Photo of the Day

Quelea

Okavango Delta, Botswana, September 2008

Canon EOS 1DsMkIII, 400mm f/4 DO IS, 1/1250 sec @ f/4, ISO 800

Botswana game drive vehicles

Four Ducks in a Row

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Our illustrious guide Tony jumped out to grab a quick shot of Derrick, Thomas, Mark and myself on a morning game drive. The vehicles in Botswana are not typically like the one in this image, as most are of a newer generation if you are staying at a Wilderness Safaris camp in the delta. What this image illustrates is how a typical configuration will be with  3 rear rows of seats, with each row slightly taller than the one in front of each other. I actually prefer the front seat position, as this allows me to chat with the guide, make recommendations for subject selection and vehicle placement, and it is also a good position for taking a photograph. The lower(st) position(s) are good for being at eye level with your subject. The middle and rear seats are also great as sometimes grass can be in your way between you and your subject, and these rear seats can help get you a different angle with nothing in the way. There are no bad seats in any of these vehicles, and all guides will work with you to make sure that all photographers have a good shooting position.

Game Vehicle, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Teya, John, Michael, Linda and Forest

Here we have a vehicle that has been configured the same from a seating point of view, but with the addition of an overhead sun shade. Note: many camps can remove the sun shade at your request if you prefer to have a wide open view for shooting birds in flight. It is a personal decision, as well as a camp's decision. It is common for camps to leave the canopy on during the warmer months of the year, and will remove it during the cooler months of the year. I don't have a real preference either way, but I do see both sides. Having the canopy off is good if the upright bars are in your way, but you might want the canopy for the hot sun in the warmer months. Camps are less likely to change the canopy setup if you do not have sole use of the vehicle, as your decision will affect others and their safari experience.

Home. Or not.

Well, I made it back home late Sunday night after many different modes of travel: bush plane from Mombo to Maun, jet from Maun to Johannesburg, 3 planes from Johannesburg to Houston, and then a cab ride to the house. Or should I say ghost house. It was so late in the evening that I just got home and crashed. Leslie and the kids are over at her parents' house, as they have electricity and A/C. We sort of have power, but not enough to get the needed 220V to operate the A/C. So now I have joined the other family refugees and am over at Leslie's parents' house as well. Hopefully we will have acceptable power in the next few days, but my gut tells me to not count on it. Hospitals, city buildings and main lines take first priority. Since our street has power, we are considered a specific house call, and that is way at the end of the line.

I appreciate all emails and phone calls for those who are checking in on us. We very much appreciate it. I don't anticipate posting any images from my Namibia and Botswana adventures any time soon, as I am too busy with the aftermath of the hurricane. I am, however, planning on launching Gura Gear as soon as humanly possible.

Heading back home

I am back in Joburg at the moment, catching up on *tons* of emails. The only problem is I managed to fry my Macbook Air power supply a few days ago when I was at camp. Nothing like a quick power surge to ruin my day! Anyway, I have tons of experiences and photographs to share when I get back. I apologize if I have been unable to respond to any emails since late August. Thank you for all of the kind emails that have been sent regarding hurricane Ike. My wife and kids are ok, but it has been an extremely trying time in the family. Our house is still without power, 8 days after the storm hit. I am looking forward to getting back home to be with Lesie, Christian and Will.

Anybody in Austin or Dallas want 2 kids, 2 adults and a greyhound for a few days?

:-)

Hopefully our electricity will be restored very very soon.

Update from Namibia

We had an exciting day of great light and great subjects here in Luderitz, Namibia. We entered Kolmanskop ghost town around 5:45am this morning, and wandered around for the next 6 hours capturing some great reflected light in the abandoned buildings. I didn't expect to find a wireless connection here, and will not be able to update my blog for a few weeks.

Tomorrow we are off for the towering sand dunes of Sossusvlei, and I cannot wait to see them again. Peach colored dunes, blue skies and green grass. Paradise.

Canon 1DsMkIII, 16-35mm, 2 seconds at f/11, ISO 100

Canon 1DsMkIII, 16-35mm, 1.5 seconds @ f/11, ISO 100

Canon 1DsMkIII, 16-35mm, 2.5 seconds @ f/9, ISO 100

Off for Africa

Well, I am off for Namibia and Botswana in the morning. I will respond to emails when I return, and I won't have access to my emails at any time during these two back-to-back safaris.

Photo of the Day

Helicopter Time

Canon 1DsMkIII, 15mm fisheye

Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana, April 2008

Here is the helicopter we use in Botswana. It is a Jet Ranger 2-blade configuration, and Peter Perlstein the pilot is one of the most professional people in the business. He also tells great bush stories. When we fly with him, we are able to take the doors off, and 3 photographers can shoot at a time. Each photographer has his/her own spot to shoot from, all with fantastic views. In my own experience, a minimum of 1/1000 shutter speed is required to pull off a sharp image. 4-rotor helicopters might be less, but 1/1000 is a safe place to be if you can pull it off. Shutter speed priority should be used over aperture priority, or full manual mode if you are comfortable with it. In my experience shutter speed priority is better than manual mode because the light is always changing. I prefer to use 2 cameras, something like a 24-70 or 24-105mm on one camera and a 70-200mm on the other.

A toast to the future from Banana Republic

Here is a nice article on Banana Republic worth reading:

A Toast to the future from Banana Republic

"Last year, BR launched a three-year in-store art programme of selected artists’ works to be displayed in all its stores throughout the United States.

Notable artists who have received BR’s patronage since 1995 include the late Alberto Giacometti, Yoko Ono, Richard Serra and David Hockney, and photographers Annie Leibowitz and Andy Biggs....."

....."Its most recent artistically driven global-scale project was the summer 2008 advertising campaign when it collaborated with safari photographer Biggs."