Beyond
A Photobook by R. Todd Slawson
Welcome to Beyond. It is my fourth photobook chronicling my adventures around this beautiful world.
I am glad you have found the QR code inside the front cover as it will lead you to the location and descriptions of each photograph presented. Plus, in some cases, I have provided additional photos of the subject or scene and a link to more information. My photobooks do not have any text (except the title) as I want to keep the photographs uncluttered. Also, it is fun to guess where the photograph was taken and what the in world it is.
Most of the photographs in Beyond are from trips taken in 2023 but some are photos from previous trips. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them. Also, I have more of my photographs displayed in my virtual gallery. The web address is below. I am also on Instagram: @tslawson24.
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I had the pleasure this year to decorate an entire large office space with my photographs – both big and small; landscapes and wildlife. Some large space prints were on metal which really makes the colors pop and were as big as 80” x 48”. It was a fun project. I might have some prints that may interest someone you know if they have an office project that needs interesting pieces of various sizes and colors.
I can be contacted at tslawson@slawson.com or on my cell phone.
Enjoy.
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Male Lion in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park. I presented this in black and white which makes him look like the King he is. The Masai Mara is probably my favorite safari place so far and I have been on five other safaris. The animal diversity was wonderful and the landscapes stunning in their simplicity. Many vistas made me feel like I was in the rolling, barren flint hills of Kansas which are also beautiful for their simplicity. I have included a link to the Masai Mara National Park below.
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Lake O’Hara in British Colombia, Canada. This is one of the most beautiful places in all of North America nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It is so remote that it was not discovered until 1887 when a surveyor spotted in from the peak of a nearby mountain. It still remains pristine today as its access is very limited. The Lake O’Hara Lodge only has 14 tiny huts rimming the eastern shore which are very difficult to reserve. They pack you a lunch for the day as you go hiking and usually do not make your return until close to dinner time. It is a magical place. I loved just sitting on this bench in front of one of the huts and taking in the view especially the reflection of the snow covered peaks. Here is a link to Lake O’Hara.
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Two Cubs in Kenya. Close to dusk one evening out from the bush came four playful cubs along with their parents out for the evening walk. The cubs were being cubs and we enjoyed watching them as long as we could before it became too dark. Cubs are rare and I had never come across them in my previous five safaris so I was loving the moment. Don’t you just want to take them home. This is just a teaser of two of them and you will see more later in this book and as well as future books as well. Again, these guys were in the Masai Mara National Park in southwestern Kenya.
Impala under acacia tree. The vast plains with single acacia trees highlighting the landscape are one of my favorite scenes. Here I decided this impala buck would be a nice addition.
Nevis Valley shack and tracks in New Zealand. This remote shack had a jeep trail leading out the back and straight up a steep hill (way steeper than it looks). As most that live in New Zealand, this person obviously likes adventure and living remotely. This is not far from Queenstown on the south Island of New Zealand.
Winona and her herd in Kenya. This is one of many photos in Beyond of the elephants in Amboseli National Park on the border of neighboring Tanzania to the south. Amboseli is a low rainfall ecosystem due to the presence of the massive 19,341’ Mount Kilimanjaro to the south that blocks the rainfall in this area. Herds of elephants reside in Tanzania and make the journey across this seasonally dry lakebed to the watering holes in Kenya (fed by well water) and then back again across the lake bed in the late afternoon to Tanzania. We also enjoyed watching the elephants play in the watering hole and the young ones trying to dunk each other. Amboseli National Park is known for being the best place in the world to be able to get close to the elephants. We sat on the ground next to our vehicles with our cameras as the elephants passed sometimes within 20 yards of us.
Winona is a well-known female tusker. I will talk about tuskers in another photo. Her crossed tusks make her easily identifiable. I might add that she is very photogenic as well. I think elephants look best in black and white which is why you will see them presented that way in Beyond. Here is a link to Amboseli National Park.
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Amboseli National Park - Wikipedia
Ninh Binh Vietnam. A boat takes you across the lake to the temples and Pagoda in the hills.
Kansas Sunflowers. I grew up in Kansas – the sunflower state. In September, fields of planted sunflowers bloom and the crowds flock to them for photo opportunities. Here I focused only on the middle two flowers and let all the others be out of focus.
Amboseli Elephant. Everyone loves elephants. This large female was letting me know she is bigger than me and not to mess with her babies as they crossed by us while we were on the ground close by. The dominate female leading the herd likes to extend her big ears, give you a stare, maybe a loud bugle and it some cases give a bluff charge of a few steps which is enough to send your heart into next week. FYI, those big ears can allow them to hear up to 6 miles away. Also FYI, you can tell an African elephant from the Asian elephant because the African elephant has much bigger ears. Also the Asian elephant can be tamed but not a chance for the African elephant.
Craig the Tusker. He is the oldest Tusker at age 52. A tusker is strain of elephants with very long tusks – some tusker's tusk have reached the ground. Craig is well protected after many tuskers have been lost to poaching. Below is a link to an article about Africa’s Big Tuskers.
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Africa's Big Tuskers - Africa Geographic
Kauri Cliffs in New Zealand. This photo was taken on the Kauri Cliffs (pronounced “Cowry”) golf course and is of Norfolk Island Pines with the Cavalli islands in the background. These unusual pines are native to the Norfolk Island between New Zealand and Australia. It is also the island that is famous for being the home of the mutineers of the HMS Bounty led by Fletcher Christian.
Swallows. These swallows happened to be in Colorado. I know they are just common swallows but they fly so fast one might not have realized how pretty they are. I love the one on the left with his wings and tail feathers vertical yet his head is level.
Sandhill Cranes in Kearney, Nebraska. The sandhill crane migration each spring brings about 700,000 cranes to the shallow and wide Platte River near Kearney, Nebraska. When the cranes are in the sky in the morning and evening, you cannot hear yourself think. At night they sleep on the sand bars in the river only to return to the neighboring corn fields to eat the next day. After a couple weeks, they leave and continue their migration north. I caught this line of cranes in the morning pre sunrise light.
Cows in the Flint Hills of Kansas. It took me forever to get these guys lined up but some would not cooperate. Actually I was driving north of Eureka, KS in the flint hills and drove by this line of cows lined up on the ridge. Maybe they were just watching the traffic, but I have never seen cows do this. I turned around and photographed them. Luckily, they did not spook when I stopped the car.
Bee Eaters in Kenya. These are my favorite birds to photograph in Africa. I have seen then in several countries there. These small and quick birds usually hang around river banks. I captured a couple photos to them with their favorite meals – dragonflies and bees. Hence their name.
Topi Antelope in Kenya. We found these Topi on a ridge as the sun was about to rise in the Masai Mara.
Jackal Kits in Kenya. These cute kits made for some great photos on our last day in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park.
Amboseli Elephant Line. Another photo of a line of elephants crossing the dry lake bed on their way back to Tanzania for the night.
Pine Key in Turks and Caicos. A storm provided for a nice backdrop to this tiny sand key in the Turks and Caicos. The water there is some of the most beautiful in the world.
Baboon with Baby in Kenya. September in the Masai Mara was the perfect time for babies. It seemed like every species had babies. Sometimes the baby baboons ride under mom and when they get bigger they ride on her back.
Leopard in Kenya. This young leopard was comfortably resting in a tree in the Masai Mara. Soon after this photo, a large male baboon chased him out of the tree and across a field. I had never seen that before as the leopard could have easily taken down the baboon if it wanted to.
Baobab Trees in Madagascar. The next two photos are of the massive baobab trees. The first one is a night time lapse shot of a group of baobabs. Clouds had started to role in obscuring some of the stars but still an interesting photo. The second photo is of a lone baobab in the morning fog. These Baobabs were in a sisal plantation. These sisal plants are seen in the foreground of the second photo and look very similar to an agave plant but are not. Sisal is from the same genus, but the sisal plant is used for its natural fiber which is made into ropes and rugs etc. The tips of their long, sword-like leaves are like a hypodermic needle and go right through your pants into your legs. Ouch. Walking into the fields to get a better view of the trees was paid for in blood. The baobab trees are very unique trees with massively large trunks which can be so wide that twenty men finger tip to finger tip cannot reach around the largest one. They also have a hallow trunk which can shelter animals as well as store hundreds of gallons of rain water for drought seasons. They also can survive for over one thousands years. A link to a site referencing these majestic trees is provided below.
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9 Fascinating baobab tree facts - Africa Geographic
Port Lockroy in Antarctica. This building in Port Lockroy was built by the British during World War II and is now managed by the United Kingdom Antarctica Heritage Trust which ensures the area’s conservation and runs the building as a museum and also a post office during the summer months. The penguins call it home also. A link of this area’s history is provided below.
Gentoo Penguins in Antarctica. These penguins are easily recognized because they look like they are wearing earmuffs.
Grizzly with Cubs in Yellowstone National Park. These two photos are from a visit in the spring of 2023 to the Hayden Valley of Yellowstone. The grizzly sow had two yearling cubs and ventured up a hillside of snow and began playing. At one point, she knocked one all the way down the hill. Bear cubs are so fun to watch.
Rice Field Terraces in Vietnam. These rice terraces are in the very northern part of Vietnam and very close to the China border. We visited in January when the fields were being planted. In September the rice turns golden. I will be back to photograph this area again.
Bald Eagle in Minnesota. Two pictures. One hunting, one catching a fish.
Dancing Sifaka Lemur. This species of lemur does not move between trees on all fours but rather by hopping on two feet. Its one of the funniest sights I have ever seen in nature. A link to this dance is below.
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Fishing Eagles in Kenya and Madagascar. These are two photos of a fishing eagle which is very similar to the bald eagle of North America. The left photo was taken in Kenya and the right photo in Madagascar.
Lemurs in Madagascar. Here are five of the 110 species of lemurs in Madagascar – all with babies hanging on. From left to right is the brown lemur, eastern woolly lemur, indri lemur, ring tailed lemur and sifaka lemur.
Wanaka Tree in New Zealand. This famous tree exists in the shallow waters of Lake Wanaka in the southern island of New Zealand. I photographed this tree in April which is their fall.
Elephant Eye. Obviously there is no eye cream for elephants to prevent wrinkles. Look how long those eye lashes are. This was taken in Amboseli NP in Kenya.
Elephant Stand Off. A large female elephant is letting me know that I should not get any closer as the herd of elephants and their babies cross by us in close proximity on their way back to Tanzania. This was taken in Amboseli NP in Kenya.
Young Zebra in Kenya. Love zebras. Did you know that a group of zebras is called a dazzle of zebras?
Zebras Fighting. This scene in Kenya’s Masai Mara at sunrise provided me dozens of great photos of these two zebras fighting for about 15 minutes. This is one of those photos.
Cheetah in Tall Grass. This is one of my favorite photos in Beyond. I like simple photos. It was also taken in the Masai Mara.
Young Cheetah. This cheetah cub was photographed in South Africa.
Maasai Leading Village Cattle to Water. This Maasai tribal member is leading his cattle to water across the dry lake bed in Amboseli N. P. in Kenya. This walk is a daily ritual. Surprisingly, the lions leave his cattle and him alone as there are plenty of wildebeests to eat. The heat waves on the lakebed warp the images which is part of the story here.
Vietnam Women with Baskets. These two women were photographed making their way down this path with their baskets. I do not know what they were doing with the baskets but I thought the scene was typical to the area.
Pagoda in Vietnam. The Bai Dinh Pagoda was found in the hills of Ninh Binh in northern Vietnam.
Vietnam Rice Terraces. Another photo of the rice terraces in the very northern part of Vietnam. These were amazing to see.
Great Blue Heron in Minnesota. These common waterbirds that feed in shallow water make for beautiful panoramic photos. I caught this one preying upon fish in a back bay on a natural lake in central Minnesota. Same lake that I have taken bald eagle and loon photos on for many years.
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Hamerkop in Kenya. This bird gets its name from its hammer shaped head. I saw this wading bird in both Madagascar and Kenya. A link is provided below.
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African Harrier Hawk in Kenya. This nest raiding hawk climbs trees using its beak and wings to steal eggs.
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African harrier-hawk - Wikipedia
Kori Bustard in Kenya. This large bird is the heaviest flying bird. I would have thought a turkey might be. A link is provided below.
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Madagascar Crops. I took this photo soon after taking off from Antananarivo (Tana for short) which is the capital of Madagascar.
Lion Cubs in Kenya. Three of the four cubs on the left and two cubs playing on the right. I love the one jumping backwards.
Line of Elephants on Ridge. Another line of elephants crossing the lake bed in Amboseli N.P.
Glen Orchy, New Zealand. This is another one of my favorite park benches. Notice the black swan in the middle of the photo.
Line of Elephants with Babies. I never get tired of elephants walking in a line.
Baby Dumbo in Kenya. I love this guy’s look. He is in the Masai Mara.
Fern in New Zealand. I love taking photos of patterns. This one was in the rain forest area on the western side of the south island.
Blue Mushroom in New Zealand. This guy is called the blue pinkgill mushroom or sky blue mushroom and is native to New Zealand. It is only a couple inches tall and I was lucky to see it.
Long Grass in Minnesota. Another pattern photo that I love.
Iceland Braided River. This photo probably had you guessing. Maybe it is a Georgia O’Keefe painting? No it is a photo of a braided river in Iceland. There is water in the river but glacial silt in the river beds making beautiful patterns.
Mt. Cook New Zealand. Mt. Cook is the prominent mountain in the southern alps on the south island of New Zealand.
Blue Mallard in New Zealand. It is not a green headed mallard in sunlight but rather a purple headed mallard called a blue mallard. It is a very rare mutation of a green mallard.
Ruppell’s Vulture in Kenya. Only a mother could love this guy.
Sunrise in Kenya. Another beautiful sunrise in Kenya’s Masai Mara with an acacia tree.
Canola Field in the Palouse Valley. I took this from the air flying low over the Palouse Valley in eastern Washington.
Water Boat in Whaler’s Bay, Antarctica. This abandoned wooden boat was used to bring fresh water to Whaler’s Bay on Deception Island in Antarctica. Fortunately, kerosene oil was discovered before all the whales were killed for their oil.
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Whalers Bay (South Shetland Islands) - Wikipedia
Gentoo Penguin. Another photo of a gentoo penguin from Antarctica.
Pretty Birds. From left to right the first bird is the African Hoopoe which I found in both Kenya and Madagascar. This photo was taken in Kenya. The second bird is a Mountain Blue Bird photographed just north of Jackson, Wyoming. The third bird is the Lilac Breasted Roller present many African nations. This one was photographed in Kenya’s Masai Mara. The final one is a Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher obviously photographed in Madagascar.
A link to each bird is presented below.
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Lilac-breasted roller - Wikipedia
Malagasy paradise flycatcher - Wikipedia
Craig, the Tusker in Kenya. He is the oldest Tusker at age 52. Mt Kilimanjaro. The highest free standing mountain in the world. Another old Tusker, Tim, died of natural causes in 2020 at 50 with tusks dragging on the ground.
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Africa's Big Tuskers - Africa Geographic
Sifaka Lemur with Baby in Madagascar. I should say with its baby hanging on for dear life and it goes for a wild ride.
Aspens. These are two fall aspen photos from different sides of the world. The left photo is in New Zealand in April which is their fall. I love this photo. The right photo was taken in September north of Gunnison, Colorado in the Ohio River Valley.
Green Herons in Minnesota. I have been on Pelican Lake in central Minnesota all my life and had never seen green herons there until this year. I love herons and how still they can be poised above the water ready to strike. In the second photo, I better not comment on his method of silencing his partner.
Bear Cubs in Yellowstone National Park. We watched mom and these cubs for hours in the Hayden Valley area of Yellowstone National Park. It’s the best park in America.
Sunflowers in North Dakota and Kansas. The single sunflower with a bee on it was a roadside sunflower in North Dakota. The photo of the tall sunflower outstanding in its field (pun intended) was taken outside of Augusta, Kansas.
King Kong Village in Vietnam. This actually a movie set in Ninh Binh, Vietnam for a King Kong movie named “Kong, Skull Island” that was named there. Ninh Binh is a beautiful area where you are rowed down a river and through natural caves. After the ride, we walked the movie set village with its grass huts. When I turned back around, I noticed that the huts’ peaks aligned with the peaks of the hills behind it. I thought it made for an interesting photo. I have provided a link to Ninh Binh below. Check it out, it is beautiful.
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New Zealand Sunrise. This sunrise was shot in the northlands area of the north island of New Zealand.
Pileated Woodpeckers in Minnesota. I have been trying to photograph these elusive woodpeckers for well over 10 years. I could hear them in the forests with their unique, loud calls while flying but could never find them in good light or sitting still long enough to be photographed. However, this year was the year. They were prolific for some reason and I got many great shots of them. The pileated is the largest woodpecker in North America and is the inspiration for Woody the Woodpecker. In my opinion, it looks prehistoric with its crested head and long beak. Here is a link to some fun facts about the pileated.
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10 Fun Facts About the Pileated Woodpecker | Audubon
Bald Eagles in Minnesota. Bald eagles do not need an introduction. I shot this pair in central Minnesota. I see sitting pairs there often but I liked this photo because they look so regal.
Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand: Named after the Austria Emperor Franz Josef, this steep glacier on the western side of the north island of New Zealand. In a narrow canyon this glacier descends nearly 7000’ of elevation in just under 11 miles. This glacier had advanced in the last 30 years while others have retreated. Here is a link to more information on the Franz Josef Glacier.
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Franz Josef Glacier - Wikipedia
Owls in Colorado. The owl on the left is a great horned owl and the one on the right is a barn owl. I photographed these as part of a nature conservancy program. Normally I would not include photos of birds that I did not find in the wild, but I wanted to show how beautiful these two owls are. Notice how well the great horned owl blends in with the tree behind it. The barn owl is unique looking with its distinguished face and is one of the most widespread birds in the world.
Butterfly in the Flint Hills of Kansas. This Variegated Fritillary (could they not have named it a more simple name) is a common butterfly across America but it is pretty on this flint hills butterfly milkweed.
Napping Lions. After putting together this photobook, it is time to sleep.
I hope you enjoyed Beyond. As you can see, my main trips in 2023 were to Kenya, Madagascar, New Zealand, and Vietnam. Hope you have a wonderful 2024 and make sure you have your camera with you everywhere you go.