Jonathan Irish Photography

Something you do NOT want to see if you happen to be an antelope (or some other possible prey) slowly walking by. These lovely ladies were part of a large pride that included ten (yes 10!) cubs less than 3 months old. They have a lot of mouths to feed and are always on the lookout for a meal. #botswana (at Moremi Game Reserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkrIpKwOVxe/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

That feeling of floating, motionless, in the deep blue sea as light rays surround you from above. #moorea @french_polynesia (at Moorea) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cin_zqOsn0x/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

One of the brightest rainbows I’ve ever seen..spotted just outside our home in Golden, CO. Rain-dog is equally impressed. (at Golden, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg8Q-zaM_85/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Wildebeest, or Gnu’s, are funny creatures. When I think of them, I usually picture them in the great migrations of east Africa by the tens (hundred, sometimes) of thousands..snorting, bucking, and running wild on the savannah as far as the eye can see…desperate for greener pastures and safety. It always seems there is no peace with them..only awkward movements, sudden rush’s, and uneasiness. Rarely do I see them as the serene beasts they can be. In Botswana’s Kalahari Desert, there is another migration of sorts..not as large as east Africa but impressive nonetheless. The low setting sun in this unforgiving desert, with its it dust and dirt kicked up by the animals, can be absolutely brilliant. Some of my favorite photos I’ve shot have come from the few times I’ve visited here, which speaks a lot to the extraordinary light found here. This is where I found my serene shot of a wildebeest..something I didn’t think was possible.…until now. #botswana (at Kalahari Desert, Botswana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgqBib8swjT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Dirty, dusty, and cruel…beautiful, breathtaking, and special…#Botswana is everything, all at once. #africa (at Moremi Game Reserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgNFqLSu81m/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I was recently given the great honor of being accepted as a Fellow into the Explorers Club. I still think they made a mistake and am waiting for the call to apologize and rescind my acceptance. But until that happens, I will celebrate with great joy. I’ve never been a “Fellow” of anything, except maybe a jolly good one from time to time, and even then only when sung with song. I’ve been a part of great organizations (like National Geographic) for a while, but this feels different in some way. From my acceptance letter: “You are now part of an extraordinary family of explorers. Over the past 118 years, we have dedicated ourselves to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration, resource conservation, and the idea that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore.   Our mission is to inspire exploration and the protection of wild places, from our backwoods to our oceans, mountain peaks and distant galaxies - while sustaining a spirit of fellowship among explorers and the scientific community.” Seems like my kind of club! I am thrilled to be a part of it, and look forward to carrying the flag on a future expedition. Plus, did I mention the annual explorers club dinner in NYC? Oh yeah, can’t wait for that too. To be in the same club as such greats as Robert Peary (first to North Pole), Roald Amundsen (fire tot South Pole), Sir Edmund Hillary (first to summit Everest), Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard (deepest depths of the Ocean), and Neil Armstrong (first to the surface of the moon) is both humbling and intimidating. See why I think they made a mistake? Until they figure this out, cheers to being a jolly good fellow of the infamous Explorers Club! 🙏😊 (at Golden, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfE9XqQOY71/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

A study in scale…a national park ranger for Gateway Arch National Park in St Louis stops on his way to work in the very early morning light to pay his respects to this beautiful structure. I wasn’t expecting this touching moment when I went out that morning, but like most good moments in photography the best ones come quickly and unexpectedly. Nor was I expecting to like this park as much as I did. I have to admit that when I first heard this was a national park I felt a bit strange about it. Looking back, I regret jumping to conclusions about this being one of the newest members to this elite club of parks. In truth, it is beautiful and special and I had such a wonderful time photographing it from every angle. #nationalpark @gatewayarchnps (at Gateway Arch National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce7CnCxOwP8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Happy almost-summer! Yesterday I was in shorts and flip flops. Go figure. #colorado #coloradolife (at Golden, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdzZBe9MNtv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Being on safari in #Africa is like going on a treasure hunt. You go out early each morning, and again late in the afternoon, in search of golden moments, instead of coins. Sometimes you see only the plethora of antelope that seem to be around every bend. Truthfully, seeing impala or gazelle is still finding treasure, as these species are every bit as important (much more, even) than the larger, more sought after game. Almost as often, you’ll spot something a bit more shiny…a journey of giraffe ambling across the savannah or a parade of elephants drinking water by a waterhole. Once again, pure gold. But rarely, and if you are patient and a bit lucky, will you get to spot Black Beard’s secret hidden stash….such as spending a morning with no other cars around watching a pride of lions with six very young cubs playing to their hearts content in the beautiful light of the rising sun. That, my friends, is worth all the diamonds in the world. I’m a treasure hunter of moments like these, and ensuring this worldly treasure is there for future generations to enjoy is what motivates me each and every day. Passionate and humble appreciation that results in deep and lasting conservation is everything. 🙏 (at Moremi Game Reserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdgSCznOnMs/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

You usually have to go on a lot of game drives and get super lucky to see a scene like this. But I guess luck was on our side as we can upon this beautiful leopard on our very first game drive in Botswana. I can’t think of a time where one of the very first photos I’ve taken on a trip turned out to be one of my favorite of the entire experience. That rarely happens. I always say that photography is about patience, preparation and a bit of luck, and great images are usually made, not taken. But really, sometimes all you really need is luck. Safari game drives are like half day treasure hunts…sometimes you get skunked and sometimes you strike gold. This beautiful leopard in the late afternoon light just waiting for us to swing by and say hello was akin to striking gold. And it happened on our first day out. #botswana @greatplainsconservation (at Okavango Delta, Botswana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdRVJdeu1r5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The sun was setting in the Okavango Delta and it was approaching the moment for that time-honored African safari tradition of toasting another glorious day with a drink (gin and tonic, for me) in hand…otherwise known as “the sundowner”. We stopped by this small hippo pool that consisted of only two hippos, a male and a female. Usually at hippo pools you may get a small show of strength from a male or two that consists of a gentle yawn bearing his glorious choppers. Usually, they just sit there fully submerged except for 👀 poking out above the water watching the strange happenings on the shore. However, this alpha of the pool that we stopped by was different. Despite the fact that we were far away from the bank of the pool, on the far side, and posed zero threat to him, he still wanted to show off for us. I grabbed a long lens and photographed him (alternating between sips of the G&T) not just giving us the characteristic yawn, but lunging up into the air as if to bite the setting sun. He was like a whale breaching, doing this same act over and over again. After a quick drink and a few photos, we decided it was best to leave this area so as not to agitate him anymore. I’ve never seen such a show like that from a hippo, despite thousands of sundowners by hippo pools. It was impressive and really displayed how they are considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. #Botswana #Safari @greatplainsconservation (at Okavango Delta, Botswana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdN9t58Onuq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Cats everywhere are basically the same..sleep, eat, play, repeat. When the midday sun gets too hot in Botswana’s Mashatu game reserve, this young male leopard seeks refuge on the broken limb of a Mashatu, or Nyala, tree. Go into any home across the world that has house cats and you could easily see this same pose, a sleeping cat straddling the arm of a couch or chair. Do you have a cat that sleeps like this? (at Mashatu Game Reserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbnUVLIOCxS/?utm_medium=tumblr

Kibale National Park in Uganda is one of the best places in the world to track wild chimpanzees. Highly intelligent, and sharing about 98% of human DNA, they live in large groups along the equatorial forest belt in central Africa. You never quite know what to expect when you trek to see chimpanzees. They can be high up in the trees, lazing on the ground, or virtually nowhere to be seen since they can move so quickly through the forest. If you are lucky, and have skilled trackers to help, you’ll get to watch an alpha male such as this one keep close tabs on his group all around him. Being in such proximity of something so wild, and yet so familiar in so many ways, is truly a breathtaking experience. #uganda #chimpanzee (at Kibale National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbGHQcBuSYU/?utm_medium=tumblr

Kitty up in a tree. Be careful though, this is no ordinary kitty. I found this beautiful female leopard in a euphorbia tree while scouting off-track with a big cat researcher in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. She was incredibly hard to spot lazing on the branches of this big tree, and once spotted she didn’t really care that we were there….occasionally tilting her head to scout for a meal in the far distance. What a beautiful creature she is, and what an honor to spend a little bit of time watching her graceful gestures. #uganda #leopard (at Queen Elizabeth National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CaNb7XAuoBS/?utm_medium=tumblr

Mountain gorillas are found in two separate locations in the world: the Virunga range of extinct volcanic mountains on the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)/Rwanda/Uganda, and in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda. Since their discovery (as a new species) more than a hundred years ago, the mountain gorillas have endured nearly uncontrolled hunting, war, disease, destruction of its forest habitat, and capture for the illegal pet trade. Although it started with Dian Fossey’s first efforts in the late 1960’s to protect and conserve these gentle giants, it wasn’t until recently (mid 80’s) that conservation efforts started to see the the mountain gorilla population grow rather than decline. Today they number about 1100+, up from a low of 600 in the mid 80’s. Just one trek and getting the chance to look directly into their eyes is enough to change one’s life forever. That’s what happened to me with this adorable baby, who is approximately one year old and so amazingly cute and playful. At this age, they stick pretty close to their mom for protection, but curiosity got the better of this little one and she simply had to check me out (with the watchful eyes of mom and the alpha silverback nearby). Although these images look close, they were all shot with a 200mm lens at a respected distance. #Rwanda #mountaingorilla (at Volcanoes National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ67lKRuoQt/?utm_medium=tumblr

Happy penguin awareness day! I didn’t even know there was such a thing as penguin awareness day, but I fully support it. However, I must ask… why stop at awareness? Why not penguin love, protection, and conservation day? Baby steps, I guess. Are you AWARE yet? Shot while on an air-cruise expedition with @antarctica_21 (at Antarctica) https://www.instagram.com/jonathan_irish/p/CY-VD2iMe22/?utm_medium=tumblr

Two puma cubs, one more brave than the other, peak out behind the vegetation to see who is watching them with such patience, awe and curiosity. Spoiler alert: it was me. What a special hour we got to spend with a mother and two cubs on our recent trip to Torres del Paine National Park. Watching them play as the sun rose, with no one else around, was like a dream. Shot while staying at the incomparable @tierrahotels Patagonia hotel. If you haven’t been, put it HIGH on your bucket list. (at Torres del Paine) https://www.instagram.com/p/CY13GGkM8Bj/?utm_medium=tumblr