Back home from Africa

I just got home from my east African adventure, and I have tons to write about. I wasn’t able to update my blog from the field, primarily due to lack of time and lack of a decent internet connection. I spent time in Rwanda for mountain gorillas, and then split my time in Kenya’s Masai Mara between 3 different camps. I think I came home with some great photographs, however I won’t know for sure until I get some time to sort through them. Heck, I still have to sort through my images from Botswana from July!

A huge thank you goes out to those of you who traveled with me on these 2 safaris. I really do think that I have the best job on earth. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Safari Update from Rwanda - Day 3

Not much to write about today, primarily due to time constraints (and internet connectivity), but I thought I would quickly share a few images. All I can say is that my experience in Rwanda has been amazing. The people, the accommodations, the hospitality and above all else the mountain gorillas. Truly one of the best experiences I have had in all of my travels throughout Africa. Hiking in the Virunga Mountains with mountain gorillas is something that needs to be on everybody’s bucket list.

Charles the Silverback

Nikon D3x, 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII, 1/500 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 1600

Charles the Silverback

Nikon D3x, 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII, 1/400 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800

Safari Update from Rwanda - Day 2

Mother Gorilla and her Baby

Nikon D3, 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII, 1/400 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 1600

Today we were up again at 5:15, packed up and headed out after breakfast. Both of our trekking groups drove to the same trailhead, which necessitated hiking for about 45 minutes across planted fields of potatoes. Once inside the park boundary, which consisted of a tall wall of volcanic rocks, my group only had about a 10 minute hike to reach our intended group of gorillas. I have to be honest in saying that the hike was fairly easy today, which made a few people quite happy. Most of my trekking group had been on a long, grueling hike the day before, so this trek was a relief.

Today’s time was spent with the Umubano family group, which is led by the silverback Charles. We affectionately referred to him as ‘Chuck’, as he was extremely comfortable with our presence and laid down for a nap only a few feet away from us.

We spent our hour with the the family group in one small location, and we were on even footing the entire time. Woohoo! I know this sounds funny, but yesterday was spent on a very steep incline, which was quite difficult to work with. Today we had clear view of the family, and enjoyed every second with clear views of most of the members.

I haven’t had time to process any images, and those that I have processed have been on my Macbook Pro with a shiny screen. Not optimal, for sure, but at least the images that I do post will give a good idea as to what we have seen.

Tomorrow we will have our last trek with the gorillas, and then we will stay the night in Kigali, before heading back to Kenya for the Masai Mara.

Safari update from Rwanda

Nikon D3x, 70-200mm f/2.8, 1/400 @ f/4, ISO 800

We arrived in Rwanda yesterday morning, and after a nice lunch we drove a few hours to Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in the Virunga Mountains. My group of travelers enjoyed the warm reception, and even more enjoyed the very comfortable accommodations. After our bags exploded from our journey from Kenya, we all met up for coctails on the verands, followed by an excellent dinner.

We woke up early this morning at around 5am with a knock on the door, followed by a pitcher of freshly brewed coffee. What a way to wake up! We ate a quick breakfast and made our way to the Parc National des Volcans headquarters, and there we met up with our trekking guides. We went through the necessary safety discussion, were allocated an intended gorilla group to hike to, and then drove to the trailhead.

Without getting into too much details, the trek was short but very very challenging. We mostly covered a very steep slope that was covered with stinging nettle, and had to work slowly but deliberately to the Sabyinyo group of gorillas. The Sabyinyo group is reported to have the largest silverback gorilla, named Guhonda, at roughly 220 kilos. That is some serious weight. We caught up with the group as they were feeding in the canopy, and we waited until they came down to move onto other feeding areas. The area we were in was lush with bamboo, and many of the gorillas could not be seen without significant intention.

After the gorillas came down, we did get our hour with them and I have to say that it was both magical and photographically rich. At one point Guhonda walked into our group of 8 photographers and brushed by one of my travelers as he passed through. There was much more going on than I can write about right now, but suffice to say that this is one of the richest safari experiences one can imagine. I only have had time to quickly crank out this 1 image that I have included in the blog post, and I know that I have at least 10 good images that I will be happy with from today. We have 3 days of trekking for gorillas, so more photo opportunities are ahead!

Photo of the Day - Lion Pride Crossing

Lion Pride Crossing The Okavango Waters

near Chitabe Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana. July 2011

Nikon D3x, 70-200mm f/2.8, 1/250 sec @ f/8, ISO 640

We waited and watched patiently for a pride of lions, sans adult males, to cross some open water in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, and our patience paid off. I have about 50 different images of them walking towards the vehicle, but the one that I like the most is this one, as I had most of the eyes visible. I also like the gentle curve of the lions from right to left. I do wish that I had used a 2nd camera with a wide angle lens, as my 70mm was barely enough to fit them all into the scene.

Canon 300mm and 400mm f/2.8L IS Version 2 Lenses are now shipping to dealers

Great news, folks. For those who have been waiting for the new Canon 300mm f/2.8 and 400mm f/2.8L IS II lenses, they are now shipping to select dealers. The new lenses have been redesigned optical systems as well as the latest Image Stabilization (IS). Get on the list ASAP if you ever anticipate wanting one in the next 3 to 6 months, as I anticipate a very tight supply.

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II lens is US$7,299 over at B&H

Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II lens is US$11,499 over at B&H

Photo of the Day - Elephant Family at Savuti

Elephant Family

near Savuti Camp, Botswana. July 2011

Nikon D3x, 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/320 sec @ f/9, ISO 400

Sony A77: A Wildlife Photography Game Changer?

Sony announced many products today, and without going into too many details the A77 is a product that may do quite well in the wildlife photography world. Why? Here are some quick specs to tease you:

• 24.3MP sensor (1.5x crop)
• 19 points AF sensor with 11 cross sensors
• ISO 100-16000, with expandeable ISO 50 option
• 1920 x 1080 60p/24p AVCHD 2.0
• P/A/S/M manual controls while recording video
• 12 fps
• TrueBlack 921k 3-way tilt LCD
• 3 million dot OLED viewfinder
• Smart teleconverter function with 1.4x and 2.0x option
• Built-in flash
• Built-in GPS

What do you think about having a 12fps camera that also shoots high quality video for under $1500? Pretty cool, actually. Add in built in GPS, a moisture and dust resistant magnesium construction and it sounds like a great wildlife camera. I look forward to hearing reviews on it. Remember that Sony purchased Konica Minolta back in 2006, and they have a very nice set of lenses. Sony struck a deal with Zeiss shortly after their acquisition, and now they have a full range of lenses at different price points. The big question is regarding their 500mm f/4 lens that they have been showing at trade shows for the past couple of years?