Tanzania
A storm could brews across the Serengeti. The original goal was to capture the trees against the clouds, the sky, and rain, when — all of a sudden — into the frame runs an ostrich. Great wildlife photography is a serious mix of skill and patience . . . with a dash of luck.
Hawaii
A diver swims next to a Hawaiian monk seal. A bucket list photo for sure. A critically endangered and protected species, there are only about 1,700 left in the world. There were two of these seals hanging out together off a small island near Kauai. Both were inquisitive creatures, coming right up to the camera.
France
Two White Horses of the Camargue face off. Against a clear, blue sky, these stallions were doing a lot of staring each other down, pushing each other around, nosing each other, and butting heads. Will they duke it out?
Morocco
A Barbary macaque nibbles on seeds. An endangered species, these critters are no strangers to human interaction. On an excursion up near the Atlas Mountains, a group of these monkeys were raiding the flowers for their seeds. It didn’t take long at all for him to pose for the shot.
Tanzania
Three giraffes pose, each looking in a different direction. At Little Chem Chem, in the private Chem Chem Conservancy, giraffes are the stars of the show — especially Omo, a rare leucistic white giraffe. The contrast of these three in a line while looking in different directions almost makes it feel like they’re wrapping around each other.
Far West Texas
A horny toad quizzically looks over his shoulder while exploring a ranch outside of Marfa. Gnarly, crazy cool creatures, they can eject blood from their eyes as a defense against predators.
Ecuador
The national bird of Peru, the Andean cock-of-the-rock. In dense forest, up in the cloud jungle, these birds are extremely difficult to find and photograph. They move around early, early in the morning for a mating ritual. As the first light of the day peaks through you hear their calls growing louder and louder.
Tanzania
On the Serengeti, a huge herd of wildebeest is joined by a single zebra. The blur of the herd behind him and the stripes on his legs contrast the crisp focus of the zebra’s body.
Interstate 35
A porcupine poses. Heading back from a dog sledding trip in Minnesota, this guy was hanging out in a tree on the side of the interstate. A quick glimpse of him caused an 8-mile detour for this shot of him gnawing on some aspen bark. The detours are always worth it.
Bosque County, Texas
A rough green snake pokes his head up next to a bluebonnet. Laying level with him on the ground, this was for work on a book of North American snakes. He was a curious little fella.
Ecuador
A violet-tailed sylph perches, displaying its long tail and bright colors. This hummingbird lives at 14,000-15,000 feet above sea level, making it the highest altitude hummingbird. They’re elusive, skittish, quick, and very difficult to catch for a photograph. Suddenly, he just appeared on this branch.
All images courtesy of and copyright of Curtis W. Callaway
