Photo Details: Elephant (Loxodonta africana) walking towards waterhole, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D; Lens: Canon 100-400 IS Zoom; Focal Length: 170mm; Shutter speed: 1/320; Aperture: f5.6; ISO: 200.

Additional Info: The photograph was taken in December last year while staying at Satara Camp in the Kruger National Park. It was mid-summer and very hot and, as this was our first day in the park after a long day on the road, we didn't go for the usual afternoon game drive.

Around 4pm - still harsh sunlight and very hot - a large elephant (presumably a bull from its size) came strolling into view. Our accommodation was next to the camp fence, overlooking a small waterhole, and it was to this water that the ele was heading.

It's not often one has the opportunity to stand relatively close to elephants, yet feel safe, which the fence in this case allowed. It was also a good chance to get some photographs, but the square gaps in the mesh fence were not nearly large enough to poke a big lens through.

Instead, I simply held the lens agains the fence, lining it up with the hole as best I could. Certainly through the viewfinder I couldn't see any wires, so I snapped away. On downloading the images, I was pleasantly surprised. Even at full size in Photoshop, I could not see any trace of the fence wire.

Although I was shooting at the widest aperture available - f5.6 on the 100-400 zoom - I thought it might not be wide enough to throw any intruding wires so out of focus that they totally disappeared, but that appears to have happened. The fact that the camera has a sensor that's smaller than a 35mm frame may also have something to do with this, but I can't see why - then I'm not very technically minded.

So it's worth remembering - when next you see something interesting through a fence, don't ignore the opportunity and rather try simply taking pictures through the chinks.

Photo Details: Male Lion (Panthera leo) shows his formidable fangs, Elephant Plains Game Reserve, Sabi Sands, South Africa.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D; Lens: Canon 100-400 F5.6 IS zoom; Focal Length: 400mm; Shutter Speed: 1/30; Aperture: f5.6; ISO: 800; Lighting: Spotlight plus fill-in flash.

Additional Info: The picture was taken after nightfall on an evening game drive. The lion was illuminated by a hand-held spotlight, hence the need to shoot at a slow shutter speed (1/30th) with ISO set to 800. That's the penalty of using a lens with a maximum aperture of F5.6.

For this shot I added some fill-in flash which, combined with camera and subject movement, has created interesting streaks and blur, giving the image an impressionistic feel (or maybe just leaving it looking fuzzy - depends on your taste!).

Photo Details: Lion cub (Panthera leo) reveals its already impressive canines while having a big yawn, Sondéla Wildlife Centre, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Camera: Canon EOS 350D; Lens: Canon 100-400 IS Zoom; Focal Length: 100mm; Shutter speed: 1/2500; Aperture: f5; ISO: 400

According to the group's website, "Untamed Art is art that celebrates nature in its pure form, untouched by man. It can be wildlife art, showcasing the majesty of the animal kingdom. It can be the time-worn cliffs of a secluded beach. It can be the undulating hills of the vast rural landscape or the dusty red earth of the outback. The Untamed Artist Network offers a home and a forum for those who have a genuine passion for capturing the raw beauty of these subjects."

Members of Untamed Art have access to a wildlife library that provides a valuable source of reference images, while the discussion forum allows artists to keep in touch and discuss matters of mutual interest.

Photo Details: Close up of African Rock Python (Python sebae) showing its bloodied face after it caught and killed a male vervet monkey (foreground), Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D; Lens: Canon 100-400 F5.6 IS zoom; Focal Length: 285mm; Shutter Speed: 1/400; Aperture: f5.6; ISO: 400.

Additional Info: The above photo is one of a series taken while we watched the python with its victim, a large male vervet monkey. To read the article and view additional python pictures, please see Python Nabs Vervet Monkey.

Did You Know: Pythons are ambush predators, typically staying camouflaged before suddenly striking at passing prey. They then grasp the victim in their teeth while coiling their body round the prey, before killing by constriction. Death is usually a result of suffocation or heart failure rather than crushing.

Big African pythons can kill fairly large animals such as antelopes (see previous blog picture), pigs, jackals and monkeys, but will not usually attack humans unless startled or provoked.