wildlife – Page 136 – Christian Sperka Photography

2014-06-30

Should we move?

It is a very thrilling experience for many guests when a breeding herd of Elephants walks towards the vehicle.

And as a guide one sometimes hears a timid voice from the back asking “Should we move now?”

And the answer is …

… it depends. Thanda’s experienced guides and trackers know when to move and when to stay. In this case there was plenty space for the Elephants and all of them were very relaxed as they moved past the vehicle. So the guests were able to enjoy a close encounter with these gentle giants.

2014-06-182014-06-18

Three friends …

With the help of three of my best friends in Nashville – Irene, Heather and Rick – I got some incredible images at the Nashville Zoo.

Collage 1 and 2 – Rick Schwartz, President of the Nashville Zoo, and I during a recent snake photo shoot. The model was Rick’s favorite snake, a Boelen’s Python (see also yesterday’s blog message at http://wp.me/p1rzfb-17X).

The images in the third collage were taken during a back stage tour with Heather Robertson, Senior Veterinarian at the Nashville Zoo.

Irene Archambault, my host during my stay in Nashville, took the pictures in the first two collages. Heather and Rick took the picture in the third collage. So for once I am in all the pictures 🙂

Thanks for a great stay to all my good friends in Nashville!
Collage 1Collage 2

Collage 3

2014-06-172014-06-17

Reptile Rainbow

Just before I left the USA I had the opportunity to photograph one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen – and it was a snake!

This Boelen’s Python had just shed. During the photo shoot in the bright Nashville sun all the rainbow colors appeared on skin.

Besides being a great model this specimen is also great to handle – she rested calmly around my chest as I brought her back to her living space 🙂

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!

2014-06-10

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.

2014-05-222014-05-22

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!

2014-05-142014-05-15

Clean-up Crew!

Hyena are one of the most fascinating mammal species to observe . They are an important part of the bush clean-up crew and play a vital role in the circle of life.

With their grinning smiles and their awkward walking style (their very strong front legs are longer than the back legs) they are often disliked by many people.

But in this picture one of Thanda’s Spotted Hyenas shows itself from its “cute side” 🙂

2014-05-08

28mm

Sometimes pictures tell an exciting story. So do these!

They were taken with a 28mm (wide-angle) lens and not cropped.

Our oldest North Pride Lioness had decided to walk up to our vehicle and she had first a good look at me (picture below) and then at the guests behind me (picture above). My instruction to hold still and not move was followed without any discussion :-).

As she was in touching distance I took the picture above without moving the camera and without looking through the viewfinder (hence the funny composition). Nevertheless I thought many of you might enjoy this awesome predator’s look.

If you are interested why we were not in danger during the encounter with this dangerous cat go to https://sperka.info/why/.