Zebra turning to look behind
Botswana,  Monochrome Madness,  Photographic techniques,  Travel galleries

Gallery: seeing Botswana in black and white

February 8, 2024 / 67 Comments

Black and white photography is truly quite a ‘departure from reality’

Ansel Adams

Some photographic subjects are obvious candidates for black and white, others seem better suited to colour. But sometimes it’s interesting to choose a subject or destination that appears to cry out for colour and experiment with some monochrome edits. The results may surprise you!

The natural world (plants, animals, landscapes) may seem to be all about colour, but strip that away and you start to notice other aspects. Textures and shapes take centre stage as the colours recede. It isn’t that one version is better than the other, they each have their value, in my view. Sometimes it’s good to make that ‘departure from reality’ that Adams commends.

This week Leanne is making some changes to her Monochrome Madness challenge by introducing themes. The first of these is ‘The letter B’ so I’ve decided to play around with some favourite images from Botswana. And while zebras may seem an obvious choice, the others are hopefully less so.

All these images were shot originally in colour and edited with Nik Silver Efex Pro

Zebra with part of another visible behind

Zebras, Chobe National Park

Long grass and line of trees with elephant standing in front

Landscape with elephant, Okavango Delta

Elephant standing in water

Elephant drinking, Okavango Delta

Detail of a curved elephant trunk

A closer look at an elephant’s trunk, Chobe National Park

Elephant family, Chobe National Park

Adult elephant and two young ones
Bare trees and long grass with forest area beyond

Landscape with bare trees, Okavango Delta

Waving fronds of grass against the sky

Papyrus, Okavango Delta

Waterlily flower among large lily pads

Waterlily, Okavango Delta

Large cat in the fork of a tree by a river

Lioness in a tree, Chobe National Park

Baboon mother and baby, Chobe National Park

Ape with baby riding on its back
Large bird on a branch

Fish eagle, Chobe National Park

Hippo mainly submerged in water with eyes and ears showing

Hippo, Okavango Delta

Animal skull with large curved horns on grass

Buffalo skull, Okavango Delta

Straight stalks reflected in water

Papyrus stems, Okavango Delta

Setting sun and dramatic clouds reflected in still water

What better to finish with than sunset over the Okavango Delta?

I visited Botswana in 2018

67 Comments

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