Light makes photography. Embrace it. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography. - George Eastman

Trying to create the right exposure constantly can be a little daunting for beginners to photography, but with a little time and practice you can get the hang of it in next to no time. There are situations though, where your subject is doing all the right things but the light is working against you. This is where converting to monochrome can actually help ‘save’ an image from the trash. Some of the images below were shot with good light and some with quite harsh lighting and even harsh backlighting, but by processing them in monochrome I feel that they are far more useable. I hope you enjoy this week’s selection of wildlife in monochrome...

I spent time with this small troop of baboons during mid-morning while they were grooming/bonding and trying to warm up before the day’s activities commenced.

Young elephants are too cute, but also quite naughty. More than any other animals besides the primates, their behavior reminds me of human beings.

Good light. This image was taken early afternoon and although the light was good, I felt it a bit harsh in the color version. It really is special being in the midst of huge buffalo herds like this one and a sight that may start to fade as spring approaches.

This image of the Xovonekela male leopard was taken at dusk where it was necessary to use a very high ISO to get the shot. The monochrome conversion though, reduces the noisy look of the image and creates a nice mood too.

Creating your own light. I love making use of a spotlight in night photography, but it has to be done ethically and only with nocturnal animals or in such a way as to not disturb or irritate the subject. Featured here is the larger of the Fourways male coalition.

Probably the most photographed animal in Africa, and its not difficult to see why. Even in the absence of color, it is an absolutely stunning animal.

Kudu are notoriously skittish when approaching water to drink and are easily ‘spooked’ even by the slightest disturbance.

The Little Bush female is one of my favourite leopards on the reserve, but she is a cat full of character. I’ve always maintained that if you have a good sighting of her, it’s because she’s allowed you to and no other reason. This was one of the good ones.

The smaller (relatively speaking) of the Fourways male coalition taking a break in some shade during a mid-morning drive. The shadows and light in the background made this very difficult to expose, but I quite like the final product.

Great morning light. I love the way zebras stand out from the crowd, especially in monochrome. This pair was taking turns to roll in the dirt in an effort to either cool off or assist in the removal of ecto-parasites.