African Trip

[Markvetnz]

I've made it back to New Zealand after my annual photo expedition. Ths year I went to Cape Town for the World Small Animal Veterinary Association conference for a week, spent another week whale watching and shark diving and a final two weeks in Kruger National Park. I'll leave you with a few images.



A group of Southern Right Whales frolicking in shallow water off Gansbaai at the southern tip of Africa.



A Great White Shark makes a grab at some bait. I never got a really good image of these mighty creatures.


The sun dawned over the African bush.


The big 5 were all on show.

There were the posers




Some just got down and dirty


Some didn't like having their meal time interrupted




The king of the jungle was there




Some just ignored us


There were others with spots




and stripes


There was some monkey business


while Dad looked on


Some of it was just a big yawn


Some just thougt it was a a big joke


Some just went along for the ride


Others spoke with forked tongue



And ..... I'm sure you're tired by now so I'll keep the rest for later.

[Mike Buckley]

I'm sure you're tired by now

Not at all! This is a really terrific set! When I was in South Africa, I never saw a leopard, cheetah, hippo or whatever the last animal is, so it's especially enjoyable to see such wonderful images of those species in your series.

Very well done!

[FrankMi]

Great shots Mark! Particularly on the close-up portraits!

[Nicks Pics]

Mark, these are great images. It seems that you were able to catch most of the highlights of an African wildlife watching adventure! That must have taken some effort. Just to comment on a few, the rhinos and elephants were neat to see, quite foreign to us here in North America. I do not mind the apes and baboons being far and foreign from here, but that was brave of you to go and photograph them!

I noticed you were doing portraits and closeups mostly. Did you crop much? I like portraits, though perhaps in some instances in which you are going to get a whole body shot it would be nice to back off a little further and include a little more atmosphere around the animals. But you know what your options were better than I.
I think the yawning cheetah (Or whatever it is- I don't know my African Species!) is one of the best if I had to pick one.

[Shadowman]

Sounds like the type of conference I'd like to attend. Nice series.

[pnodrog]

A little different from racing cars but an excellent selection.

[rpcrowe]

Absolutely great collection of images. I'd love to see more...

[Donald]

Nothing less than the quality that is normal for you .... which is spectacular. Superb photography.

[MarieV]

Such wonderful captures of wild life at it's very best - it looks as if you were on speaking terms with them..!! I particularly like the giraffe's lovely expression and the tortoise hitching a ride on the hippo.

[thegman]

Mark an excellent series of shots, so colourful. The yawning cheetah is my favourite almost ''oh no another camera''

[IzzieK]

The LIon and the Giraffe are my favourites of all...the light in the lion is excellent and the giraffe for its expression. I love all of them but the lion's lighting really caught my attention...

[Teton Chuck]

Beautiful work Mark. I particularly like the zebra and lion pride. Thanks for sharing this series. I look forward to more.

[Slipper]

Wonderful set and so nice to see others travels. The cheetah is a cracking shot especially.
What a wonderful holiday.

[Teton Chuck]

Mark, what equipment were you using to take these photographs? Were they taken out of a vehicle without access to a tripod? What tips could you provide to one who is planning a trip to Africa and wants to take quality photographs? This is a lot to ask, so if you choose to do something else with your time I totally understand.

[wtlwdwgn]

Thanks for sharing these images of your trip Mark. Beautiful shooting.

[Rebel]

Outstanding shots Mark, my 2 favourites are the Monkey Business shot and the 2 turtles/toirtoise? on the hippos back

[BrianA61]

An African photo safari is on my ultimate "bucket list". Seeing these and others that have ventured into the African bush just makes my mouth water. I am officially jealous now. I remember watching a hunting show about Cape Buffalo. The narrator said that those creatures give you a look so mean, his description was "they look at you like you owe them money." I nearly fell out of my chair laughing as it kind of fits the look. ALL of these are awesome captures. How far away were you on those close up portraits? I think that some of those should be accompanied by slightly wider shots to garner more of the animal and the bokeh of the background. Kudos for capturing such a spectacular trip.

[bnnrcn]

Great series Mark. I loved them all

[Brownbear]

Thank you for sharing Mark. All beautifully photographed and truly exquisite. I'm still dreaming of photographing wildlife such as this and I will tuck away your images in my mind for that day in the future.

My favourites are the Rhino's, the elephants, the zebra, Monkey Business, and the Giraffe. If I had to choose just two to hang on my wall it would be #8, and #7.

[Markvetnz]

The whole focus of the trip was photography. I met up with my brother who came from San francisco. He is an expert on African birds and I'll be sharing some of those amazing shots with you later. If you are going to Kruger make sure you book through the National Parks Board site. DO NOT GO WITH THE EXPENSIVE GUIDED OPERATIONS. They are full of non photographers and you will be rushed everywhere you go. We flew into Skukuza from Johannesburg, hired a small car and spent 15 days doing nothing other than photography.

As far as equipment goes I took Canon 1DX and 1D iv bodies, a Canon 200 - 400 F4 L IS and a Canon 70 - 200 2.8L II, a 100m macro and a 16 - 35 wide angle, extenders, a flash, filters and more. The zoom lens has an extender built in so my longest lens was effectively 560mm (Not enough for serious bird shots!). The time of year was excellent for game viewing becuase after a long dry season all animals were always or mostly always near water. In Kruger many animals are habituated to human presence so although you might argue that it isn't quite the same as the Serengeti, at least you will get good shots. You need to use all the good light available, so 5am starts every morning.

DO NOT TAKE YOUR WIFE (OR HUSBAND) - UNLESS SHE IS A PHOTPGRAPHER WITH HER OWN EQUIPMENT THAT SHE KNOWS HOW TO USE. I saw a well equipped couple with gimbal heads mounted left a right on a Land Rover.

A few travel tips re hand luggage limitations (learned after about 50 long haul flights with at least double the amount allowed)

1. A long lens with a few peripherals in a good bag is about 8Kg
2. Your laptop bag, which they never weigh, is not for a laptop. This is for your other lenses etc. Mine weighed another 6Kg!
3. A good photography jacket can hold 2 professional bodies, a flash and other items.
4. Don't take a laptop. I took a Samsung Galaxy S tablet, used 2 SS hard drives which I managed to get working on the tablet.
I could connect my CF card, 2 x 480G SS hard drives and a 64G SD card to the tablet at the same time through a USB hub. Worked perfectly. All cards need to be formatted using MS DOS FAT32 if you are using a tablet. The SS drives need an externally powered housing.
5. All other non essential items can be thrown into your normal check in baggage - tripod etc etc.
6. You don't need a tuxedo!! - cut down on the clothes.
7. All my hand luggage weighed about 17Kg!!! They only ever weigh the main bag, so your "laptop" and extra heavy jacket will get through quite easily.

Have fun.