This year I have had the pleasure of visiting the South Luangwa national park in Zambia on 3 occasions. This is one of the premier parks in Africa, and for photography it really blends 2 elements that we look for perfectly. Those being subject and setting. Not only is there plenty of Wildlife, but South Luangwa is also an unbelievably pretty park.
One of my favourite parts of the park is in the central parts, where there are huge stands of Leadwood forests (Combretum imberbe). These maginficent trees tower over the Elephants, which generates enough interest in a photo. But the truly remarkable thing is, the blue hue of light under the canopy of these magnificent forests. This light is not only beautiful, but so, so different. In most photographic situations, us photographers chase the golden light, but here we do a complete 180.
There are 3 factors that cause the blue hue in this forest
- The refraction of light by particles trapped under the canopy of the forest
- Leadwoods have blueish/green leaves, which definitely reflects off the light.
- And this one is probably the most important, the Lichen in the area comprises Cyanobacteria (Blue-green algae), which again affects the colour of light being reflected. These are known as Cyanolichens.
These 3 factors combined make for beautiful blue light and unique images.
