Julia and I, along with good friends Paul and Claire Lloyd, have just returned from a two week safari in Botswana. Two weeks under canvas, organised and led by Steve Stockhall of Earth Ark Travel. We flew to Maun via Johannesburg, and after a night at Maun Studio Lodge, set off the Okavango Delta, where we spent a few nights at Moremi, and then moved on to the Khwai area. We then moved on to the Savute area of the Chobi before a final few days along the Chobi River. Our days were long and filled with mammals and birds - 35 species of mammal and around 190 species bird; many of them photographed. Most days we rose at 05:00 and were on the road in the Land Cruiser Safari vehicle by 06:00. This allowed to be get lots of shots in the Golden Hour as the sun rose. By 10:00 with the heat rising (and the sun) we would have a stop for tea (or coffee) and biscuits, before setting off again for a few hours, returning to the camp for lunch and a rest before heading out again at 16:00 for two or so so hours for the evening Golden Hour and Sunset. At most sites we had to be back at the camp for 18:30, when after a warm shower, we would have a prepared three course evening meal (plus a beer, wine or G & T), before retiring to our tents for a well-earned sleep.
During the two weeks, Steve did all the driving, often in deep sand, and very rarely on tarmac. We were accompanied by "The Lads", three of Steve's employees who set up camp for us, prepared the food, provided warm water for the showers and also dismantled the camp. They also did most of laundry two or three times during the week!!
Our Chariot for the week - A Toyota LandCruiser rigged out for Safaris. The vehicle had long range fuel tanks (200 litres), twin spare wheels, arm-rests that raised to use as camera supports and a fridge plus an invertor for recharging batteries, phones and laptops.
"The Lads" - Moses, Patrick and Orris - they kept us comfy, fed and watered during our stay
The main purpose of our trip was to photograph the wildlife of Botswana; we certainly succeeded and my Flickr site has many imaged (and memories). To see my mammal shots (which does include several of Leopard and Lions at kills) go to https://www.flickr.com/photos/147077268@N05/albums/72177720320952319, birds are at https://www.flickr.com/photos/147077268@N05/albums/72177720320949078 and reptiles at https://www.flickr.com/photos/147077268@N05/albums/72177720320938632.
Steve worked hard to get into the best positions possible for photos, and also encouraged us to experiment with High-Key and Monochrome. In harsh light, colour photography can be flat, but try High-Key, where the aim is to blow the high-lights, but retain detail. Monochrome gives you more flexibility, as the harsh light doesn't seem to be as apparent.
The images below show some the results:
Comments