthera pardus) for instance the Africa sub species are named 

(Panthera pardus pardus) 


On my recent Sri Lanka trip, one of my target bird species was the Pheasant-tailed Jacana 

(Hydrophasianus chirurgus). Although I saw a few, alas no real close ups, this shot was some 

considerable distance away. However, I am glad I could tick off this great looking bird.. What a 

tail !!!!!! 

Tissa Lake in Sri Lanka proved to be a magnet for 

birds. One late afternoon Glenda and I took a trip on a 

small boat out on to the lake to see what could be 

found. The light was soft , although its was a little 

windy. 

This Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii) was happily 

balanced on the giant leaves of the water lilies as we 

cruised by. 

When exiting Yala National Park, we came 

across this beautiful Crested Hawk Eagle 

(Nisaetus cirrhatu) drinking in a small dam. 

Its one of Sri Lanka's largest at 72cm and is 

a breeding resident bird.. 


During our stay in Sri Lanka, Glenda and I had a chance to photograph wild peacocks. Hailing 

from the UK and living in South Africa it was somewhat unusual to find such beautiful birds in the 

wild and presenting such great photographic opportunities. 

Here I have captured the male Peacock (Pavo cristatus) in some nice soft early morning light in 

Lunugamvehera National Park - Sri Lanka 

Sticking with my theme of the Peacock (male) or Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) as it should be 

known, this male gave me a little display of those beautiful feathers as the Peahen (female) walked 

by. 

Just a little different composition to see if it works for this particular shot, constructive critique 

welcome on the composition considering I have a full display of feathers I could have chosen. 




So it would appear that people are more interested in creating yet more photographic sites on FB than using 

the ones we have for the dedicated purpose of teaching and learning. That is of course their right and good 

luck to them. But now, here are a few statements that will surprise all of you, well most of you,- 

You can not learn to take a good photograph. 

You can copy new techniques from others that may change the way you take a picture. But to take a good 

photograph you must first teach yourself how to SEE a good picture. The good in a picture is what you see 

in it. 

The camera will not take a good picture for you. 

The camera is a tool, and like all tools you must first learn how to use it correctly. You can be shown how to 

use it, but unless the person showing you has the exact same camera, and is an expert at using it, they can 

not show you how to use it correctly. Theirs will be different in some way, and no one ever reads the 

manual. 

No one can teach you to take a good picture 

When someone 'teaches' you to take a good picture, what they are really doing is teaching you how to take 

their take on good picture. Everyone sees a picture differently. What you may think of as being a 

masterpiece, others may consign to the trash bin, but do not be offended, people pay millions for a Van 

Gogh and I would not give them house room. 

So you want to learn to take a good photograph? 

Then get off the couch, buy the best camera you can afford and the best lens you can afford and use it. Take 

pictures, hundreds of them of any and every subject. 

At the end of year one, select the best 30 - 50 from the year and archive the rest. 

At the end of year two select the best 30 - 50 from the year and archive the rest. Compare these to the ones 

kept from year one, retain the best 30 - 50 and archive the rest. (I will hazard a guess that all of those from 

year one will be archived). 

At the end of year three select the best 30 - 50 from the year and archive the rest. Compare these to the ones 

kept from year two, retain the best 30 - 50 and archive the rest. (I will hazard a guess that most of those 

from year two will be archived). 

In year three or year four something will happen to you, you will be walking or driving along and instead of 

saying what a lovely view you will catch yourself saying what a lovely picture. Quite simply the world 

around you will become somehow different, you will see pictures where previously there were none, you 

will see the colours for the first time, you will see objects that will spoil the picture that you never noticed 

before. 

That is the moment that you become a PHOTOGRAPHER, not to be confused with a professional 

photographer, that is a whole new ballgame. 

Finally, do not keep changing your camera just because a new model comes on the market. It costs you 

money and will not give you anything you cant get by experience. Some brilliant images are from camera 

phones (see those by Alan Griffiths), and loads of crap comes from the most expensive Leica on the market. 

Remember, the best photographers in the world will only ever show you their best pictures, not the 30,000 

they have taken and discarded to get it. 


Up on the moors, and taken and edited with my phone 

Alan Griffiths 

Something that is easily missed and is probably the most important 

thing you will ever be told, and probably ignore, is KNOW YOUR 

SUBJECT. If you do not know how the subject behaves or changes 

with the light, how do you expect to be in the best place to get the 

picture, let alone a good picture. 

Additional: 

As for taking good photographs, you do have to be able to see the 

shot, that's for sure, you also have to know when the right time of 

day is to really make that shot come alive and if you are like Alan 

and I, you see that shot in black and white or infrared as well, you 

don't just see the glorious Technicolor. You see the time of day and 

how the clouds and shadows are dancing. 

2nd stop off and another phone shot. 

Alan Griffiths 

Once you see all of this you can capture it with your phone, with an a base model Canon or Nikon with a 

little point and shoot or with a Leica M9, as long as you understand and know how to make that camera 

sing for you. Because if you don't know how to operate your camera properly you are just a spectator! 

Yes you can fix things in post, but there is only so much you can do unless you go down the composite route 

and then it suddenly isn't the picture you saw anymore anyway! 

Louise Bradt 

The Professional Photographer 

Many of those who buy a ‘quality’ camera make a number of assumptions:- 

I have a top of the range camera therefore I am a photographer …. Wrong 

I have a better camera than the next person therefore I take better pictures than them …. Wrong 

I have a top of the range camera and have photographed a wedding therefore I am a professional …. Wrong 

There are others, but these three are the main ones I hear most. 

To be a Professional Photographer you need to have certain attributes, skills and income. 

Attributes: 

First and foremost you need to have accomplished everything mentioned thus far. 

Patience, Patience and more Patience. 

And Infinite Luck 


Skills: 

You need to be an exceptional photographer, not just in the view of your family or in your own eyes. 

You need to have the knowledge of lighting and how changes in natural light will effect your subject. 

You need to know what to do if your equipment fails. 

You need to have people skills. 

The list could go on and on but these I consider the most important. 

Income. 

This is the one that will catch everyone out, except the Professional. You need to make your living from 

your camera. 

No, you can’t have a day job to pay the bills and call yourself a Professional Photographer. At best you 

might be a Semi-Pro, but a professional works at photography full time, often in a studio or on set. The bulk 

of their income is from the work they do with the camera. 

When you become a professional, you make sacrifices, you start to go without, it is no longer a hobby 

because the pictures you take must make you money. Your partner becomes a camera widow, and you start 

to take on responsibility. 

If you photograph a wedding, you only get one chance, that is your responsibility and your reputation. One 

mistake and you must face the first and will damage the second. 

G. 

I don't often try and get milky way shots, but last night was an opportunity too good to miss. Even with 

the light pollution from the neighbours and the tree closest to me which is right by the deck I was 

shooting from, it was still amazing. Picture by Louise Bradt 


A Study in Nature - Jay Landing 

Pictures by Scott Latham 


Found the man roaming here and there and 

muttering on the narrow lane connecting 

the beach and the main road in Bakhkhali. 

As soon as he noticed that I wanted to click 

his photo he stopped and started posing. 

Bakhkhali, West Bengal, India 

Don't be late.... Please get your umbrella 

repaired ,|Kolkata, India - June 2017 


Two way to use the hand pulled rickshaw 


A gruesome end for poor frog 

A black shouldered kite 


THE LUCKY TWO! 

My attention was on the rat (edible 

in some parts of Uganda) that was 

enjoying it's dinner along a 

walkway at the Rain Forest Lodge 

in Mabira. I was suprised to find 

that a Genet cat was trailing the rat 

most probably to have it for dinner 

as well. I had not seen the genet cat 

when I was taking the picture 

because it was dark. Now you can 

tell the lucky ones that night. 

By way of an initial introduction, at 

Pearlescent we do photography/film 

documentaries in nature and 

development work. We sell nature/ 

art photography wall decor and also 

take up photography and filming 

assignments in East Africa. 

Left: Contagious lion yawn UWEC 

Uganda. 




WN Church Sunrise was taken at an old church just northwest 

of London, Ontario, Canada. 

Everyone, even you non-morning folks, lo 

early one August morning so I went for a d 

noticed a light mist hanging over Stoco La 

open spot, grabbed my camera and set up in 

some shots. This was one my favourites. 

Where ever you live in our world the 

wonder of nature. It forms the beginning 

and sea. Ancient man worshiped its comi 

These are the reasons that the sunrise is 

to our world we wonder at the beauty of 

is equal beauty at the beginning of the 

asleep. 

Perhaps it is time to wake up in the da 

wonder at the beauty that starts the day. 

G. 

Sunrise through the Cedars was taken early one January 

morning near Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. 


TB Sunrise was taken on a VERY cold February morning during 

Canadian winter near Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. If I remember 

correctly, the morning, sunrise temp was approximately -28C/-26F. Ice 

crystals, referred to as Hoare frost, forms on the branches, and anything 

else around, usually long before sunrise, giving everything a beautiful 

Sunrise, May 4th was taken by a farm near Strathroy, Ontario, 

Canada. 








In all my years as a photographer/ TV 

cameraman combined, which is more than I 

would like to say. I have been in situations 

that many people would say I was mad to do. 

I find that putting yourself in a certain 

amount of danger can create great results and 

have a great story to tell with plenty of 

adventure. I’m not saying to run out and do 

something stupid, but being sure to get the 

story right from what you had seen. 

To create a story with a Photograph is what 

we artists love to try and do, but… Yes BUT, 

there is a down side. We put ourselves in 

harm’s way on occasions to do so. 

I have on many occasions said, “If it’s my 

time to go nothing will stop it happening”. 

Do we really have to put ourselves in danger, 

or is it an adrenaline junky thing? 

I have put myself in positions facing danger 

in so many ways from being on a boat in 4-5 

meter swells filming fishing shows, 

To hanging from cliff edges for that right 

position to get a shot of what I want the 

viewer to see through what I see at that 

moment. 

Getting the shot to look the way you see it is 

still tricky. 

Take for example a drop from a cliff edge. I 

was hoping a shot I took looked scary, but 

when I got back to the computer and looked 

at it, I just didn’t get the same feeling as 

what I felt when I took the shot. 

I had half my body hanging over a ledge in 

the gorges of Karijini looking straight down 

the face of the cliff with about a 100+ meter 

drop. 

While I was taking the shot I didn’t think 

much about it until the other camera man 

said it was a scary thought, that at any given 

moment those rocks could have crumbled 

and I would have found myself sailing down 

to the pool at the bottom… That’s if I didn’t 

hit anything else on the way down. 

It was pretty disheartening to see the shot 

knowing what I did to get it, yet to me; it just 

didn’t tell the story I wanted. Maybe it was 

just me. 

I figure the trick is to actually feel the fear 

you need to get the shot, but when I’m in the 

zone of getting a shot I want, I really don’t 

think about fear of what might or could 

happen. 


Being safe is the number one thing on the list 

in photography, especially when it comes to 

facing dangerous creatures. 

Living in Australia is already a dangerous 

game IF you don’t have the knowledge 

about what is out there. 

That’s where Photography can be 

dangerous… If you’re stupid!! 

This spot just had so many features I wanted 

to capture but didn’t have the time, to take 

my time due to filming. 

Another shot I took in the same area after 

filming was something I was quite proud of. 

This shot I was hanging off a cliff edge by 

my fingertips to get it. I was pleased that it 

turned out exactly how I wanted it to. 

Being in the face of danger can be taken in a 

literal way here as well as other parts of the 

world like Africa or Indonesia to name a 

couple. But knowledge as they say is power. 

I have photographed scenery on a lot of 

occasions where I have been waist deep in a 

fast flowing river or on a cliff edge 

overlooking raging seas, but nothing 

compares to photographing some of the 

wildlife that you can come across on a daily 

basis in these countries, and if you don’t 

respect them or know enough about them 

you could put yourself in harm’s way that 

will hurt if not kill you. 

Let’s start with getting to know your 

subjects. 

The second cameraman that was on the other 

side of the gorge filmed me with my DLSR 

camera over one shoulder, a large tripod and 

video camera over the other shoulder 

heading straight for the edge of the cliff. As 

seen in the previous picture. 

I don’t really have any death wishes but I 

really enjoy the fact of getting shots others 

are less likely to get due to fear. I’m sure 

many of you have had moments where 

something could have gone terribly wrong, 

and that’s where the safety factor comes in. 

I have lived in Australia for about 23 years 

now and I have gone through the first five 

years studying and getting to know the 

wildlife that resides all around us and how to 

make sure you don’t get in harm’s way while 

photographing them… yes that’s right FIVE 

years of study. 

When I moved here from the UK I already 

had a fascination for the wildlife of many 

countries but I learned all I could about the 

country I moved to for the reason of 

Photography… and maybe collecting a few 

bugs along the way. 


People from other countries have a vivid 

imagination of spiders here being massive 

and scorpions that live in your shoes so you 

check them each time you want to put them 

on. Haha, that is far from the truth. I will let 

you in on a little secret… Australia isn’t as 

dangerous as people think. 

We do have many spiders and other 

creatures that can kill you but a majority of 

the time they will never be seen and you 

have to go looking for them to photograph 

them. 

I have looked for and found many of the so 

called dangerous spiders and out of the 

many only two spiders give me the heebee 

jeebee’s. No, not the redback that everyone 

fears so much and is portrayed as a huge 

spider when the female is the larger of the 

species and only gets to about 2-2.5 cm 

long. So photographing them is easy, but 

you need a macro lens. 

Despite the theory that they are so 

dangerous they can kill a person in a short 

time, which they can’t!! It’s really a matter 

of how sensitive you are to the venom and 

even if you are, you still have plenty of time 

to get the anti-venom and be better in a 

couple of days. 

However, the wolf spider is a very different 

kettle of fish… well spider. 

The males are not so bad, but you still have 

to be cautious if you want to get close to 

them. The females on the other hand, DO 

NOT HANDLE THEM or get too close. 

These can be very aggressive spiders and 

need the utmost respect for good reason. 

They will sink their fangs into you if given 

the chance mostly during breeding season. 

Despite what any Professional arachnid 

fanatic tells you, these spiders can be very 

aggressive… I know I was there. Hahaa 

The only time they bite is if you are unlucky 

enough to get one in some clothing or your 

bed… extremely rare. 

This shot was taken with a 90mm macro 

lens in a very controlled area. 


When I say controlled I mean an area it 

can’t get out of. As awesome a shot this is, 

this spider pic was taken in a tank where it 

couldn’t get out, and go the distance and do 

the damage it really wanted to do at the 

time. 

Know your subject well before attempting 

to take a picture close up… Once again 

Knowledge is power. 

This catch and release works well on a lot of 

creatures if you know your subjects well 

enough and have a good enclosure to 

transport them in for Photographing. 

Another deadly creature that occurs here 

and other places are snakes. Australia has 

more deadly snakes than anywhere in the 

world. A very common one to come across 

is the Dugite. 

Photographing snakes, you have to know 

about how any reptile works. When a reptile 

is cold it is slow and docile but beware as 

they can be temperamental. 

I have handled snakes here on many 

occasions and know how and when you can 

get near a snake or large reptile like our 

Goannas. 

This large dugite was on a local beach on a 

cold day it was easy to handle and be able to 

have the pleasure of getting so close to 

something this dangerous. 

My wife and I only had our phones with us 

at this time and when we came back 

prepared on several occasions. We just 

couldn’t find any snakes again. 


The Tiger snake is a beautifully coloured 

snake that can reach lengths of up to around 

2 meters. It is apparently related to the cobra 

and when threatened flattens it sides like the 

cobra to make it look bigger. 

When I first came to Australia, I was told 

the tiger snake will go for you rather than 

slither away. But now I have learned on 

many occasions including when I did my 

snake handling certificate that they will only 

ever attack people if they are stepped on or 

have nowhere to go. 

I have seen quite a few tiger snakes now and 

each time my wife and I went looking for 

them we had to be up before the sunrise. 

Even when we did find one, they were very 

hard to photograph. They would get a whiff 

of you, and then disappear as quickly as 

they could. 

We had to sneak up really slowly to get this 

shot from downwind before he noticed us 

getting too close and disappearing into the 

long grass to get away. 

Apart from the many snakes here in 

Australia we have some pretty large lizards 

too. I have experienced some of the many 

Goannas we have here and I have a very 

large advantage to many people on this 

particular family of reptile. Photographing 

these guys takes a vast amount of patience 

in finding them and even more so actually 

capturing them close up. 

The experience with knowing about these 

reptiles’ stems from way back when I was in 

the UK I had a pet Monitor called Savage. 

We did get lucky with a few shots near one 

of the many lakes around Perth. 

They love to be around wet and marshy 

areas so they hang around close to 

waterways. 

This is Savage. 

This 4.5 foot savanna monitor got me 

hanging to face more of these awesome 

creatures which have a reputation of being a 

dangerous creature. But knowing this 

particular family of reptiles has taught me to 

be able to see when they will react and how. 

This shot was right near a walkway with 

people passing by, not even noticing this 

big fella (around six foot) wallowing in the 

sun rays along the edge of the grass next to 

the lake. 

The Goanna or as known in other countries, 

monitor lizards are part of the aboriginal 

culture here in many ways, as well as food 

they have a history of dream time stories of 

these reptiles portrayed in many aboriginal 

art. 


One of the aboriginal names for these large 

lizards is Bubb-you-bin-marrohoo. 

One of the many large goannas I had the 

pleasure of facing was a perentie Goanna 

Varanus giganteus) it is the largest monitor 

lizard or goanna native to Australia, and the 

fourth-largest living lizard on earth, after the 

Komodo dragon. 

These impressive reptiles can grow to a cool 

2.5 meters or 8ft 2inches in length. The one 

I came across was a mere six to six and a 

half foot long. I stopped in a hurry to 

capture this beautiful reptile on a dirt track 

in the north of Western Australia. A place 

called Quobba. 

I jumped out of the car to get some shots, as 

I jumped out I realized I only had my 18-55 

mm lens on the camera. To get the shots I 

wanted, I had to get close to it… closer than 

most people would dare to get. 

Having the knowledge of these reptiles 

dating back so long, I could tell he wasn’t 

going anywhere and stayed still for me to 

get close enough to see the veins in his eyes 

Once again it was a cool cloudy day so his 

movements were slow. The results speak for 

themselves. Even with claws like a bird of 

prey, it just didn’t put me off of wanting to 

get so close to something that others 

wouldn’t even attempt. 

Even though this beautiful lizard got a bit 

moody, it was a joy to get this close to a 

predator of this calibre but nothing quite as 

intense as the predators we have in the north 

of Australia. 

The Salt water Crocodile. Where the 

Americans speak about the Alligators being 

a creature to be careful with, they are pretty 

much like a frog with teeth in comparison to 

saltwater crocs we have here in Australia. 


Salty’s as we call them here are pretty 

creatures when they are young, almost cute; 

but when they get to a ripe size of about 5-7 

foot… Look out!! 

In the category of dangerous creatures to 

photograph, these are probably one of the 

most dangerous, up there with the 

experience of Komodo Dragons… But 

that’s a story for another time. 

The salt water crocs you can come across 

may look big and cumbersome, but mess 

with a big one and you will quickly discover 

they can move quicker than you would 

expect. 

They have been found to have the ability to 

run up to 29-30 kilometres an hour… so, 

just a bit faster than the average man. 

Maybe If you were Usain Bolt, you might 

stand a chance of putting the croc off of 

eating you, but we wouldn’t stand too much 

of a chance with one of these slow looking 

dinosaurs if they were hungry. 

In the aspect of getting close to one of these, 

I would definitely suggest getting a nice 

long lens of 600mm. and maybe to be sure 

you don’t get too close to one of these make 

it a 2X adaptor on top of the 600mm… 

Just to be safe, you know… so you have 

enough distance to get away when it moves 

towards you. 

Getting close to a salty is a risky thing to do 

in the wild; people have been eaten for less 

by these monsters. 

Well there you have it just a few of the 

dangers we have to think about in Australia 

while getting THAT shot to start with. I will 

carry on with more in the second part of the 

creatures you could face and what they are 

capable of if you’re not careful. 

For those in the more peaceful places for 

photography like the UK & some parts of 

Europe that don’t face creatures of danger 

unless they’re behind glass, enjoy what you 

have around you, & if you ever go to a 

country with dangerous creatures. 

Be very aware of what they can do, be very 

safety conscious, be respectful to the 

environment they live in… Leave only 

footprints behind. 

Most of all, don’t take risks without 

knowledge of what you are facing… It 

could make it your last Photo. 

Paul Welch - Australia 


Long Tailed Duck 

King Eider 

Eider 

Common Pochard 

Hooded Merganser 

Silver Woodduck 





Website = photosociety.net Page 47 email = magazine@photosociety.net

To me, this is the pearl in the pearl of Africa, the 

ever green, lush and diverse Murchison, depending 

on the route, about 5 hours from Kampala lays 

Murchison, home to so many of Uganda’s wild 

animals, once home even to the now extinct white 

rhino (we will get back to that one on our trip to the 

Ziwa rhino sanctuary). 

We go through the northern gates of the park, its 

early morning and the sun has just reached above 

the horizon, the warm light hits the movement in the 

vegetation and already at the gates, elephant 

welcome us, 

The African Elephant is the largest land animal in 

the world easily weighing in at twice the weight of 

our safari truck, their sensitive trunks smelling the 

air, he knows that we are there, just simply doesn’t 

care. 


Passing the lonely elephant, heading deeper in to the 

park we come across a herd of 15 elephants on their 

way to the Nile river for a drink and to cool off. 

Murchison is home to the largest population of the 

Rothschild’s giraffe with about 1200 left in the wild 

some 900 is roaming this park, they are truly huge, 

gracious animals. 

But don’t be fooled, a side kick from its hoofs can 

crush the skull of an attacking lion. We find two 

young male giraffes banging their heads against each 

other’s necks to establish who is the man… and who 

is getting to mate. 


Here is the park, where we find lions and leopards 

and hyenas, all top of the food chain predators living 

of the diversity of antelopes, Kob, warthogs, 

buffaloes and even hippos and giraffes. 

There is always something going on here, among 

topis and hartebeests, hartebeest being known for its 

short memory span…running from the car just to 

stop after a few meters, looking behind him as if 

forgetting what he was running from. 


Its coming to afternoon, and we are heading down to 

the Nile river, to cruise this longest river in the 

world watching the animals by the shore, on our 

way up to Murchison falls…stay tuned… Peter 


No more mountains or hills for thousands of kilometres. 


An orphaned Kodiak bear cub. 

Looking out window of our room in Banff Springs Hotel, Banff National Park. 

We had a rain shower and then this. 


Website = photosociety.net Page 54 email = magazine@photosociety.net 

Here in 

We have a fe 

To go with the B


May 9, 2016 near Bro 

Sometimes it pays to be 

a camera, at th 



House fires can occur anywhere, n 

them we stand and watch. We hope 

flames. We also watch the fire-figh 

the blaze under control, but first and 

We have to admire the dedication a 

entering a burning building to res 

often do we also wonder what 

situation? 

So imagine someone is inside this b 

Look at the three images below, n 

which door would you enter by? 


-fighters, in 






Kuyimba means 'to sing' in the Zambian Chinyanja language 

and this site is a celebration of the sights and sounds of 

southern Africa. Join us to experience it for yourself. 

Derek & Sarah Solomon 

www.kuyimba.com 


Magazine Submissions 

Members are welcome to submit Bio’s and other articles relating to expeditions and equipment 

reviews. Small file size pictures may be included. Recognised wildlife trust and Nature 

Conservation group adverts may be included free of charge per quarter page subject to approval. 

Any one who would like to write a feature article for the magazine, please do. I have no real limit 

on the magazine size but for ease I will find a comfortable limit depending on the method used for 

circulating it. 

Trade Adverts 

Adverts may be placed with the magazine at the editors discretion. A charge will be made in 

advance of publication towards the running costs of the society amounting to 10 GBP per quarter 

page per issue. 

Submissions should be emailed to magazine@photosociety.net please state ‘magazine article or 

advert’ in the subject line. 

Not everything is what it appears at first glance. - GL 

The Photographer Academy is the largest European 

photography training company providing the award 

winning training to get inspired or instructed every day. 

http://thephotographeracademy.com 

The Cat Survival Trust was registered as a charity in 

1976. The Trust's on-site objective is to promote 

education regarding the conservation of wild cats and 

their habitat by housing an array of species in natural 

enclosures. 

http://www.catsurvivaltrust.org 

We hope you like the magazine, the size and content of future issues depends on you. 

Submissions for the next issue are being accepted

World Image Issue 47 August 2017

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