IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR DECEMBER, 2005 (Scroll down for previous months)

SINGLE FILE, PLEASE Elephants Crossing The Ewaso Nyiro River, Samburu National Reserve, Kenya I've just returned from another successful photo safari in East Africa--returning with many great images like this, along with many more memories that couldn't possibly be captured on film or digital memory cards. Africa is like a drug--after your first visit, you are hooked and can't wait for the next time--but a good drug, one I suggest you try before you die! Canon 1D Mark II digital camera, EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS lens at 70mm, handheld. Exposure of 1/320 second at f8, ISO 100.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER & NOVEMBER, 2005

CHEETAH TWIN-PACK Cheetahs, Masai Mara NR (Kenya) and Serengeti NP (Tanzania) A couple of oldies out of the files, as I prepare for a five week safari in East Africa, hopefully capturing more images like these. Unlike other big cats, the cheetah is a diurnal creature, needing the daylight to capture prey after an awe-inspiring chase (rather than using stealth in the dark). The top cheetah was searching the horizon at daybreak, and spotted a possible antelope breakfast in the distance. The lower cheetah was descending a kopje (isolated rock outcrop) on the Serengeti Plains, after using the elevation to spot prey. Since I won't return until mid-November, this month you get a twin-pack!

IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR SEPTEMBER, 2005

TRAFFIC JAM AT MILE 59 Bull Caribou, Park Road, Denali National Park Only in a National Park do the animals have the right-of-way. These bull caribou have sought refuge from pesky flies by standing on the gravel road -- where presumably there are less insects than on the tundra -- but oblivious to the traffic jam they have created. (Traffic jams can be relative, depending on where you are...). After about 15 minutes their stomachs got the best of them, and they ambled off onto the tundra to feed. And the buses continued down the dusty road and faded into the smokey landscape. Canon 1D Mark II digital camera, EF 100-400mm L IS lens at 150mm, handheld with image stabilization. Exposure of 1/320 second at f8, ISO 100.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR AUGUST, 2005

ON A CLEAR DAY... Mt. McKinley (Denali), Denali National Park, Alaska It is said that "On a clear day, you can see forever", but for many visitors to Denali National Park during some summers, they're just happy to see Denali. For several days this week, visitors have been getting an eyeful -- a clear, unobstructed view, void of the usual clouds and smoke from forest fires. Canon 1D Mark II digital camera, EF 70-200mm L IS lens at 120mm, polarizer filter, on Gitzo tripod. Exposure of 1/200 second at f8, ISO 100.

IMAGE OF THE MONTH FOR JULY, 2005

BURNING BUSH Willow Tree, Polychrome Pass, Denali National Park Just off the Park road, near the real Polychrome Pass (the pass that separates the East Fork and Toklat drainages, miles West of what should be called Polychrome Overlook), lives a willow that turns color in mid-June. Obviously a genetic mutant, the leaves turn yellow months before the surrounding willows. Many of the long-time road users, in jest of course, have threatened to cut the tree down and burn it (hence, the title) before the mutant genes spread any further. (Hasn't happened in the decades I've been watching it). We do not need a reminder that the short Alaskan summer is ending all too quickly, and winter will be upon us sooner than we would like. Canon 1D Mark II digital camera, EF 24-70mm L lens at 70mm, handheld. Exposure of 1/40 second at f8, ISO 100.

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