One of the most spectacular and exciting journeys we have ever taken was just completed during the summer of 2023. It was time again to put on our exploration shoes and venture into a safari camp adventure in the Southern part of Africa: starting in South Africa, but just spending enough time to restore from many hours of jet travel; then venturing on to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana; then returning to Johannesburg, South Africa before a number of long flights home.

The images here and in the next seven chapters highlight a 17-day exploration of rural and bush Southern Africa, with its emphasis on the animal life and stark beauty of its topography. With 11 additional adventurers, we stayed in 4 different safari camps which provided comfortable tent accommodations, too much food, safari vehicles with guides and trackers, dancing and singing, and much information about the animal (and at times, human) life in the bush.

This first chapter depicts the people we encountered along the way: the guides, our fellow travelers, students and staff at a rural school we visited, the villagers in the Lukosi area where we received a most-welcoming reception, and finally a family in Victoria Falls who opened their hearts and lives to us on a home-hosted visit and dinner. The last 3 images are of the beautiful and intelligent daughters and a daughter-in-law of our magnanimous Zimbabwean hostess. Special mention and thanks needs to be made to our thoughtful, knowledgable, and helpful tour leader, Blessing. Without his guidance and care, this trip could not have happened.

In the three major countries we visited, there was a vast amount of differing terrain and conditions. While mostly hot and dry, there were bodies of water with abundant animal life along their shores, especially at the Kafue National Park in Zambia. Our last safari camp in Botswana had the most severe drought conditions with elephant families, baboons, and impalas visiting an ever-decreasing waterhole in front of the camp. We were, however, able to take a longish safari vehicle trip to an area where we could take a mokoro canoe trip along the Okavango Delta. Baobab trees were abundant in most areas and provided an interesting upside-down silhouette to the landscape. The colors, textures, and sunsets made each day a special delight for this photographer.

I fell in love with the cat family during our safari — the lions especially seemed to enjoy being the subjects of my photo shoots. Two brothers near our Kafue National Park site were quite photogenic and communicated to us how regal they could truly be. They also seemed to have a long non-verbal discussion when it was time for them to end their photographic session. We encountered lions near most of the other safari camps as well.

A real treat — if one can put it that way — was encountering a mother leopard and her cub near our Okavango Delta River camp in Botswana. We watched as the mother rested in a variety of lounging poses after a night of an impala kill. Her cub hid as best as she could in the thicket nearby. After a snooze in a multitude of almost gymnastic poses, the mother went back to the den where she had stored the remainder of the impala and had a bit of a snack. The next day we saw a hyena cleaning up the bones and tissue of that impala in a nearby area. Nothing goes to waste in the bush.

The beauty and variety of the birds in this region of Southern Africa is unmatched. The most iconic bird of the area is the African Fish Eagle, and we saw them in abundance on trees, on the shore, and in the air. A list of the birds we saw include egrets, cranes, the Malachite Kingfisher, the Jacana, the Helmeted Guinea Fowl, the Bradfield’s Hornbill, the Drongo, storks, vultures, and the Kingfisher. Because of their colorful plumage, my favorites were the Lilac-breasted Rollers. The abundance of varying birdlife almost made me wish I had come prepared with a birdwatcher’s life list.

After my affection for and photographic concentration on the Big Cats, I am drawn to the elephants and giraffes. The elephants have a most varied and complex family life, and they seem to work and survive because of this close family existence. The giraffes are elegant and move at a rhythmic stride. Both animal families are good fodder for photographers.

We encountered many baboons as well as some vervet monkeys during our safari trip. On one game drive in Chobe National Park in northern Botswana, we were treated to the antics of a large baboon troop playing amongst the trees adjacent to a lake. Mothers cared for their babies and held them in such tender embraces. This made for some beautiful photographic images.

In this chapter you will find images of kudus, impalas and others in the antelope family, Nile crocodiles, terrapins, zebras, a spotted hyaena, a Cape buffalo, a honey badger, rock hyraxes, water monitors, reed frogs, Black-backed Jackals, and an ostrich. Most interesting to watch were the hippos. At one lake, we watched a hippo chase another one onto dry land to show his/her dominance. Our greatest experience, however, proved to be able to spend time among a family of wild dogs. The puppies were the most fun to watch. Parents and brethren showed how much care and devotion were given to the youngest members of the pack.

Victoria Falls . . . that is the actual falls, not the town . . . can only be described in superlatives. There is nothing like it on this earth. To be able to see it on days when the sun is diffracted in the flowing waters as rainbows is probably one of the most beautiful sights imaginable. The explorer Dr. David Livingstone called them “angels in their flight.” The local name given to the Falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya, or “the smoke that thunders.” Most photography does not do it justice. Nor does any description.

The variety of landscapes in my adopted home, Oregon, is overwhelming.  Nature photographers seek out this state because of the amazing ocean vistas, the unique forests, the waterfalls, lakes, mountains and other natural features.  There are also many incredible activities and events to highlight through photography, such as the Southern Oregon Kite Festival in Brookings or "Christmas in the Garden" near Silverton.

Animals are the soul of our earth.  They reflect the best of who we are and should be treated and loved accordingly.  I seek to converse with these soul mates, even the bears.  My photography of animals reflects this love I have for them.

I have long entertained a fascination for "Dutch Master" paintings, especially by those artists who employ the use of shadow and light with high color contrasts and darkness to accentuate their subjects.  My heroes are Vermeer and Rembrandt.  I have emulated their work in some of my photography, especially the use of a technique called "chiaroscuro."  My goal in these images is to "come close" -- but I am not so vain as to believe that my work could even come near these masters.  One of my favorite locations for this attempt at bringing these qualities to life is at the Fort Ross State Historic Park, near Jenner, California.  I only wish there had been some costumed enactors at this location to shoot in the various rooms. 

There is nothing more beautiful than trees.  They are strongly represented in my work, because I believe they have an ancient soul and are vital to the health of our earth. They come in all shapes, sizes, colorations, and are fascinating singularly or in a grouping.  Other images are of the more traditional landscape variety, but I hope I have given them a new context.  

One of my favorite forms of photography is portraiture.  The human face is a constantly-changing canvas of emotions.  I seek to find evocative faces from around the world in my images, not to mock or deride, but to honor and contemplate.  I also enjoy capturing people in doing something that reflects their culture, their surroundings, and their attitude about their world.

I have always been drawn to a beautiful still life image.  It is the juxtaposition of objects, sometimes related and sometimes not, in varying degrees of light and darkness, that draws my eye to them.  You will find still lifes in some of the other pages, but this page will be exclusively devoted to them.

This is the purest and most essential form of photography.  It requires the viewer to see things in a new way, since we are surrounded by color, even in our dreams.  Black and white images in my portfolio are ones that were originally conceived and processed in color and then later made into monochromes.  When I began my photo taking using film, I had dedicated much more of my time to this genre of photography.  For one thing, I had to think in terms of the black and white image right at the outset.  Now with digital photography, it only requires basic manipulation on the computer.  But, in order to truly dedicate myself, I  will need to convert my thinking into seeing images in black and white when I am actually taking the photograph.  Nevertheless, color photography will more than likely remain my primary focus in the days to come.