LILIES LILIES EVERYWHERE

Hi First name / everyone, I hope this update newsletter finds you well? This month comes with a slight apology! I know many of you follow the newsletter for my latest updates from the bush. But… because I have been so inspired to get the last few themes out, this one is actually a little late. In April this year we had some of the most dramatic transformations I have ever seen on the Chobe river. While most years the flooded islands turn into water lily fields, I have never seen them in such incredible numbers before. In this newsletter I am sharing some of my favourite water lily images from this year. As always, I would love to hear what you think! 

 

- William

As I mentioned in the intro, this year has been incredible for water lilies. As the flood water from Angola met us here in the Chobe, the waterways were transformed. I can only surmise that a combination of early flooding, alongside large volumes of water, meant that we were treated to a real spectacle of white and purple flowers. 

 

I talk a lot about making the most out of environments and conditions, often when they are going against you. More importantly though, planning images around conditions and phenomenons can be an amazing way of focusing your photography. Whether its storm chasing, or in this case the onset of lilies, this idea of narrowing in on a theme can really push your creativity.

 

The selection below is a combination of good luck and patience, as my guests and I photographed this fleeting beauty. I hope you enjoy the series.

As this newsletter has become a “what happened in April” theme, I though I would share some more images from that month! As you can imagine, with a hectic schedule handling a full time job and the running of the South African Photographer of the Year, I seldomly find the time to edit my own photographs. When I do, it often ends up being months later. The benefit of that is that I can approach each image without bias, as the excitement of the moment has waned.

 

In the last week of April I hosted a Chobe, Delta, Kalahari photography trip with four guests. Three nights on the Pangolin house boat on the Chobe river, two nights in Ker&Downeys Dinaka in the Central Kalahari, and finally four nights at Wilderness Safari's Tubu tree lodge in the Okavango Delta.

 

We had an incredible time exploring these uniquely different environments. Here are a selection of some of our highlights from this amazing trip, I hope you enjoy!

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have shared an “if only” post. This image may not even seem like one either, but let me explain! I have dreamt of taking an image like this for years. It has always been in the back of my mind every time I see a full moon. While I may have hoped it would be a leopard in the tree, I am thrilled with how this turned out. So whats the issue? I had the wrong lens! 

 

One of the hardest things about packing for a trip like this, is what camera equipment you should bring? Often a combination of space and weight restrictions, forces you to make tough choices. In an ideal world I would have taken both my Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 and a 600mm prime. 

 

In a desire to shoot wider scenes, I decide to instead take a 400mm f2.8 as well as a 70-200mm f2.8. In all honesty I think it was the right decision as 99.9% of the time I was thrilled with this combination. But… when it came to taking this image I cursed not having a longer lens. As a result this image is rather heavily cropped. Although this can be solved with software like Topaz Gigapixel AI, I would much rather have achieved the image correctly in camera.

 

When I posted this image on social media I had a few people ask about settings, so I have added them below. Would you like me to do this more often with some of my more artistic shots?

1 / 200 sec       -      f 11      -      ISO 2500      -      -1.7 ev

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