craigelsonphotography

The Cat Dream. Namiri Plains, Serengeti NP, Tanzania. I have spent several hundred days on safari the past 35 years across most of eastern and southern Africa, always wondering if “today” would be the day I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a caracal before it disappeared back into the tall grass it calls home, and before I could photograph it. Well, March was my lucky month as I wound up seeing, and photographing, a caracal on three separate occasions over a ten day period, first with the incomparable and then with my guide at Namiri Plains and . This image was from the last sighting, at dusk with some nice sidelight from the dying sun which backlit the female’s fur. It was a sighting we had all to ourselves for more than 45 minutes that yielded multiple opportunities for photos with the patented caracal head turn, despite the ubiquitous tall grass that is the nemesis of a good photo! Sony a1 II • 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS

Big Lake, Small Scene. Caddo Lake, Uncertain, Texas. We were kayaking around the Government Ditch area this particular morning when I spotted this shaft of light filtering through these cypress trees, hitting the morning mist on the lake and creating this dreamy, ethereal feel. It wasn’t until I had the camera to my eye and was framing up the shot that I spotted the bonus element of a massive spider web complete with a similarly sized spider! Amazing serendipity that adds a lot to the image I think. Sony a1 II • 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II + 1.4x TC