CHRISTIAN SPERKA PHOTOGRAPHY – Page 122 – Christian Sperka Photography

2014-06-13

Nashville, Cookeville and the Smoky Mountains

It is almost over – Hard to believe, but my 2014 stay in Tennessee is coming to an end already. On Sunday I will be flying back to Switzerland/Germany.

I had a great time meeting up with a lot of old (and new) friends, giving four talks (with a total of over 350 participants), exhibiting at the Nashville First Saturday Art Crawl, exploring the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for three days and spending time at my favorite place in Nashville: The Zoo.

The collage above shows me at two of the talks in Nashville and Cookeville. The collage below shows me having fun at the Nashville Zoo with the Zoo Elephants, a Clouded Leopard and a Boelen’s Python (Pictures by Heather Robertson and Rick Schwartz).

Thanks for welcoming me again in Tennessee – see you again soon!

2014-06-112014-06-11

Variety – Carnivores, Omnivores, Herbivores and Scenery!

Day two in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA. Today we encounter a variety of species.

White-tailed Deer, a herbivore, in the early morning …

Wild Turkey, later in the day, …

Coyote, a carnivore, hunting just after the first rain …

Another Black Bear, an omnivore, creating a traffic jam with its appearance …

and some very beautiful scenery – the view from the continental divide!

Another great day in the park 🙂

2014-06-10

Mum – I can’t get up higher than that!

Day one in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA.

This four-month old bear cub was climbing up a tree while mum was foraging on the ground. It went up and up into the crown of the tree. Many people were watching from the road while the bears gave their “performance”, completely oblivious to their audience.

A great start to a three-day visit to the park.

2014-06-072014-06-07

BOOK and PRINTS

After this week’s presentations quite a few people have asked me if my images are for sale. They certainly are 🙂 … in a new BOOK I have just finished a new book about Thanda Cats. It is a 90 page portfolio with interesting nature/conservation related quotes. It is 12″x12″ (30cmx30cm) and it can be ordered on amazon.com. Just search for THANDA CATS and you will find the book.

In case you prefer an iBook version it is available on store.blurb.com (for iPad/iPhone only). Again, just search for THANDA CATS and you find the download page.

… as PRINTS or CANVASES Most of my images are for sale. You can review a large part of my portfolio (thousands of images) on www.sperka.biz. Just let me know which image you are interested in and I will send you a quote for the requested size to be printed on high quality photo paper or canvas. Most images can also be purchased as a digital high-res download for personal use. info@sperka.com.

I am looking forward to seeing many of my Nashville friends during tonight’s exhibition at the Nashville Art Crawl (https://sperka.info/2014/05/18/back-at-the-first-saturday-nashville-art-crawl)

2014-06-06

Great response!

About hundred people showed up for yesterday evening’s presentation at the Nashville Zoo. I did not expect such a turnout for my Keppers of the Wild talk. I also held the same presentation earlier in the day for the zoo staff, which was also very well attended.

Tomorrow I will be exhibiting at the Nashville First Saturday Art Crawl (Details at http://wp.me/p1rzfb-16C) – ZULULAND – WILDLIFE AND PEOPLE IN THE AFRICAN SOUTH …

… and next Wednesday I will give another talk TWO YEARS IN THE WILD at the Cookeville Camera Club (Details at http://wp.me/p1rzfb-16r).

Today’s image is of a Clouded Leopard at the Nashville Zoo. Drupada, a young male, was giving me “the look”!

2014-06-05

Back in Nashville!

It is great to be back in Nashville and seeing a lot of my friends in the Music City USA. Yesterday’s talk at the Brentwood Photography Group went very well and I am looking forward to being at the Nashville Zoo all day tomorrow.

In the evening I will be giving a presentation called “Keepers of the Wild” at the Zoo (The event is free to the public – http://www.nashvillezoo.org/events/lecture).

2014-06-01

A new home for Zuerich’s Elephants

Yesterday I briefly visited the Zuerich Zoo in Switzerland. And I got my first glimpse of the new Elephant enclosure, a fascinating building within impressive grounds.

It will open in six days. After my return from the USA I will have a good look at this new exhibit, housing Zuerich’s Asian Elephants.

2014-05-222014-05-22

Ten years for Thanda and two years for me :-)

Lots to celebrate: Thanda its ten year anniversary (see http://wp.me/p43t9J-10s) and me living for the last two years in South Africa!

But the next five weeks I will be back in Europe (28 May to 1 June / 16 June to 26 June) and the USA (3 June to 14 June).

So there will be no messages from the African wild, but I hope to blog a few nice travel pictures/stories. Stay tuned ……

PS: During my stay in Tennessee I will give a few presentation about South Africa. For more information go to http://wp.me/p1rzfb-16r and http://wp.me/p1rzfb-16C

2014-05-18

Back at the First Saturday Nashville Art Crawl

ZULULAND – Wildlife and People in the African South

At the June Nashville First Saturday Art Crawl I will exhibit a few of my recent images, taken around my new home in the Heart of Zululand. Unusally for me, I will also show People images besides Wildlife pictures :-). Come and have a look.

The event at the Nashville Arcade is open to the public. I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the Art Crawl!

When: Saturday – June 7, 2014 – 6:00-9:00pm
Where: Ultraviolet Gallery @ Nashville Arcade, Downtown Nashville

Thanks to Amiee Stubbs, who invited me to her UltraViolet Gallery, I am able to exhibit again in Nashville. Amiee is the Official Photographer and Photography Teacher for the Nashville Zoo and Photojournalist for Animal Rescue Corps. She is a very accomplished professional photographer with a wide portfolio (www.amieestubbs.com). But her passion is definitely animal photography!

PS: I will also give a few presentations about Photography, Wildlife and Conservation – For more information go to https://sperka.info/2014/05/15/two-years-in-the-wild-and-keepers-of-the-wild-presentations-in-tennessee/

2014-05-15

“Two Years in the Wild” and “Keepers of the Wild” – Presentations in Tennessee

I am looking forward to my visit to the USA in June. After another year in the bush it will be great to see my Tennessee friends again. During my stay I will be giving two different presentations about my work in South Africa. All presentations are open to the public and no reservations are required.

I hope to see many of you on either of these occasions 🙂

“Two Years in the Wild” is the first presentation about my experiences in South Africa and my methods to get good wildlife images. This presentation is open to the public. I will be giving this talk in Nashville and in Cookeville.

When: Tuesday – June 3, 2014 – 6:30pm
Where: Brentwood Photography Group Meeting @ Otter Creek Church of Christ, Franklin Road, Brentwood, Tennessee – http://www.brentwoodphotographygroup.org/

When: Wednesday – June 11, 2014 – 7:00pm
Where: Cookeville Camera Club Meeting @ First Presbyterian Church, 20N Dixie, Cookeville, Tennessee – http://www.cookevillecameraclub.com/

“Keepers of the Wild” is the second presentation about the conservation efforts and challenges for a private game reserve in South Africa and about the rising threat to Africa’s Rhino population.

When: Thursday – June 5, 2014 – 6:00pm
Where: Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, Nolensville Road, Nashville, Tennessee – http://www.nashvillezoo.org/events/lecture

See you in Nashville or Cookeville!