Kenyan Photographic Trip Report

[ZaminOz]

superb photos!

[twaffle]

I need help I think with composition and would like you to send some critique about these pics taken in Nakuru and the Mara with my "bog" standard Canon ! Maybe Game Warden will move this to the photography section but any help would be much appreciated

Also, do I need to paste links from e.g. photobucket or similar to make them appear on the post as full images?

 

It would be best to start your own thread. You can link to photobucket (I use Picasa) but I think you can download your pictures in the gallery here and download from that. GW will be able to help more with that. I'm sure that the many good photographers here would be happy to help once we get you into your own thread.

[cheetah80]

BonitaApplebum - I am absolutely blown away by your sightings and especially your photos - they have such a lovely mood to them! Stunning! Thanks so much for sharing them with us!

[BonitaApplebum]

Very nice indeed, Mr Applebum! You had great fortune with your sightings in Lake Nakuru and must be very happy with the trip overall. The pictures of Mountain Lodge bring back memories (really nice shot of the treescape by the way) and I am sure I saw a leopard on that very same tree in Nakuru in 2005, but it did not stay there. Of course I am probably imagining that, but it brings back nice memories so let me daydream.

 

Do you have an idea of what direction you went when you talk about going "into the hills" from Keekorok? Any idea where those cheetahs were (and I am not planning a swoop for my wife's 40th birthday present - please do not be alarmed)? Not that you should know or anything - just in case you are the maps and GPS type!

 

Finally, so did you rent a 70-400 and is the leopard an example?

 

pault, sorry for the delay in response.

 

Forgive me as it can be tough to remember all the tracks in the parks! As I recall, when you leave Keekorok, 1km down the road you come to a junction. We continued straight and this took us up into some low lying hills. It was really only 15 minutes or so from the lodge.

 

The cheetah was not far from Keekorok either. We probably meandered for 30 mins or so from the lodge (stopping and starting along the way) when we heard about the cheetah. We moved at a pretty good pace for about 5 minutes to get to her from there.

 

I did rent the 70-400 from lensrentals.com and all of the wildlife shots were taken with that lens. On my previous safari I had the Sigma 50-500 and I found the Sony 70-400G to be far superior optically. I brought along a teleconverter to make up for the reach I was losing but I found I rarely needed it.

[pault]

Hakuna matata with the delay. Everything is slow on the Africa forums this year - appropriate somehow.

 

Thanks for the information. I will now go and put imaghinary pins in my maps.

 

The 70-400G is superior optically to most things. I'm surprised you were able to use it with a teleconvertor though - I found that to be nearly impossible, but may be easier on full frame.

 

Are you using Photomatrix for your HDR looks or other? In some of the pictures the effect really works well (I don't mean it doesn't work in the others - just that it would be a matter of taste).

[BonitaApplebum]

I do use Photomatix for HDR and then perhaps some tweaking in Aperture.

 

The teleconverter was indeed pretty much useless for me. It can be quite tough to judge manual focus as accurate as you'd like and even then most of the shots were still too soft for my liking.

[Kits55]

Amazing images! I am partial to a few of the landscapes and I am IN LOVE with your crossing images. I was so desperate to go to Kenya that I made my husband go for 2 only nights and overnight/nearly overnight flights both ways. When you took the crossing pictures how did you focus? What F-stop and DOF worked the best for those images?

 

I'm very impressed you were able to see the adorable cheetah cubs. Did you pay for a private driver?

[samburumags]

I'm lost! Gosh I wish I understood photography!!!

[BonitaApplebum]

Amazing images! I am partial to a few of the landscapes and I am IN LOVE with your crossing images. I was so desperate to go to Kenya that I made my husband go for 2 only nights and overnight/nearly overnight flights both ways. When you took the crossing pictures how did you focus? What F-stop and DOF worked the best for those images?

 

I'm very impressed you were able to see the adorable cheetah cubs. Did you pay for a private driver?

 

 

Thank you so much for the kind words!

 

For the crossing photos, I was mostly concerned with having a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. I shot wide open (on the Sony 70-400G at 400mm that's F5.6) which gave me a shutter speed of around 1/640 and enough DOF to keep everything in focus at that distance. It was mid day and pretty clear so I was able to keep my ISO at its base 200. Hope that helps!

 

Yes, I did have a private guide on this trip. As photography was a priority for me, I didn't want to risk being stuck with others who didn't have the same mindset as myself. I think most would have gotten bored and moved on long before our wildebeest crossing opportunity arose. Also, we spent the whole morning with that cheetah before we saw her hunt and kill. During that time dozens of other vehicles came and went. I'd rather make sacrifices on accomodations and bush flights and keep my private vehicle/guide. Just my preference.

[Kits55]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

 

For the crossing photos, I was mostly concerned with having a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. I shot wide open (on the Sony 70-400G at 400mm that's F5.6) which gave me a shutter speed of around 1/640 and enough DOF to keep everything in focus at that distance. It was mid day and pretty clear so I was able to keep my ISO at its base 200. Hope that helps!

 

Yes, I did have a private guide on this trip. As photography was a priority for me, I didn't want to risk being stuck with others who didn't have the same mindset as myself. I think most would have gotten bored and moved on long before our wildebeest crossing opportunity arose. Also, we spent the whole morning with that cheetah before we saw her hunt and kill. During that time dozens of other vehicles came and went. I'd rather make sacrifices on accomodations and bush flights and keep my private vehicle/guide. Just my preference.

 

Thank you for the specifics about the crossing images! That is very helpful to me. I'm still enough of a novice that I have problems figuring out the more "technical" aspects as they relate to each other in the field. I still get so excited when we're close to wildlife that I forget to f-stop, exposure, WB, etc. Plus I'm usually afraid the driver will start driving away before I'm done taking pictures!

 

I'm glad to hear you liked having a private vehicle/guide for your own photography safari. I do think that's probably the best way to go, especially after we went to Kenya. So many other guests just want to see as much as they can but I like quality sightings...and to be away from other vehicles sounds fantastic! How long did the drive from Nairobi to Sweetwaters take?

 

You mentioned in your trip report that you used Albatross to book your tour...is that www.albatross-tours.com?

 

Thanks for all the help!

Edited August 17, 2010 by Kits55

[BonitaApplebum]

Thank you for the specifics about the crossing images! That is very helpful to me. I'm still enough of a novice that I have problems figuring out the more "technical" aspects as they relate to each other in the field. I still get so excited when we're close to wildlife that I forget to f-stop, exposure, WB, etc. Plus I'm usually afraid the driver will start driving away before I'm done taking pictures!

 

I'm glad to hear you liked having a private vehicle/guide for your own photography safari. I do think that's probably the best way to go, especially after we went to Kenya. So many other guests just want to see as much as they can but I like quality sightings...and to be away from other vehicles sounds fantastic! How long did the drive from Nairobi to Sweetwaters take?

 

You mentioned in your trip report that you used Albatross to book your tour...is that www.albatross-tours.com?

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

The drive from Nairobi to Sweetwaters is supposed to be about 3 hours, but we got caught up in absurd morning rush hour traffic. It took us close to two hours just to cross the city centre. It's not so much the volume as it is the ancient infrastructure and total lack of traffic controls. Often we just sat in one place, engine off, for extended periods. The really long drives though were from Nakuru to the Mara and from the Mara back to Nairobi.

 

I booked my trip through OnTheGo Tours, based in the UK. They typically do group adventures for younger people but will also do a tailor made itinerary upon request. They contract out to Albatross in Kenya. Albatross Africa

 

If you were to contact Albatross for a future trip to Kenya, I would highly recommend our guide, Francis.

[Atravelynn]

I'm lost! Gosh I wish I understood photography!!!

 

When lost look for the Auto focus button, which is usually green. That is my only advice.

[Kits55]

The drive from Nairobi to Sweetwaters is supposed to be about 3 hours, but we got caught up in absurd morning rush hour traffic. It took us close to two hours just to cross the city centre. It's not so much the volume as it is the ancient infrastructure and total lack of traffic controls. Often we just sat in one place, engine off, for extended periods. The really long drives though were from Nakuru to the Mara and from the Mara back to Nairobi.

 

I booked my trip through OnTheGo Tours, based in the UK. They typically do group adventures for younger people but will also do a tailor made itinerary upon request. They contract out to Albatross in Kenya. Albatross Africa

 

If you were to contact Albatross for a future trip to Kenya, I would highly recommend our guide, Francis.

 

We got stuck in evening rush hour traffic going from Wilson airport to Jomo Kenyatta but I think we probably only lost about 30 minutes because the airports are so close to each other. Was the drive from the Mara to Nairobi ~4 hours?

 

Thanks for the recc for OnTheGo Tours and Albatross in Kenya. I will be sure to ask for Francis if we use them because I can tell he worked hard to get you what you wanted to see.

[pault]

I'm lost! Gosh I wish I understood photography!!!

 

When lost look for the Auto focus button, which is usually green. That is my only advice.

 

It is a funny language, especially when people start using abbreviations and trade names. I like Lynn's advice, although I don't have a green button. With time though, you too could learn to speak like this....

 

"Loving the FF experience..... MkIV with the 500/4 - fabulous! Sharp wide open so no need to stop down to 5 or 5.6, but as DOF is razor thin, watch out for those OOF eyes, especially when using al-servo. Maybe open it just a tad - doesn't harm IQ either! I prefer matrix to spot for metering, although using Viveza 2 in Lightroom 3 gives you a lot more latitude than we used to have."

 

No copyright. You may print and memorise. Guaranteed to either start a spirited conversation or send eyes rolling up into skulls at any camp dinner table in Africa.

 

 

 

Apologies if eyes are rolling up in to skulls only because I have mixed up or mangled Canon and Nikon terms.

[samburumags]

I hope I get a least one shot to wow the lot of you!!!!!!! Pity nobody has taken me up on my offer of a Tusker

[BonitaApplebum]

We got stuck in evening rush hour traffic going from Wilson airport to Jomo Kenyatta but I think we probably only lost about 30 minutes because the airports are so close to each other. Was the drive from the Mara to Nairobi ~4 hours?

 

Thanks for the recc for OnTheGo Tours and Albatross in Kenya. I will be sure to ask for Francis if we use them because I can tell he worked hard to get you what you wanted to see.

 

 

Mara to Nairobi was more like 5 hours, with a bathroom/souvenir stop along the way.

[samburumags]

Yes Mara to Nairobi by road is a long hard slog and if you have a funny tummy its even longer !

[Kits55]

Yes Mara to Nairobi by road is a long hard slog and if you have a funny tummy its even longer !

 

I'll keep that in mind although I like riding in a vehicle better (usually). I get a funny tummy from the flying...dry air, yucky airline food, lack of sleep, and then the up and down for the regional flight. bleh

[Sangeeta]

Just got around to seeing your pictures - they were fabulous. You've inspired me to try some black & white pictures next time I get a chance. Especially loved the chimps. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[tonypark]

Brilliant stuff!

[samburumags]

Hello Tony, dont you think some of those black and whites would make fabulous book covers?

[twaffle]

Samburumags, I don't think authors get much say of the presentation of their books. I think that the publishers use their art directors to select front cover photos and the layouts.