I recently returned from a seven-day journey in Botswana, and slowly made through my hundreds of images to select my “keepers”. Amateur photographers like myself do not always have to many of these “keepers”, but this is where black and white photography provides an opportunity to reduce that gap when it comes to have a few more images to be proud of.
Black and white photography provides and opportunity to be creative with an imperfect photograph. Below are 15 images from my visit to Abu and Qorokwe where I a compare a colour and black and white version with each other.
We found this young giraffe separated from the rest of the herd on our drive into Abu. The red-billed oxpecker was basking in the sun just below the ear of the giraffe.
With their bright colours, bee-eaters are one of my favourite birds to photograph. They always perch on the edge of a tree branch, making it easier to photograph with a clear background. The clearer your background the more prominent your subject will be when you convert your image to black and white.
The other bird that I love to photograph is the kingfisher. Maybe not as colourful as the bee-eaters, but they do offer a different challenge. The most common kingfisher, the pied kingfisher, hovers over the water before diving. With a clear background you can play around with shutter speed trying to capture the movement of the bird’s wings.
This tree squirrel was making a lot of noise. I was not able to identify what made this little fellow so upset. Guides like to use the alarm calls of smaller species like squirrels and francolins to spot predators, small and large. The likelihood is that this one was upset by a mongoose passing by.
Giraffes are one of the best animals to photograph in black and white. Their patterns provide the perfect opportunity to be creative. We spotted this mother and calf looking at us during one of our mokoro experiences. After we returned to the embankment for sundowners, the giraffes crossed the waterway to the other side.
This photograph of a spur-winged goose is a perfect example where the colour photograph is not perfect, but you are able to get away with the imperfection when converted to black and white. You be the judge?
Another very good example where the colour photograph is not great at all. The image is too busy, the leopard is in the shade and you have all kinds of vegetation covering its face. Converting it to black and white and blowing out the front and background definitely improved the image. A cleaner image would have been even better!
Photographed during a mokoro experience at Abu. A darker subject with a blown-out background can add drama to the image.
Both the texture of the reed and Angolan reed frog displays prominently when converted to black and white.
On an early morning game drive, just before the sun broke free of the horizon, we spotted this lone hyaena returning to its den. The light was not perfect, but converting it to black and white allows you to get away with the darker subject. The light grass provided mystery and created a sense of depth.
What is the main subject? The zebra or the impala?
Zebra, like the giraffe and pied kingfisher, is another animal that I love photographing in black and white. Their stripes allow for contrast and depth.
The colour photograph is hazy, a bit over-exposed and the elephants are in the shade… The black and white version creates the impact that is lacking in the colour version.
This photo of a western stripe-bellied sand snake is a unique sighting. With the snake, “posing” so beautifully, I was curious to see what it would look like in black and white. What are your thoughts?
During our morning coffee stop these impala came down to join us for a drink of water. This photo was taken during the late morning after the ‘golden hour’ had passed. Black and white photographs allow you to get away with photographing during the brighter period of the day. It was still early enough to capture these impala with their reflections on the water.
