Monday
Oct292007
Back Home from Tanzania
Monday, October 29, 2007 at 12:49AM I am back home after a 21-day safari in Tanzania. I was on two different safaris; the first safari was a combination wildlife scouting and cultural safari to the Serengeti and Loliondo with some friends of mine, and the second safari was a trip more associated with my 'day job' of leading safaris for photographers. I have much to write about and share. Both of these safaris had some components that were completely new to me, and for good purpose. Here are a few items to take note of.
Safari #1
The purpose of the trip was to scout a new area in the Loliondo game controlled area, as well as go on safari with a few friends of mine. Relaxing, focused, and we had hoped to see and experience some new sights on this trip. It did not disappoint. We were able to get some amazing elephant photographs up close, as well as visit a Maasai manyatta that had over 100 huts. Roughly 500 people were living in this not-often-occurring location. This was certainly my most real and unique cultural experience with the Maasai to date.
Safari #2
The purpose of this trip, other than leading and teaching 14 talented photographers to Tanzania, was to the push the envelope with regards to technology. This was the first safari where I had a digital projector with me out in the bush. We always have a generator handy, but now I was able to increase my teaching opportunities by running slideshows before or after dinner. This is definitely the direction I am heading in at the moment. The other technology change for me was the lack of a laptop. Normally I always have a fully configured Apple Macbook (now Macbook Pro) with me for storing and reviewing images. I took along an Epson P5000 (80GB) and a P2000 (100GB) instead. I will write up a more lengthy report on my experience in the coming days. I also photographed with Nikon gear. Gasp! I used a D2x and 200-400mm f/4 as my primary long lens setup. There is a long story in why this came to be! I am not switching to Nikon, but I did find it to be a rewarding experience to see how Nikon equipment works out in the field. And finally, I used a Garmin GPS unit to record all of my tracks, along with waypoints. Some lessons learned along the way.
I have over 55GB of images to catalog and process. I am not exactly sure what I have, since I did not spend much time looking or reviewing my images while in Africa.
Safari #1
The purpose of the trip was to scout a new area in the Loliondo game controlled area, as well as go on safari with a few friends of mine. Relaxing, focused, and we had hoped to see and experience some new sights on this trip. It did not disappoint. We were able to get some amazing elephant photographs up close, as well as visit a Maasai manyatta that had over 100 huts. Roughly 500 people were living in this not-often-occurring location. This was certainly my most real and unique cultural experience with the Maasai to date.
Safari #2
The purpose of this trip, other than leading and teaching 14 talented photographers to Tanzania, was to the push the envelope with regards to technology. This was the first safari where I had a digital projector with me out in the bush. We always have a generator handy, but now I was able to increase my teaching opportunities by running slideshows before or after dinner. This is definitely the direction I am heading in at the moment. The other technology change for me was the lack of a laptop. Normally I always have a fully configured Apple Macbook (now Macbook Pro) with me for storing and reviewing images. I took along an Epson P5000 (80GB) and a P2000 (100GB) instead. I will write up a more lengthy report on my experience in the coming days. I also photographed with Nikon gear. Gasp! I used a D2x and 200-400mm f/4 as my primary long lens setup. There is a long story in why this came to be! I am not switching to Nikon, but I did find it to be a rewarding experience to see how Nikon equipment works out in the field. And finally, I used a Garmin GPS unit to record all of my tracks, along with waypoints. Some lessons learned along the way.
I have over 55GB of images to catalog and process. I am not exactly sure what I have, since I did not spend much time looking or reviewing my images while in Africa.
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