christian sperka – Page 153 – 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

2014-03-06

Two Years in the Wild!

This is a message for all my friends in and around Nashville!

I have been asked quite a few times if I will give a presentation about my work in South Africa when I am visiting Nashville in 2014. So here it is!

The Brentwood Photography Group kindly invited me to speak at their monthly meeting on Tuesday, 3 June 2014.

The presentation will be about “Two Years in the Wild!“. I will share some of my adventures and experiences – with a lot of images 🙂 and I will also talk a bit about my methods to get good wildlife pictures.

Guests are very welcome at the meeting, so if you would like to be there, just mark the date in your calendar.

The meeting will be held at the Otter Creek Church of Christ on Franklin Road in Brentwood. The meeting will start at 6:30pm.

It would be great to see you then!

Click here to download a PDF with the meeting information:

PS: Please feel free to forward this invitation to anyone who you think might be interested in the topic – Thanks

2014-03-04

BIRDS – Village Weavers mating

Since I have posted the image of a strangely colored bird a few days ago – now identified as a Village Weaver – a few of you have asked me about how do Village Weavers normally look like.

So here is an image of a Village Weaver pair mating in front of their nest.