Back Home From Namibia

Well, after some amazing desert landscapes and wildlife I am back home and in the saddle, so to speak. This past Namibia trip was my longest to date, as I way away from home for four weeks to the day. I co-lead a pair of workshops with good friend Joshua Holko, and after the second workshop was completed we extended our stay for another 5 nights and spent some time in the north of the country.

While I was away I rededicated myself to updating this blog more often than I have done so in the past year or two. Much of my past year or two have been spent updating Facebook or Google+, and I realize that I have ignored many people who are not on either social media platform. My approach going forward will be to update this blog and post links back to this site on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Let’s just call this my 2014 New Year’s Resolution in April.

I have many things to write about, from recent images on safari in Africa to thoughts on camera gear and the ever elusive work / family balance that I never seem to obtain. It all starts by writing down the first letter of the first word of the first paragraph. My approach will be to carve out at least an hour each week to make updates, which is often hard to find in my busy life.

South Georgia Island and Antarctic 2014 Polar Photography Expedition

 South Georgia Island and Antarctic 2014 Polar Photography Expedition

November 3-22, 2014

I am excited to publicly announce that Joshua Holko and I are opening up the booking process for our photographic expedition to South Georgia Island and Antarctica. Our expedition will last for 20 days, and we will depart Ushuaia, Argentina on the 3rd of November, 2014. Our photographic expedition has been designed to provide the definitive South Georgia Island photography experience. We will cross the Drake Passage where we will spend time photographing amazing icebergs and the spectacular Antarctic Peninsula. We will also visit Elephant Island, home to twenty two of Shackleton’s men for four months. We will enter the Scotia Sea, detouring to the remote and rarely visited mountainous South Orkney Islands. We will zodiac cruises through a maze of icebergs before landing ashore on a beach with penguins, seals and lichen encrusted boulders. This location alone promises fantastic wildlife and landscape opportunities. We will then continue across the Scotia sea, bound for South Georgia Island, where we will see and photograph the world’s largest King Penguin rookeries, majestic albatross nests, seals and a plethora of bird life. Kelp-strewn beaches are cluttered with basking elephant seals, feisty fur seals and hundreds of penguins that will prove a wildlife photographer’s dream. Stromness and Grytviken harbour’s 9,000 foot rocky peaks that rise up from the ocean will fulfill every landscape shooter’s wishes for dramatic landscape. South Georgia’s remote, untamed landscape is simply stunning. Scattered across the mighty Southern Ocean, the tiny arc of windswept islands and harbours are some of the world’s greatest wildlife sanctuaries set against world class landscapes. Famed for its abandoned whaling stations and Shackleton’s heroic journey, South Georgia is home to literally millions of fur seals and penguins, wallows of elephant seals and nesting albatross. After we finish photographing in this breathtaking area we will sail back to Ushuaia where we will dock on the 22nd of November and conclude our once in a lifetime expedition.

Joshua and I wanted to put together a dedicated photography expedition to both Antarctica and South Georgia Island that gave photographers the best possible opportunity to photograph big icebergs and amazing wildlife on the same trip. We wanted to ensure sufficient time in both Antarctica and South Georgia Island, so this is a brand new itinerary that has been planned from the ground up to really maximize the opportunities for photography. We have specifically timed our expedition early in the season in order to give us the best opportunities for plenty of icebergs as well as wildlife at South Georgia Island. The ice and snow at South Georgia island will be pristine and as yet unvisited by man after the Antarctic winter. If you can only travel to Antarctica and South Georgia Island once in your life for photography then this is most definitely the trip you want to be on.

Key Details of our Expedition

• Dates: 03 November to 22 November, 2014. 20 days / 19 nights
• Ship : Ice Hardened Expedition Class Ship ‘Polar Pioneer’ Regarded by many as the best vessel for polar photography for its ability to get really close to big ice and ample deck space for photography.
• Trip Leaders : Andy Biggs and Joshua Holko
• Dedicated to Wildlife and Landscape Photography

If you would like to join us, please send me an email to info@andybiggs.com. Places are very limited on this trip and given the unique nature of this expedition we do expect to sell out quickly. Due to early expressions of interest the Captains Suite and Mini Suites are already sold out and there are only limited twin private and twin share rooms remaining. We have the entire vessel so this trip is solely for photographers and is 100% dedicated to both landscape and wildlife photography. Places are booked strictly on a first come first served basis. A full itinerary and costs can be found on my web site.

2013 Year In Review [Warning: Modem Buster]

Wow. What a year. I mean what-a-year. I spent more time away from home than I ever anticipated, but in that time away I had some amazing experiences, photographic opportunities and time with customers that are nothing short of amazing. So let’s jump into my year, which is going to be a modem buster of a blog entry, due to the large volume of images.

Camera Equipment

Before we get to the destinations and photographs, I need to say that 2013 was a huge year of change for me. Why? I sold off much of my Nikon 35mm gear in order to be more agnostic. I did this because I need to shoot with Canon and other systems, as I need and want to know exactly what the needs of my customers are. I sold off much of my Nikon system and only own a D800E, 24-70mm, 70-200mm and a 50mm. This means I have a huge gap to fill on each of my trips, which I fill by relying on the rental market. I use Borrowlenses.com exactly for this need. I just rent either a Canon or Nikon camera body and a ‘long’ lens, like a 300mm f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8 or 200-400mm f/4. Voila. Simple, easy and I accomplish the goal of knowing both platforms as best that I can.

I also shoot with Phase One medium format gear, and late this year I upgraded from a 60 megapixel IQ160 digital back to an 80 megapixel IQ280 digital back. After my first trip with the new IQ280 I am extremely happy with the upgrade, as I now have 10,300 pixels on the longest dimension to work with. These files are HUGE, I tell you. HUGE. And yes, I now need a new computer to process the files.

International Travel - Africa and Iceland

I spent much of the month of March in Iceland, as I co-led two workshop groups with friends Joshua Holko and Daniel Bergman. These workshops were winter workshops, primarily driven around snow, ice and the aurora borealis. Here are a few images from March:

Aurora Borealis, Lighthouse and Power Plant

Daniel, King of Ice

Workshop Group at Jökulsárlön

Reysnisdrangar near Vík

Near Stokksnes

Having a little fun at my expense. Funny people.

Joshua out on the ice

I also spent a ton of time in Africa, splitting my time between Tanzania (1 safari), Rwanda (1 safari), Kenya (3 safaris) and Botswana (3 safaris). I didn’t visit Africa until May, yet I managed to fit in so many game drives into the year I think I lost count. Here is a quick synopsis of my African travels, in order of where I guided my trips:

Mother and Baby Giraffe, Singita Grumeti Reserves, Tanzania

Playing Cheetahs, Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya

Cheetahs Chasing Their Lunch, Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya

Welcome To My Office

Wink Wink, Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya

Lion, Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya

Giraffe and Clouds, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

I Am King, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Four Lions, Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Masai Mara, Kenya

Silverback, Rwanda

Silverback, Rwanda

Silverback, Rwanda

Three Giraffe, Singita Grumeti Reserves, Tanzania

Liftoff, Helicopter Aerial Flight over the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Our Mobile Shooting Platform, complete with custom brackets (and Andy Biggs Photo Safaris exclusive)

A Boat Cruise out on the Okavango Delta

Stretching Leopard, Okavango Delta, Botswana

North American destinations

Well, my year wouldn’t be complete without some trips to the American West and the Pacific Northwest, which I visited early on in the year, so here are a few images from Death Valley and the areas near Moab, Utah (Arches and Canyonlands National Parks):

The Fiery Furnace, Arches National Park

Juniper, Arches National Park

Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park

Valley Floor, Death Valley National Park

Valley Floor, Death Valley National Park

The truth is that my African travels were enough to fill up an entire year, but it didn’t end there. I guided 7 African safaris alone, and once you add in the Iceland trip and other North American trips I needed more time at home with my family, or at minimum more time with family out on vacation. Which leads me to……

Last, but not least, Leslie and I went on a no-kids vacation up to the Pacific Northwest. This was our first vacation away from kids in 3 years, and it was amazing. We spent time with friends and family in Seattle and Vancouver, and spent some time doing ‘research’ for my business at Sonora Resort, one of the most fabulous destinations I have ever been to. Seriously. If you are interested in a great balance of the outdoors, fine dining and pampering services this is the place for you. We went flyfishing, grizzly bear viewing, hiking, spa-ing and just about anything else outdoors, and I cannot wait to go back.

Sunset near Sonora Resort, British Columbia, Canada

To cap off this huge blog post, I thought it is worth noting that my kids have hearts of gold. During one of my trips to Africa, William had heard that there isn’t enough clean drinking water in Africa. So William took a bottle of water, wrapped it up and put it into the mailbox to send to me.

I look forward to another wonderful year in 2014, which will take me back to many of the same places in Africa, yet will add Antarctica, South Georgia and the Galápagos Islands to the mix. Bring ‘em on!

Possible Galapagos Islands Trip in June 2014

I have numerous past travelers who would like for me to put together another Galapagos Islands trip in 2014, and if you would like to be notified of such a trip please drop me a line at info@andybiggs.com. I have guided a number of these trips in the past, and it is such a beautiful place to photograph. The Galapagos Islands should be on your bucket list of places to visit with a camera.

When I run my Galapagos Islands trips, I always charter my own private ship. I typically charter a 20-person vessel, which means we end up having two naturalists for 20 people. The Galapagos Islands National Park mandates a 16 to 1 ratio, but I think for the best photography we need to have smaller groups. My trips are casual, fun, filled with tons of photography and we are all out there to learn something and to have a good time. We get on shore at first light and we put the dining schedule as something secondary to our photography. I don’t mind if you bring tripods or monopods, either, as we are on shore before all of the other boats and there isn’t any competition for space. My trips are for 7 nights on board the ship, plus a night in Ecuador, which is the perfect amount of time to get great shots.

If you have a measurable interest, please let me know. I am looking into my favorite ships right now and would love to hear from you. My preference is to have at least 50% of the boat filled up prior to my cutting a huge check to secture the boat.

Meet Grant Atkinson

Today I am writing a post about good friend, photographer, safari leader and all around amazing photographer Grant Atkinson. Gosh, I don’t know where to begin about Grant, but I guess it should start when Grant and I started working together back in 2009. Grant has been in the safari business for quite a while, and Grant and I began co-leading safaris in Botswana in 2009. Grant has an extraordinary grasp on technology, especially with Canon camera equipment, and has taught me so much about wildlife behavior as a result of his own experiences in the bush.

Grant used to work for Wilderness Safaris as a specialist guide, and near the end of his employment with Wilderness Safaris he operated out of Savuti Bush Camp as a permanent guide. Grant is now an independent guide and can be found all around the African continent, usually behind a big, white lens. You can see more of Grant and his amazing photographs on his own web site at www.grantatkinson.com.

Grant and I have many safaris together in 2014, and he is also leading a few safaris on his own:

• Big Cats of the Masai Mara - January 18-26, 2014 (This is the BEST time of the year if you are interested in photographing cheetah chases)
• Small Group Luxury Botswana Photo Safari - April 23 - May 2, 2014
• Luxury Great Migration Photo Safari - September 4-12, 2014
• Botswana, The Premier Photo Safari - November 3-22, 2014

Please come join us out in the African bush next year for some exciting photographic opportunities, some good laughs and a trip of a lifetime. In the meantime, here are just a few of Grant’s images:

The New Canon 200-400mm f/4 Is In Stock at B&H

For those of you who have been waiting to read reports on the inredible Canon 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM lens but didn’t get on a list early enough, today’s your lucky day. B&H now has this difficult-to-obtain lens in stock. My experience with the lens is limited, but the few moments I have used it out on safari were happy moments. Yes, it is an inredible wildlife lens, much moreso than the Nikon equivalent.

Canon 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM lens is now in stock at B&H.

Article in Popular Photography Magazine

Popular Photography recently did a quick phone interview with me, and we had a nice hour of chatting, laughing and talking about photography. Here is a link:

Popular Photography Magazine - A Top Pro’s Hands-On Experience

Gura Gear Pro Team

When I launched Gura Gear way back in 2008 I was hoping to sell a few dozen camera bags per month. Well, that was a long time ago and before Gura Gear had any customers. Gura Gear now has thousands of happy customers, and along with those customers are some working photographers who have come to rely on Gura Gear and all that the company stands for: durable, lightweight and well built camera bags for the traveling photographer. Gura Gear has recently announced the Pro Team, and you will recognize some names on the list!