Better Photographs Blog

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This is where to find my most recently added pages, along with other news and information that will help you to produce better photographs.

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Using a New Camera - Preparing your Thoughts.

Having chosen it you are possibly about to experience one of photography's more frustrating times; having to wait before using a new camera - well until it's delivered or you receive it, maybe as a Christmas gift, anyway. NOW is the best time to prepare for getting the most out of it ...

Continue reading "Using a New Camera - Preparing your Thoughts."

Choosing a New Camera - Which is the Best for You.

When choosing a New Camera, it's the glass that matters most.

Continue reading "Choosing a New Camera - Which is the Best for You."

Photography Books - A Selection of Good Buys

A selection of Photography Books which have helped our visitors take Better Photographs.

Continue reading "Photography Books - A Selection of Good Buys"

Another from my collection ...


Another book in the 'Remembering Wildlife' series; it was given to me as a birthday present when I returned from the Okavango Delta, having spent time with a pack of seventeen of them. Like every book in this series, the images are an inspiration to photographers and nature lovers alike.



Continue reading "Another from my collection ..."

Compelling, to say the least ...


The latest book in the 'Remembering Wildlife' series; this time featuring the leopards of Africa and Asia. As with all of these superb books, I couldn't put it down from cover to cover. The photographs are an inspiration to photographers and nature lovers alike.



Continue reading "Compelling, to say the least ..."

Video Sound - Recording and Editing Video Sound.

How to ensure your HD Movie has the best possible video sound track.

Continue reading "Video Sound - Recording and Editing Video Sound."

Video Editing - Simple Steps to help you Edit your Video Footage.

A step by step guide, explaining how to master video editing using free software.

Continue reading "Video Editing - Simple Steps to help you Edit your Video Footage."

DSLR Video - Shooting Videos on a DSLR Camera.

A step by step guide, looking at how to shoot great movies with your high definition DSLR Video Camera

Continue reading "DSLR Video - Shooting Videos on a DSLR Camera."

Mindset from Matt ...


A message from Matt Kloskowski ...

I started a podcast!

It's called the "Frame of Mind Photography Podcast" where my guests and I have discussions to mold, shape, change, enhance or solidify your frame of mind when it comes to photography and photo editing.

There are two episodes posted already and another one is on the way. No long intros, no commercials, or off topic rants... Just good discussion related to the topic at hand.




Continue reading "Mindset from Matt ..."

Komodo National Park - Home of the Dragon

Komodo offers some of the best diving in Indonesia, but there be dragons as well.

Continue reading "Komodo National Park - Home of the Dragon"

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023


From piggybacking macaques and enchanting mushrooms to the daring rescue of animals from war-torn Ukraine, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is back again for another show-stopping year. Here’s a glimpse at some mesmerising images from the new exhibition.



Continue reading "Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023"

The SNAP Initiative 7.1


Diary from the Delta: Day 7.1 - "How do you do?" Once the population of Blue Wildebeest in Botswana numbered 500,000 but they have reduced by 90% in recent years.



The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), also called the common wildebeest, white-bearded gnu or brindled gnu, is a large antelope and one of the two species of wildebeest. It is placed in the genus Connochaetes and family Bovidae, and has a close taxonomic relationship with the black wildebeest. The blue wildebeest is known to have five subspecies. This broad-shouldered antelope has a muscular, front-heavy appearance, with a distinctive, robust muzzle. Young blue wildebeest are born tawny brown, and begin to take on their adult coloration at the age of 2 months. The adults' hues range from a deep slate or bluish-gray to light gray or even grayish-brown. Both sexes possess a pair of large curved horns.

The blue wildebeest is a herbivore, feeding primarily on short grasses. It forms herds which move about in loose aggregations, the animals being fast runners and extremely wary. The mating season begins at the end of the rainy season and a single calf is usually born after a gestational period of about 8.5 months. The calf remains with its mother for 8 months, after which it joins a juvenile herd. Blue wildebeest are found in short-grass plains bordering bush-covered acacia savannas in southern and eastern Africa, thriving in areas that are neither too wet nor too arid. Three African populations of blue wildebeest take part in a long-distance migration, timed to coincide with the annual pattern of rainfall and grass growth on the short-grass plains where they can find the nutrient-rich forage necessary for lactation and calf growth.

After the trauma we all endured in 2020 and 2021, followed by the exhausting race to recover in 2022, I am focussing on the coming year with resolve to do what I can to help preserve Earth's nature for the coming generations. Here are some suggestions from the WWF - https://bit.ly/SNAP-WWF

Continue reading "The SNAP Initiative 7.1"

Lesvos - A Greek island in the Sun

Lesvos is a very beautiful island. Pine forests, olive groves, and barren mountains, with lots of inland sea, unspoilt countryside, and friendly locals are the draw here! Lots to photograph too.

Continue reading "Lesvos - A Greek island in the Sun"

The SNAP Initiative 7.0


Diary from the Delta: Day 7.0 - We encountered many herds of Burchell's zebra (Equus quagga burchellii) which is a southern subspecies of the plains zebra. It was pleasing to come across one or two young foals with their mothers.



Like most plains zebras, females and males are about the same size, standing 1.1 to 1.4 metres (3 ft 7 in to 4 ft 7 in) at the shoulder. They weigh between 230 and 320 kilograms (500 and 700 lb). Year-round reproduction observed in this subspecies in Etosha National Park, Namibia, concludes synchronization of a time budget between males and females, possibly explaining the lack of sexual dimorphism.

After the trauma we all endured in 2020 and 2021, followed by the exhausting race to recover in 2022, I am focussing on the coming year with resolve to do what I can to help preserve Earth's nature for the coming generations. Here are some suggestions from the WWF - https://bit.ly/SNAP-WWF

Continue reading "The SNAP Initiative 7.0"

Costa Rica - An adventure right from the start.

The adventure across central Costa Rica began with drive through Braulio Carillo National Park, lush and mountainous.

Continue reading "Costa Rica - An adventure right from the start."

The SNAP Initiative 6.1


Diary from the Delta: Day 6.1 - Following her afternoon "snack", she reminded me not to get any closer ...



What follows is more information about this threatened species and some suggestions from the WWF about things we can do to help all nature ...

The lions of Botswana have the broadest range of prey in the African continent, known to hunt buffalo, hippo and even elephant. It is the females who perform hunting duties, working together to stalk prey and running at speeds of up to 50kph for short bursts, though males are first to eat followed by the females and lastly the cubs.

Lions can breed at any time of year and females produce litters of 1-6 cubs, retiring to a secluded location to give birth and staying here for the first few weeks of the cubs’ lives, later rejoining the pride. Lions spend about 16 to 20 hours a day resting and live for around 12 years. The roar of the lion, one of the loudest warning signals in the bush, can be heard up to 8km away.

After the trauma we all endured in 2020 and 2021, followed by the exhausting race to recover in 2022, I am focussing on the coming year with resolve to do what I can to help preserve Earth's nature for the coming generations. Here are some suggestions from the WWF - https://bit.ly/SNAP-WWF

Continue reading "The SNAP Initiative 6.1"

Inspired by Wildlife


Some of the best ...



Continue reading "Inspired by Wildlife"

Wild Isles - a showcase of the British Isles' diverse plant and animal life.


Difficult to put it down ...



Continue reading "Wild Isles - a showcase of the British Isles' diverse plant and animal life."

The SNAP Initiative 6.0


Continuing with my series of photos which are dedicated to our grandchildren; I hope they will serve as a reminder to us all that time is running out - https://bit.ly/SNAP-WWFR

Supporting the SNAP Initiative, here is the tenth in the series from my most recent safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana entitled 'Diary from the Delta'.

Diary from the Delta: Day 6.0 - A hot humid day, so time for a trip on the Okavango in a Mokoro (A type of canoe). Good eyesight required to spot such a small amphibian ...



What follows is more information about this threatened species and some suggestions from the WWF about things we can do to help all nature ...

The Angolan Reed Frog (Hyperolius parallelus) is found in southern Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, northern Namibia and Botswana, and western Zambia; the exact limits of its range are not clear and might extend into Gabon and Zimbabwe.

It occurs in savanna, grassland and bush land, as well as many human-modified habitats such as cultivated land, towns, and gardens; it is associated in with emergent vegetation at the margins of swamps, rivers and lakes. Reproduction takes place in both temporary and permanent bodies of water and the eggs are laid directly into the water.

In samples from Central Africa, adult males measure 30 to 38 mm (1.2 - 1.5 in) in snout - vent length.

After the trauma we all endured in 2020 and 2021, followed by the exhausting race to recover in 2022, I am focussing on the coming year with resolve to do what I can to help preserve Earth's nature for the coming generations. Here are some suggestions from the WWF - https://bit.ly/SNAP-WWF

Continue reading "The SNAP Initiative 6.0"

The SNAP Initiative 5.1


Continuing with my series of photos which are dedicated to our grandchildren; I hope they will serve as a reminder to us all that time is running out - https://bit.ly/SNAP-WWFR

Supporting the SNAP Initiative, here is the ninth in the series from my most recent safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana entitled 'Diary from the Delta'.

Diary from the Delta: Day 5.1 - As my photographic safari continues, I become more and more interested in wildlife portraits. This lion stayed lying on a mound a few metres in front of my jeep; staring at a troop of baboons nearby.



What follows is more information about this threatened species and some suggestions from the WWF about things we can do to help all nature ...

The lion (Panthera Leo) is a muscular, broad-chested cat with a short, rounded head, a reduced neck and round ears. Its fur varies in colour from light buff to silvery grey, yellowish red and dark brown. The colours of the underparts are generally lighter. A new-born lion has dark spots, which fade as the cub reaches adulthood, although faint spots often may still be seen on the legs and underparts. The lion is the only member of the cat family that displays obvious sexual dimorphism. Males have broader heads and a prominent mane that grows downwards and backwards covering most of the head, neck, shoulders, and chest. The mane is typically brownish and tinged with yellow, rust and black hairs.

The tail of all lions ends in a dark, hairy tuft that in some lions conceals an approximately 5 mm (0.20 in)-long, hard "spine" or "spur" that is formed from the final, fused sections of tail bone. The functions of the spur are unknown. The tuft is absent at birth and develops at around five and a half months of age. It is readily identifiable by the age of seven months.

After the trauma we all endured in 2020 and 2021, followed by the exhausting race to recover in 2022, I am focussing on the coming year with resolve to do what I can to help preserve Earth's nature for the coming generations. Here are some suggestions from the WWF - https://bit.ly/SNAP-WWF

Continue reading "The SNAP Initiative 5.1"

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