WILDpaper - Free Desktop Wallpaper for May 2014

Hey folks! It's that time of the month where I release another desktop wallpaper for you to download for free! I call them WILDpapers, and you can check out last month's download HERE.

This month's image shows a juvenile cheetah from the Kalahari desert. I captured this photo back in June 2010 on a family trip to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, one of the best spots in Southern Africa to view and photograph these speedy felines.

The quote for this WILDpaper is from the historic philosopher Aristotle:

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."

You can download the HD resolution (1920 pixels wide) wallpaper HERE.

Feel free to share this post with anyone whom you feel would love to download this wallpaper!
Also, take note that you are welcome to contact me for any fine art prints that you desire from my portfolio - you can mail me directly using morkel(at)morkelerasmus.com


Thanks, as always, for your support.

Dusk Zebra

I absolutely love photographing wildlife in the soft light just before sunrise or after sunset. There's a luminous soft glow and saturating mood that you just don't get in any other kind of natural light. I literally don't care what my subject is when I'm in this precious short window of light...

This particular photo was taken in the Mountain Zebra National Park of South Africa, a small reserve which has immensely beautiful vistas all around and is a highly underrated safari destination. Situated in the Karoo semi-desert near the town of Cradock, this National Park now sports lions and cheetahs, along with several interesting herbivore species and it's also a hotspot for seeing the elusive Aardwolf! 

This photo shows the endangered Cape Mountain Zebra (from whom the park takes its name). This species was critically endangered in the early 1900's but was brought back to a sustainable population thanks to the efforts of the South African National Parks, with the establishment of this particular National Park in 1937 no small step in securing their future.

You can read more about the park HERE.

Techs:
Canon 7D
Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS USM
f2.8  |  1/100 SS  |  ISO-1600

Enjoy your day, friends!

Morkel Erasmus

Standing Proud

Tall and proud he stands. Bathed in golden light as the sun sinks to the horizon.
He wants a drink, and he will get it, as he doesn't have enemies at this waterhole.

Elephants are special creatures. During my time at a research bunker in Namibia last year, I was fascinated by their various rumblings and communication techniques with the other elephants of the area. There is a recent publication on the National Geographic website where you can listen to some of these rumblings and noises, and see a diagram on how it works and what each sound and gesture signals. Check it out HERE.

Elephants are, however, under threat from daily poaching all over Africa. They are sometimes poached for meat, but mostly it's all about their ivory tusks. Nations around the world are trying to crack down on ivory smuggling rings and are burning their own confiscated ivory stockpiles, while banning local legal trade in ivory. Let's hope all these efforts will help, because an elephant is illegally killed in Africa every 15 minutes! On 4 October 2014 there will be a "Global march for Elephants and Rhinos" - and you can find more info HERE.

I hope you like this image!

Techs:
Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR-II @ 70mm
f8.0  |  1/400 SS  |  ISO-220

click on the photo to view at optimal sharpness and resolution against a dark background

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!

Morkel Erasmus

Portrait of a young lion

I dug into my archives for this one - something basic, a simple portrait, enhanced by rim-light from the sun behind the subject.

I spent time with a local lion pride in the Savute region of the Chobe National Park back in 2011 on a commissioned visit to the lodges of Orient Express in Botswana. The pride had been resting in the shade all day, but at the end of the day, as is their nature, they started waking up for the night's activity. This youngster was intrigued by a herd of elephants who'd arrived discreetly behind us and were drinking from a standing pool of water.

Shooting portraits with rim-light from a back-lit source (the sun in this case) is quite challenging, if you are not aiming for a silhouette. You want just the right amount of detail and the rim-lighting to not be too brightly blown out. I would encourage you to practice this technique with your specific camera and lens combination as often as you can, so that you know you can nail the exposure in the field when it matters.

Techs:
Canon 7D
Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS USM
f4.0  |  1/1000 SS  |  ISO-800

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Morkel Erasmus