If last week was rhino week on Photo-Africa, looking at the images this week it must be lion week!

This is not intentional at all.  You see, when I sit down to write a blog one of two things happen.  I either have an idea of what I want to write about and then choose an image to go with it or I browse through my images, find something that catches my attention and then hope i can find something to say about it.

Last week happened to feature almost only rhino images as it just so happened that we spent a lot of time photographing them so they made it to the blog.  During these shoots most of the conversation with Andy Biggs and Grant Marcus tended to focus on what we were shooting so that also helped me choose topics for blog posts.

This week was slightly different.  When I am guiding, not photographic guiding, I do not always have the opportunities to choose my subjects or wait for the shot.  This will depend largely on the guests I have on the vehicle and during the last week it seems that lions were the norm.  I suppose that’s just how it goes.

For the next two weeks I will be out there with a few very keen photographers which means I will have much more time and freedom to dictate the kind of images I get.  Sometimes you have to wait.  Sometimes you have to move around.  As long as people understand the goal – it’s all good!

This is the exact same reason I am very excited about the photographic safari I will be leading next year.  The freedom to shoot what I want to shoot and assist other photographers in getting the shots they want.  All from the luxury and privacy of our own lodges and private vehicles.  I have just released the details for two of these safaris and you can view more info on each by using the following links:

- Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru
- Wild Dogs of Madikwe

Apart from working with some great photographers I am looking forward to sharing some amazing moments out in Africa with new friends and keen photographers.  Exciting time ahead!

I will be releasing details of more safaris during the next few days which includes destinations such as Kenya, Namibia and Botswana.

As they say – watch this space!

Have a good weekend.  See ya on the flip side!

Gerry

After a lot of planning I am happy to finally release some new dates for the remainder of the year.

This page will be updated during the following few days with more details and new dates so make sure to check back soon.

10 July 2010

- What:  Digital Photography Workshop
- Where:  Inanda Country Club

Join myself and Kerry de Bruyn for the ‘Digital Photography:  What? How? Why?‘ workshop.  Aimed at beginner and intermediate photographers and users of both compact and DSLR cameras, this full day workshop will help you to dramatically improve your images in one day.  The workshop has been designed around the most common questions people ask about digital photography.  What is aperture?  How can I improve my images?  Why is the rule of thirds important?   Why not?   What do I do once my image is in on my computer?

Digital photography should be fun and the goal of this workshop is to simplify all the terms and technical ‘stuff’ so that you can focus on taking better pictures!  For more information on this workshop click here!

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11 July 2010

- What:  Free Photo Walk
- Where:  Northern Farm, Diepsloot Nature Reserve, Gauteng

If you are keen to meet up with a few photographers, share ideas and spend some time photographing nature join us for this free photo walk.  For more info click here!

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17 July 2010

- What:  Digital Photography Workshop
- Where:  Centurion Country Club 2010

This is a private presentation of the ‘Digital Photography: What? How? Why?‘ workshop that will be taking place at the Centurion Country Club.  For more information on this workshop click here!

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24 July 2010

- What:  Worldwide Photo Walk 2010
- Where:  Melville, Johannesburg

Last year I lead the V&A Waterfront Photo Walk so this year keeping it closer to home.  We will be walking through the streets of Melville as the sun rises on all the funky shops and coffee shop as they open for the day. Street photography at it’s best.  After our walk we will end at the Mugg & Bean on 4th Avenue.  For more information or to join this walk click here!

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4 & 11 September 2010

- What:  Wildlife Photography 101
- Where:  Johannesburg and Pilansebrg Game Reserve

Join Andrew Beck, Kerry de Bruyn and myself over two weekends for ‘Wildlife Photography 101‘, the first exciting joint venture between Photo-Africa and Moya Wa Tenga Safaris.  After a half day workshop in Johannesburg on Saturday 4 September, where we focus on the technical and creative aspects of wildlife photography, you will have a week to go through the notes and exercises from the workshop before we head off on a day wildlife photography to the Pilansberg Game Reserve.  The details of this workshops will be posted in the next few days so make sure to check back soon!

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5 to 7 November 2010

- What:  Route 62 Photography Workshop
- Where:  Lord’s Guest House, MacGregor, Western Cape

Join myself and Kerry de Bruyn for a weekend of photography on Route 62 in the Cape Winelands.   Aimed at beginner and intermediate photographers and users of both compact and DSLR cameras, this weekend workshop will help you to dramatically improve your images.

Throughout the weekend we will be looking at technical and artistic theory but the focus will be on the practical side of photography with various walks and shoots around the Macgregor and Robertson area.  Digital photography should be fun and the goal of this photography weekend is to simplify all the terms and technical ‘stuff’ so that you can focus on taking better pictures!

For more details on the Route 62 Photography Workshop click here!

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There are a lot of other photographic safaris that will be added during the next few weeks so make sure to check back often.  Some highlights for 2011 include:

- Kenya 2011:  Photographic safaris to Kenya in March and September.
- Botswana 2011:  Photogrpahic safaris to Deception Valley.

If you would like to book for any of the above events please feel free to contact us or simply fill in the contact form below and we will contact you within 48 hours.

We look forward to welcoming you to one of our photographic workshops or safaris!

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

Lion.

These magnificent cats are without a doubt one of the icons of Africa.  I mean, and no disrespect here, but when was the last time you heard someone say ‘ I cannot wait for that once in a lifetime opportunity to go and photograph warthogs in the wild!’  Uhhh… nope.  Not quite the same thing!

Apart from being one of the key species in an African ecosystem lions have, and always will be (hopefully!), an icon when it comes to tourism.  Seeing, and photographing, these animals in the wild is a fantastic experience.  They exude a powerful arrogance, the kind only the apex predator in an area can.  When you are with lions in the wild there is always a slight tension in the air as anything can happen.  What if?

Later this year South Africa plays host to the FIFA Soccer World Cup and apart from complete sporting mayhem I reckon quite a few people will be heading out in to the wild places of Africa with all sorts of cameras.  Imagine if you could have US$1 for every lion image that gets taken during the World Cup tourism boost…

There are certain things to look for when you are photographing the African icons.  Lions.  Elephants.  Buffalo.  Leopard.  Rhino.  Each of these amazing animals, and other like zebra and giraffe, are naturally photogenic but some of them you need to approach with a little but of technical skill, specific to each, in order to capture strong images.  You need to expose differently for an elephant when it is wet and much darker than usual.  Clearly capturing a lion’s pupil is non negotiable as it creates a much powerful image.   And the list goes on.  That is also the reason you need a photographic guide when you visit South Africa later this year but that’s a whole different story!

In time I will look at each of the African icons and what it takes to create strong images of each but before we get there, and I doubt the warthog is gonna come up as a contender for this title,  which wild animal would you call the definitive photographic icon of Africa?

Which animal would you most like to photograph?  Which animal would you most like to see photographs of?  Leave a comment with your choice of the definitive photographic icon of Africa?

And just to show that there are no hard feelings…

Kinda cute, but an African icon?  Let me know what you think!

Gerry