Brown-veined Whites
August 13, 2009
There has been an explosion in the numbers of these butterflies this year but like all butterflies they can be difficult to approach and photograph. A solution is to photograph them at night or very early in the morning when they are cold and reluctant to move. This image was taken at night using two remote flashes.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Elegant grasshopper
March 9, 2009
Zonocerus elegans – by far the most handsome grasshopper in the area. It has incredible colouration but as is often the case with brightly coloured creatures it is warning you not to touch or eat it. It’s diet consists of a wide variety of poisonous plants and it stores these toxins to use as a defense against predators. If touched it produces a yellowish liquid which stinks – apparently they don’t taste too good either and most animals avoid them.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Home again..
January 8, 2009
I’m back in the Valley – at last! The whole landscape has changed completely and everywhere you look it is startlingly green. We haven’t had much rain and the river is very low so it is a little tricky using the boat with all the crocs and hippos about. Driving and sometimes even walking are not really options at this time of year as the black cotton soil turns into the most sticky mud you can imagine – you end up staggering around with huge clumps of it stuck to each foot!
There is still a lot of wildlife around though with some big herds of buffalo and elephant as well as a variety of new birds that only visit us in the rains. I’m looking forward to the river coming up so that I can get out and do some photography. I’ll definitely be posting here more often from now on.
It’s also a great time of year for photographing insects…
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Patterns and Textures
December 10, 2008
There isn’t much in terms of wildlife to photograph in Lusaka but luckily there is a very large garden here so I have been satisfying my photography cravings with some macro work. The first shot is of a twirly vine and the second a close-up of a dry leaf. The third is an extreme close-up showing the incredible pattern of a dragonfly’s wing. The last image is of a giant millipede known locally as a chongololo – it curls up like this to protect itself when threatened.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Away..
May 5, 2008
I’m in Lusaka at the moment having a bit of a break from the bush. It is a shock to be in the city after seeing hardly any people for 6 months! The road out of Lion Camp is still not graded yet so we had to walk out part of the way to the nearest camp and drive from there. It is good to get away but I am already looking forward to returning – the Luangwa is certainly an addictive place! I hope to be back by the end of the week.
The photo is of a Citrus Swallowtail taken in Mfuwe.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
A different kind of lion…
April 19, 2008
On a walk early this morning I came across this beautiful insect hanging onto a Senna pod. It is an adult antlion from the order Neuroptera and is a fascinating insect. The larvae are predatory and live in sand, lunging out and grabbing their prey as they pass by. The better known antlions build a funnel shaped pit in the sand which their victims slide into and can’t climb out. The antlion then grabs them in its powerful jaws and sucks them dry!
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Butterfly wing
January 24, 2008
This is a close up photograph of the beautiful Green-veined Emperor butterfly. My photography is still in macro mode at the moment as the river is too low to get around by boat.
There is still plenty game around with some nice big herds of elephant feeding fairly regularly in front of camp. The antelope disappear in the long grass though with often only the tips of their horns showing! I haven’t seen any lions for at least a month now although we do hear them most nights…..
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
