Tanzania safari trip report day 2 - Tarangire

Today we were up at 5:30 and were out of camp by 6:15, which is not bad for our first early day. Typically it is a little challenging for the first few days, as jet lag is a real force to be reckoned with. Our group was chomping at the bit to get out and see what Tarangire is all about. We are camping along the southern shore of Lake Burunge, and we headed east and north to move to the northern part of the park. We drove through what I can only describe as the most dense tsetse fly are that I have ever dealt with. 20 minutes of constant swatting, biting and scratching. It sucked! My ankles still feel like a raw piece of steak.

The weather was warm today, with big puffy clouds in every direction. No rain today, however the park doesn't need it right now. Today was not a predator day, which is very normal for Tarangire. Today was all about elephants and giraffe. I was blown away by the number of elephants. We likely saw between 500 and 1000 individuals, with half of them being within distance to get good photos. I think my travelers have no idea how truly special this is, as most of them have never been to Africa before.

We had a very nice picnic lunch at Silale swamp, which is extremely lush at the moment. You can always count on a pair of African fish eagles there, and today was no exception. My head guide, Kileo, had a bad stomach ache, so I went back to camp a little early to make sure he was well taken care of. I have a virtual pharmacy with me on these safaris, so I did my best to help out.

We worked with our digital images before dinner, and I did a slideshow of my past successful and unsuccessful photos in an attempt to teach composition, lighting, storytelling, depth of field, blurred panning and wildlife behavior. Knowing when to take the best shot was probably what most people wanted to know more about.

Tomorrow we will leave Tarangire, and we will drive across the Maasai Steppe and head up into the Ngorongoro Highlands. I cannot wait to get up to 7,000 feet, where we will have our camp along the crater rim.

Tanzania safari report day 1 - Tarangire

Today we woke up and left Arusha for the green grasses and flowing waters of Tarangire National Park. The park is a natural watering hole because of the winding Taangire River, which at the moment is flowing at a breakneck pace. Recent rains has caused the park to have plenty of water, and the grass here is quite tall. Wildlife sightings were quite good today, beginning with a lioness on a giraffe kill on the high plains that overlook the valley.

Tarangire is typically all about the elephants, and today did not disappoint. We ran into no less than 15 family units on our afternnon game drive, and all seemed to be moving down towards the flowing river in the afternoon heat. We even saw the very rare oryx, which is not a natural fit for this environment.

There were rain clouds surrounding us all afternnon, and signs of recent rains were abundant. Did we even have a dry season this year, or did the long rains arrive early? I think it will be interesting to drive by Lake Manyara in 2 days, as it was bone dry when I flew over the lake in October.

My guests are absolutely fantastic, and all really love our luxury camping accommodations. We were greeted by fresh juice, cold hand towels and big smiles by the Thomson Safaris camp staff. After a hot shower, I watched the sun set behind the Ngorongoro highlands to the west. Cold beer. Check. Camp fire. Check. It is great to be back in a country that I love so much.

Tomorrow will be a full day, for sure. Up a 5:30 and out of camp by 6:15. I hear a lion roaring to the north of Lake Burunge, so I know which direction I want to head in the morning.

...Of Wildlife Photography and non-digital equipment

Well, you probably are wondering what the heck this headline is all about. Well, I am ditching my Nikon digital camera equipment on my next Tanzania safari. I am shoving off soon, and I am only taking a single still camera with me, and it happens to be a Fotoman 6x24cm panorama film camera. I can only take 3 photographs per roll of 120 medium format film. And it takes me about 10 seconds to shoot, wind, cock the lens, compose and shoot again. I am looking forward to the challenge, for sure. I am challenging myself to see if I can create images that can truly tell the story of the wide open savannah of the Serengeti, and this may be the ticket.

Fotoman 624 panorama camera with 180mm lens and cone

I purchased the Fotoman 624 about 3 years ago, and I have only used it once. I think it was January of 2008. At that time I only had a 180mm lens on the camera, and that really didn't work out too well. That is equivalent to about 45mm in 35mm camera terms. This time I am going with a huge 300mm lens on the front, and the camera cannot be described as being a small camera. I am making up my hyperfocal chart right now for the new 300mm lens, but check this out for absurd depth of field with the 180mm lens:

F/9 = 263 feet (130 feet to infinity)
F/11 = 209 feet (100 feet to infinity)
F/14 = 166 feet (83 feet to infinity)
F/16 = 148 feet (75 feet to infinity)
F/22 = 105 feet (52 feet to infinity)
F/32 = 74 feet (37 feet to infinity)

To interpret what I just wrote down, in the first line I could focus at 263 feet with the helical mount on the front of the camera, and everything that is 1/2 that number, or 131.5 feet, to infinity is sharp at f/9. I am sure the 300mm lens is going to be just silly when it comes to the depth of field, but it is going to be a fun challenge.

I am also taking my new JVC GM-HY100 high definition video camera. This is actually my primary tool for the safari, as I have been itching to get more and more into video. My goal for the trip is to just capture what a typical day is like, from sunrise to sunset. Hopefully I can piece together enough clips to have a 2 minute 'day in the life of an African photographic safari' kind of video on this blog. We shall see.

I am only taking 20 rolls of Fuji Provia 400F film with me, so I am only good for 60 exposures. I will have some Fuji Neopan 100 as backup, but I doubt I will need it. Wish me luck.

My Scholarship Fund

I haven't spoken about this at all online, but I have been sending a local Tanzanian to school for the past 7 months. His name is Boniface, and have become good friends with him over the past few years. Since I spend a decent amount of time in Tanzania each year, I decided a while back that I wanted to give back more than just bringing tourism dollars to the country. Leslie and I have been helping out for the past 8 years through Compassion International with a few children in the southern part of the country, but this time I wanted to do something else. This time I decided to send somebody to college, so I set up a scholarship fund in mid 2009 to help get deserving people to college and through college. Sure, I could use a new car, a bigger house, nicer clothes or new furniture, but I would rather do things that actually matter. Helping somebody with education is the most obvious thing one can do, as it directly affects all those around the recipient. Trickle down. Whatever you want to call it.

I met Boniface at one of my camps, and he is a stand up guy. He has been saving for numerous years in the hopes to get to college someday, and that in and of itself is a difficult task in a place like Tanzania. Boniface is has been enrolled in the Mweka Wildlife College since August, and I am so proud of him. His goal is to become a safari guide, and I am confident that he will make an excellent one. Boni, as we know him, recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with some of his classmates as one of his field trips last month. Way to go, Boni!! Anyway, here are some of his images from his climb. I look forward to seeing him in a few days.

Boni at the roof of Africa, 19,380 feet.

Boni at Gillman's Point, Kilimanjaro

Hmmm, maybe Boni is destined to be a photographic guide

I see that Boni doesn't have trouble relaxing on the mountain

ABC7's View From The Bay tv show appearance

I flew to San Francisco yesterday to make an appearance on ABC7’s View From The Bay television show, hosted by Spencer Christian and Janelle Wang. What a great time!

TWiP interview now available

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Frederick Van Johnson on This Week in Photography (TWiP) podcast. Here is a quick link to listen to our interview together:

TWiP episode #126

You can subscribe to the TWiP podcast in iTunes by clicking here.

Interested in being in the studio audience for View From The Bay?

ABC7 has graciously sent me a memo that I can post on my blog to invite friends and family for View From The Bay on February 15. I think my segment is going to be a short one, but please come on out! Here are the details from the producer of the show:

I would like to extend a special invitation to Andy Biggs' friends, family and colleagues to be in our studio audience the day that he will be appearing  on “The View From The Bay” Monday Feb. 15th, 2010.

Meet Spencer Christian and Janelle Wang and get a chance to see the behind the scenes of a live television broadcast. Tickets for the show must be reserved in advance. Audience doors open at 2:15pm with a cut-off time of 2:30pm, the show is live from 3-4pm.  

To reserve your seats please call the ticket request line at (415)-954-7733 or visit www.viewfromthebay.com and click on “be in our audience” and fill out a ticket request form. Or click on the link below to go to our online ticket request form. Simply fill out your information and press submit.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/feature?section=view_from_the_bay&id=6337461

Please be sure to note under “comments” if you are requesting a specific date to support someone scheduled to be on the show.

My appearance on ABC7, San Francisco's View From the Bay

I am going to be on View From the Bay, ABC channel 7 in the San Francisco bay area on Monday, February 15. Spencer Christian, who was once host of Good Morning America, hosts the show. Tune in if you are in the bay area. We will be chatting about travel photography tips. Are you interested in being in the audience? Check out this link for more information. Hopefully I can get a copy of the appearance on DVD and can post it on this blog after the show airs (if I wasn't too much of a dork).