Chanda Baker Photography

06/03/2026

Namibia is one of those places I often find myself dreaming about returning to, especially now, with everything I have learned over the past decade in photography.

This week I revisited my photos from hiking in Sossusvlei, a landscape famous for its towering red and orange sand dunes that rise like waves frozen in time. Looking back through them brought me right back to that surreal place. While these images can’t fully capture the scale and beauty of the dunes, I still felt they were worth sharing. 🌅📷

25/02/2026

This past weekend I pointed my compass north and followed it to Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge for the very first time.

Long before I reached the entrance, the sky started giving directions. Flocks of geese wheeled overhead like living arrows, guiding me in from miles away. I thought that was impressive. I was wrong.

Nothing prepared me for the shoreline.

The water was not water anymore. It was feathers. An ocean of white stretching so far it felt tidal. According to the latest waterfowl survey, more than 750,000 snow geese were counted that day. Seven hundred fifty thousand. A number so large it stops being math and starts being weather.

At one point a section of geese near where I stood suddenly lifted off. The air detonated into wingbeats and wild, echoing calls. It was thunder made of feathers, a rolling percussion that you felt in your chest. For a moment, the world was nothing but motion and sound.

Miraculously, my car escaped with only a couple of souvenir splatters. A statistical victory.

And just when I thought the day had spent all its drama, sunset delivered an encore. Thousands of birds, either European starlings or red-winged blackbirds, poured across the sky in a murmuration, folding and unfolding in liquid shapes. They rippled and swirled like a celestial current, dancing across the fading light the way the aurora paints the northern sky.

It was one of those days when nature does not whisper. It performs. 🕊️🌅

21/01/2026

Leopard Sibling Surprise

Last game drive of my trip to South Luangwa National Park.

By this point, the trip already felt impossibly full. Leopards draped in trees. Wild dogs on the hunt. Giraffes running full tilt. Lions mating. A leopard making a kill. Even giraffes boldly chasing a leopard away.

So as we cruised along, my mind had already started drifting toward the long journey home, convinced nothing could possibly top what I’d already witnessed.

Then suddenly and very emphatically told our driver to stop.

Out in the distance, on a tree limb stretching over a series of muddy puddles, were two brother leopards lounging together in the open.

No other vehicles. No radios crackling. Just us.

We watched as they behaved exactly like human siblings. Playful swats. Mock fights. Short chases along the branch. Equal parts energy and ease. For nearly fifteen magical minutes, we had a front-row seat to their private world before they finally crossed the mud and disappeared into terrain our vehicle couldn’t follow.

A perfect reminder that Africa never disappoints and surprises you when you least expect it. 🐆✨

12/01/2026

A Glimmer of Hope

Upon reading that the US Commerce Department backed off of planned broad restrictions of DJI drones I wanted to share some of the images I have recorded using my DJI Air 2S drone in Lofoten Islands in Norway.

This reversal came after discussions between the White House and DJI ahead of an upcoming US-China diplomatic meeting.

Drones can reach places that are dangerous, fragile, or physically inaccessible, e.g. cliffs, wetlands, glaciers, lava fields, allowing photographers to capture sweeping scenes without trampling delicate ecosystems or putting themselves at risk. My drone opens the door to perspectives I could never reach without hiring a helicopter or a plane.

I have always gravitated toward the window seat on flights, drawn to the way the world reveals itself from above. From that height, nature organizes into patterns, lines, and quiet geometry. Drones let me bring that same sense of wonder back down to earth.

📷

07/12/2025

Danika and I are back again this year at the Scotus Craft Fair in Columbus, NE. Come out and check out all of the new creations from Maitri Designz, Art Danika Rowe and Chanda Baker Photography.

30/11/2025

“Kaleidoscope”

A group of giraffes is called a tower, which feels about right—they’re basically the skyscrapers of the savanna, even if the trees still show them who’s boss. When they’re on the move, they magically turn into a journey, their patchwork coats rippling like living optical illusions. And honestly, who knew something this tall, lanky, and slightly awkward-looking could also pull off being downright graceful and gorgeous?

26/11/2025

African Wild Dog…
They might look like beautifully painted versions of your favorite backyard dog, but African Wild Dogs are on a whole different level. These endangered predators are among Africa’s most efficient pack hunters and restless nomads whose territories shift from day to day. Because of this spotting them is never guaranteed.

That’s why my time in South Luangwa felt like such a gift. We stumbled upon a pack of seven adults and ten pups, ended up spending time watching the adults coordinate a hunt, the pups tumbling around in pure chaos, and the whole pack feasting together. Easily one of those magical and special wildlife moments.

25/11/2025

25/11/2025

“Eyes into your soul.”

South Luangwa National Park isn’t called the Valley of Leopards for nothing. In this wild stretch of Zambia, the famously elusive cats seem to come out of hiding - draped across tree branches in the afternoon sun or slipping like shadows through the bush as they stalk unsuspecting impalas. Here, encountering a leopard isn’t a rare stroke of luck; it’s part of the park’s everyday magic.

🍃

21/11/2025

Red velvet mite, a bright red little speck crawling around in the Zambian bush. Who knew mites could be so cute! According to our guide if you pick it up you will be hit by lightening. ⚡️

21/11/2025

When two heads are better than one…

13/11/2025

Beautiful sunset after the rains today in Luangwa National Park.