There are few things out there that beats an African sunset.

Everything from the colors, the textures in the sky and just the general feeling out in nature is the stuff dreams are made of.

All to often this is when we find ourselves stopped somewhere at a scene viewpoint having drinks as we watch another day in Africa draw to a close.  Nothing wrong with that at all but it is during this time that the African landscapes come alive with silhouettes.

It is that moment, when the sun is just about to drop below the horizon, that you can photograph some of the most amazing silhouettes of some of Africa’s most iconic animals.

Giraffes have got to be the most quintessentially African animal out there and make the most spectacular silhouettes.  The way they tower above there environment is just perfect for creating striking African images.

But, it is not just giraffe that can help you to create stunning silhouettes.  Here are a few more examples.

You see?

Pretty much any animal can be used to create silhouettes but it is still the giraffe that has to take the honors.

Since moving from Madikwe it is not the silhouettes so much but the time of day it represents that I will miss the most and look forward to the most when we head to Kenya later this month.  Bring it on…

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt 

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Links Mentioned in This Video

• Wallpaper Downloads for August 2011
• Shades of Nature by Heinrich van den Berg
• PhotoCaddy – iPhone App
• Follow Gerry on Twitter
• Photo-Africa on Facebook

As always I look forward to your comments, questions and suggestions.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

Links Mentioned in These Videos

• Blog Post – Let Inspiration Find You
• Pixelated Image – David’s DuChemin’s Blog
• Chase Jarvis Blog
• Follow Gerry on Twitter
• Photo-Africa on Facebook

As always I look forward to your comments, questions and suggestions.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

This was the start of our day.

We hit the beach early to get a few early morning images and nature did not disappoint.  Apart from penguins and stunning skies the amount of sea birds was quite astounding.  Awesome photography!

We have just finished a group discussion session where we worked through settings and creative ideas, not only for the penguin shoot htis afternoon but also our great white shark boar trip this afternoon.  We… cannot… wait!!

In our discussion we spoke about many things, one obviously being brands of cameras and other equipment. Check this out.

Camera Brands Used by Participants

• Canon = 5
• Nikon = 5
• Sony = 1

Cellphone Brands Used by Participants

• iPhone = 9
• Blackberry = 2

Pretty even spread on the cameras but the phones?  Man, iPhone is kicking butt on this trip!

Anyway, time for lunch and then off to the beach for an afternoon with penguins.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt 

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Part 1

Part 2

Links Mentioned In This Video

• Ben Canales Star Photography Tutorial
• Badger Photo Gear
  
• Gimbal (Manfrotto)
  
• Grant Marcus Photography
  
• Leigh Diprose Photography
• Free Wallpaper Downloads for June 2011
• Photo-Africa on Facebook
• Follow Gerry on Twitter

As always I look forward to your comments, questions and suggestions.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

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When you look at the image below, what do you see?

Yeah, it’s an elephant.  But there’s more.

It’s an African scene with an African wildlife subject.

It’s Africa, or at least a small part thereof.

You see, all too often, when we are our photographing wildlife, we only look for the winners.  The image that people will look at and think damn, that’s amazing!

The reality is that you are not always going to get those amazing shots.  For that to happen you are completely reliant on your wildlife subject’s behavior.  If you have spent any time out in the wild places of Africa you will know that they normally do not play along like you would like them to!

So?  What does that mean?

Don’t let the normal African scenes pass you by.  Don’t overlook the beauty and magic of Africa when you are out on safari.

I know of many photographers who will only reach for their camera when they ‘see’ a possible winning shot.  What then follows is 1,000 clicks of the shutter and quite often, nothing comes from it.  For me this raises a few questions.

• Does firing 1,000 shots and then choosing a single winner make you a good photographer?
• If you only look for the winning shots all the time, aren’t you missing the real Africa
• In between your photography do you actually ever stop to look at, enjoy and experience the real Africa?

Make no mistake, I love the winning image as much as the next photographer but I also feel that too often people don’t ‘see’ past the images they are looking for.

I reckon  that by sitting back, enjoying your African experience and having your camera ready at all times to capture Africa as it unfolds you will be in a way better position to create compelling and real images of Africa.

When you look at the above image, what do you see?

When you head out into nature with your camera, what do you see?

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

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I recently entered a photo competition, something I don’t do nearly enough of, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I won!

This was my winning image (which appeared in last months edition of Africa Geographic).

The competition was run for people who work in Game Reserves and the idea, I suppose, was to capture unique sightings of animals in the wild.  All the monthly winners, who won cameras, will now go through to the final stage of the competition where the winner will receive a R40,000 prize consisting of Canon photography equipment.

Now that’s my problem.  The camera I won, and the ultimate grand prize, consists of Canon equipment.  I shoot Nikon so what am I suppose to do with Canon equipment?

Surely everybody knows that Nikon is way superior to Canon in every way and that by using Nikon your images will automatically be better.  People will admire you more and you will have a much better chance of being considered a pro and get your images published in National Geographic.

Whatever!!

Come on guys.  You thought I was being serious?

I was absolutely thrilled to get my hands on my new Canon Powershot SX20 IS and the idea of winning a Canon 7D and 100-400mm lens is very attractive!!

Honestly, I do not get the whole Canon versus Nikon debate.  If some people were to put half the amount of energy they use to fight the ‘my-brand-is-better-than-your-brand’ fight towards their photography they would take much better photographs – regardless of what brand of camera they are using.   Surely a different brand of camera is not suddenly gonna change a mediocre, no cancel that, a bad photograph into a Greg du Toit or a Hougaard Malan?

Photography is about the photographer.  The camera is just a tool.

I am ecstatic about my new tool and look forward to playing with it.  Apart from learning more about the Canon system, which helps a lot during workshops and photo safaris, I love new toys and a new photography toy is just so much better.

A big shout out to Canon SA and African Geographic for putting this competition together and for sponsoring the amazing prizes!  Great to see companies like this supporting photography in South Africa.

I have not had a chance to use the Powershot out in the field yet as I just got back to Madikwe yesterday but did fire off a few shots when Adele, who is looking at taking over the new camera, and I took our two boys for a walk.

Nice images but if it were a Nikon the quality would have been…  I’m kidding!!

I love my new Canon and look forward to pointing it at some wildlife and landscape subjects.  Oh, I might just try and shoot a few video clips for the blog as well.

Have a great weekend. Get out there and photograph something – whatever brand of camera you are using!

See you on the flip side.

Gerry

An African Moment

Madikwe Game Reserve, 14 August 2010, 07h00

Nikon D300, Nikon 80-200 @ 200mm, 1/640, f/5.6, ISO 400

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The in-your-face portraits of Africa’s big cats are special.  Very special.

But there is more.

There are moments, many moments, when you find yourself staring at a scene that is, well, special.  Even though it is our goal as wildlife photographers, these moments cannot always be captured in a single image.

The sights, sounds and smells all come together to create these African moments.

The above scene was one of the moments.  I was sitting having coffee at the lodge, watching the sun rising, when a herd of buffalo who had been drinking at the waterhole started moving off. No matter what animal you are watching, a dry winter and sun close to the horizon will almost always end up giving you spectacularly visual scene.  The dust that gets thrown up by the animal’s hoofs is simply magic!

As the last buffalo made his way away from the waterhole there was a lot of dust hanging from the herd’s earlier departure leaving a golden haze as he moved away.

Click.

African moment photographed.

Well, not quite.

The early morning winter sun on my face, the smell of the coffee and dust, the sounds of Africa.  Those things I could not capture.

At least, not with my camera.

This is probably one of the most over used quotes out there, but for now I will leave you with it as Africa’s has a tendency to make you feel like this.

‘Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.’

See you tomorrow!

Gerry

When Gerry asked me to write this, I was completely shocked I had actually looked on here a few weeks back in complete awe at the guest posts on here. I commented on David Lloyds post and after reading that thought, I’d love to get this chance. Then the message came, it actually came the morning I was leaving for Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara – could I write a guest post for Photo Africa? So here goes…

I am a 30year old photographer, originally from the UK but now living in Kenya. I have been traveling Africa for the past 12 years whilst also working full time for an International Portrait Photography Company.

So 3 months ago I quit my job and left England behind and made the big move.

My decision to move to Kenya wasn’t really a hard one because out of the 23 countries in Africa I have visited I have always felt more at home here than anywhere else. Kenya is an amazingly beautiful and diverse country with some of the most amazing and breathtaking sights in the world, it also has a great climate and some of the friendliest people you will ever meet.

Another reason for being here now is that 6 years ago I set up my own business which I own jointly with my Kenyan Guide from my very first safari. We have become firm friends and have seen the business go from an idea shared around a camp fire in Amboseli with a few beers to Wild Connection Safaris, our own tours and safari business.

We set up the business because I felt that there was a niche in the market for clients who wanted a quality safari experience at a reasonable price but didn’t want to sacrifice a small group environment with complete tailor made itineraries or the opportunity to learn about what they were seeing. This idea has “morphed” in to us offering photographic tours to suit all needs and budgets. We take top photographers with top equipment and get them in the best places to get great shots. But we also offer a budget option for photographers who are just starting out who want to learn more about their cameras and equipment and want to get great shots, we have daily challenges and competitions on these safaris and critique and review images in the evenings.

When I was just starting out there was nothing on the market like this at the price we charge, and if we can help a few people get some more confidence, understanding and enjoyment from their photography then I feel that we will have succeeded

I really got interested in Wildlife Photography when I was 18 and staying on a safari camp in Botswana, at that time I owned a fully manual Cosina C1 and 200mm lens, my shots weren’t particularly good but I was hooked.

I have since up-graded all of my equipment to Nikon digital SLR’s. My camera equipment consists of a Nikon D300, Nikon D200, Nikon 80-400mm zoom lens which I pretty much use all of the time, Nikon 70 – 300mm zoom lens, Sigma 50 – 500mm zoom lens and a Nikon 18 – 35mm lens.

Technically when I shoot I usually shoot on aperture priority, I try to keep the aperture (in good bright light) at f9 – f16, I nearly always shoot on an ISO of 500 or 640, this enables good detail in my images whilst still having fast shutter speeds to freeze movement.

I have been asked in the past to describe how I go about my photography, well apart from the settings above, I really don’t get bogged down too much with the technicalities. I spend hours reading books on animal behavior and learning to anticipate what will happen, I keep my camera settings simple and focus on recording what is happening around me and trying to show behavior and interaction. I try to be aware of backgrounds and landscapes – something that I didn’t used to pay enough attention to, I used to just zoom in on everything and never show the landscape, but I am now getting much better at this.

To summarize my top 5 tips:

1. Know your camera – the best equipment does not necessarily mean the best shots. Learn the settings, try different ISO’s, shutter speeds, apertures and white balances etc. Know what the limits of your camera are and push it. Believe me, I have been on safari with clients who had top  equipment, that was new for that safari and never been used, and due to this they missed several amazing shots. Learn to use your camera when the shots don’t matter as much.
2. Learn your subjects. Ok I don’t mean you have to have a degree in Animal Behavior, but it is useful to read a little bit on the animals and birds found in the areas you will be visiting. This will help you see a particular behavior trait before it happens so you are ready.
3. Always go on safari with open eyes, look at all the amazing things out there, its not just about elephants, lions and the other large animals, its about the landscape, the light and all the parts that make a truly great image. Also never be scared to ask your driver to stop. Just because you might be the only one who wants to photograph Impalas or Gazelles it doesn’t matter, I used to miss so many shots because I didn’t do this.
4. Review your images on the back of your camera, just every so often quickly check the histogram, there is nothing more frustrating than seeing something amazing and watching it for 10 minutes, and shooting frame after frame, only to discover that the exposure is all wrong, or the ISO too low and those fighting hippos in the river just look like blurry rocks.
5. Look at what other photographers are shooting, look at their ideas and examples and try to take it further by visualizing the images you would like to take. Then if you get the chance and the right sightings then snap away. I had always wanted to get a photograph of a lion cub peering out between its mums legs. It was only last week on safari that I had this chance.

Digital photography is truly remarkable for wildlife photography it enables you to capture unique behaviour at a fast rate without having to worry about running out of film. Some people say that it has made photography easier but i disagree, you still have to have an eye for composition and you still have to understand and be able to anticipate an animal’s behaviour. Lions mating in the perfect golden evening light with the perfect background may only happen the once in these conditions and you still have to be ready to capture the males spectacular dismount and both parties comical distasteful expressions.

The above statement about photography becoming easier can also be interpreted in another way. With the advancement of digital cameras and the fact that so many people now own one, it is very hard to make a breakthrough in the wildlife photography industry. I have a portfolio of over 3 thousand images of Maasai Mara from leopards to lilac-breasted rollers, but it is still very hard to get a photograph of a leopard published as many agencies and magazines already have those shots. So that is where the challenge lays with me. I continually have to spend more time looking for unique behavior and different shots.

Photographing Wildlife in Kenya is truly rewarding, my favorite 2 places are Samburu and of Maasai Mara.

Samburu is so different and diverse, it is Semi Desert in the arid north. It is home to many unique species not found so easily and in such numbers anywhere else in Kenya. These include Gerenuk, Grevy’s Zebra, Oryx and Reticulated Giraffe. I love Samburu simply for its bright and beautiful landscape, the birds there are also extremely beautiful and colorful. Samburu really makes you think about your photography it makes you appreciate everything all around you, sometimes you may not see all of the big “showcase” animals but you can be rewarded if you look with bee-eaters, sunbirds and dramatic landscapes. It is also one of the best places to photograph elephants dyed red with the volcanic red soil which makes for striking images against the blue sky.

I recently photographed Samburu after the floods and the landscape became green with new life, I had never in 6 years of visiting seen it so beautiful.

Maasai Mara doesn’t need any introduction as it is known all over the world. Most of my best lion photographs have been taken there, as have many of the best lion images in the world.

It is renowned for all of the big cats and for the wildebeest migration between August and October. During this time sightings of Leopard, Cheetah and Lion are virtually guaranteed. The Mara has amazing photographic opportunities all year round and in the low season when the grass is longer the patient and observant photographer can be rewarded with some great images without the usual high volume of vehicles. I like to go to the Mara at these times as you really appreciate the beauty of the landscape and the extraordinary variety of smaller animals and birds that also are on view. Maasai Mara offers an amazing opportunity to photograph everything you could possibly want to in 4 – 7 days in such a picturesque setting that is often not appreciated or photographed enough.

My tips on a successful safari in Kenya are really simple.

• Don’t try to visit too many places, if you tell most companies here that you have 7 days they will try to cram 4 parks or reserves in to this time frame, great if you want to see what is around but if you really want to appreciate what is on offer, get to know a place, and see it at its best you need to spend longer. I like to spend at least 4 days in the Mara when I am there, more if possible. The same for Samburu, you really need at least 3 days to appreciate it fully. Also for the other reserves and parks, Lake Nakuru to allow time to photograph the flamingoes in different light requires 3 days. Tsavo East and West (jointly the largest protected area in Kenya)requires 6 days and Amboseli 4 days to insure you have a good chance of capturing elephants with Mt Killimanjaro in the background.
• Also you get what you pay for – the cheaper the price the more likely you are to be crammed in a vehicle with 8 other clients who may not even want to take photographs.
• The lower the group number the more you expect to pay, but way this up with what you want to get from the trip.
• Also research the parks and reserves that you want to visit, ask advice for the best times. But as I said before, do not dismiss Maasai Mara just because its not migration time. Some of my best images have been taken between February and May. Also look beyond the well advertised parks at Kakamega Forest (brilliant for birds and monkeys), Marsabit an undiscovered Gem, Meru one of the reserves on the way up in Kenya and Lakes Baringo and Bogoria (a nice alternative to the more popular Naivasha)
• Lastly insure that you have a great guide who knows what you want, someone who knows a little about light and will help you get in the best places, but also someone who is prepared to be patient and will help you get the images you want through perseverance.

Through my photography i try to show wildlife as it is i never digitally remove anything from my photographs and i try to concentrate on showing character, interaction and behavior. I want my photographs to educate people and give people a reason to come and see it for themselves like the images and documentaries did for me. The future of photography is unclear as is the future of many different species of  wildlife but one thing is for certain, whilst the beautiful places of Kenya are still there for everyone to see and whilst digital cameras are getting better and cheaper there is a hope that photography can be used to highlight environmental issues and can be a source of inspiration for many people.

The future for my photography is also unclear. I plan to stay in Kenya and keep living that dream that started so many years back. I hope that I can continue to improve and I hope that my work will reach a wider audience. But above all I just hope that I can continue to take images and have fun doing what I love doing.

Paul McDougall

Paul’s Links:

• Website: Paul Mcdougall Photography
• Safaris: Wild Connection Tours
• Facebook Page: Paul Mcdougall Photography
• Email: Send Paul an Email

African Magic

Madikwe Game Reserve, 19 April 2010, 17h53

Nikon D300, Nikon 80-200 @ 200mm, 1/2000, f/16, ISO 200

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Yeah, yeah I know.  African sunsets have been photographed a million times before but I still think they are amazing.  If you have ever stood watching the sun go down over the African savannah you will know what I am talking about.  The only real thing I was after here is to get the sun as big as possible by zooming in all the way.  When I looked at the image on my camera’s screen I saw just a little bit of detail in the grass directly below sun.  Make sure to keep your eyes open for the small things that can make a good image great!

Long day.  Lots of work.  More tomorrow!

Gerry