DPS 4-10: Safari Trip Reports, Canon 30D and 100-400mm USM Zoom Lens Review, Software Activation Rant
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Digital Photo Safaris: |
I've been behind in publishing DPS mostly because of a whirlwind of safari trips, first to Botswana for African wildlife and most recently to Alaska for the ever fascinating browin ("grizzly") bear. All of the trips yielded thousands of images for our participants and in between the shooting sprees we kept them up to speed with instruction in digital workflow (so they could keep up with their images) and in how to use Photoshop and other tools to make the most of their images.
Also, Canon lent me a 30D and 100-400 USM lens for some of the trips so I could get a feel for what has clearly become a very popular camera and lens combo for mid-level safari shooters. I was duly impressed and have included a review in this issue. I've also included some quick "safari tips" to help you on your next photo safari whether it is to Africa or ot your local park.
Botswana, May 2006:
Leopards, Lions and Wild Dogs, Oh My!
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I'll probably never think there is such a thing as "too many" leopards, but we sure had a lot of success photographing leopards and their cubs on our most recent trip to Botswana. Among many great moments one of the highlights was a small leopard cub just venturing out the den, and another was photographing a leopard which I had previously been able to photograph as a cub last year. Unlike lions, leopards thrive on their secretive nature. Not strong enough to defend their prey head to head from lions or hyenas they rely on being able to hide any kill they can't eat, often in a tree. We were fortunate enough to discover a kill hauled up into a tree by a mother leopard, which provided many hours of interesting photography as various other predators including hyenas showed up to try to claim it. |
One of the most important elements of the trip were the color management tools provided by Colorvision, one of our sponsors. Several of the participants had purchased brand new Thinkpads which by default were showing their images as very washed out. They were getting frustrated with their cameras and thinking they were doing something wrong until we profiled their systems using Colorvision's Spyder2PRO. Once their monitors were calibrated and profiled their images popped nicely with good saturation.
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One highlight of my trip was being able to photograph this leopard who I had last seen as a nearly full grown cub last year. Now she was out on her own and apparently quite successful as a hunter. Our guides were expert at using the alarm calls of prey around the area to help us track predators like this leopard. Here, like with other animal photography, the key is moderation. Once we'd spent a little time photographing her we moved on. If vehicles spent too much time following her and interfered with her hunt she'd tend to become shy and avoid people altogether. A good reason to work with organizations in private concessions who have a long-term vested interest in preserving the wildlife viewing and photographic opportunities for many years to come. |
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Along with the leopards highlights of the trip included photographs of male lions in nearly perfect light--even shots close enough to feature their eyeballs--and a pack of wild dogs greeting each other and heading off for a hunt. We also had a surfeit of raptors and some normally hard to photograph Kingfishers, including the colorful Malachite and Pygmy species. The secret to getting male lion action shots in the daytime (when they normally like to sleep) was to photograph them both while they were guarding a kill and while they were squaring off against a herd of cape buffalo. |
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Baboons are an often under-rated animal. While safari-goers often rush past them to look for more exotic species, they have a fascinating existence with complex social order in their troops and lots of photogenic antics. This trip we were fortunate enough to be able to photograph the very young baby baboons, often called "pink ears" for obvious reasons. Baboons have the annoying habit of posing nicely while the truck nears them but turning away when it stops. I started snapping off a frame or two while the truck was still moving. Thanks to the awesome VR on my 200-400 and 70-200 I was able to get a surprising number of good images this way. |
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By using private concessions exclusively we were able to continue our safaris after dark. This rare shot of a giant eagle owl in flight at night was made possible because we could return to camp late and spotlight on the way back. We also saw many other unusual nocturnal mammals this way, including the african wild cat, genet, spring hare and others. Obviously the guides need to be attentive enough not to shine the spotlight directly at the animals' eyes or to leave it on too long to highlight them to predators. My camera of choice for this night time shooting was my Nikon D2H with its large pixels and good light sensitivity, along with my 70-200VR wide open at f/2.8, an SB800 flash and Better Beamer flash extender. I was surprised at how effective the combination was at ranges up to 100'. For faster recycle time I often used a Nikon SD-8a battery pack with 6 rechargeable AA batteries. |
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Each night participants gathered for a photo critique from guest pro wildlife photographers Mike Myers, Dana Allen and myself. We were particularly fortunate to have Mike and Dana along on the trip with their long history in the area and lifelong experience of southern African wildlife photography. The Draper Traveler screen, courtesy of Draper, was a huge hit, and worked much better than the "generic" screen we used on a previous trip. |
Of course these are just a very few of the images captured on the trip. If you'd like to see a little more of the scope of what we saw and captured, I've posted a gallery of images.
NOTE: There are still a few openings on our November trip. We'll be visiting three of the top wildlife camps in Africa, staying 4 nights at each to give us plenty of time to explore and photograph. For those who tire of shooting from the trucks, walking, boating and mokoro (dugout canoe) safaris can also be part of their days.
African Safari Tip:
Conventional wisdom says that a tripod is useless on a safari truck. But thanks to the clever innovation of one of my partners, Steve Rimer, we've had great success with tripods on many occassions. The key is using a rachet strap to hold down the tripod by fastening it to a lower steel support in front of the row of seats. Without IS/VR this would be only part of the solution, but with IS (VR) this solution is very effective. Many of us who are traditionalists are still happy with the traditional beanbag or hand-holding, but in particular for new shooters the tripod solution is very helpful.
Alaska, July 2006: Grizzly Bears the safe way
For the seventh year I returned to Alaska to photograph one of my favorite large mammals, the "Alaskan" brown bear--aka Grizzly Bear. This time I led three groups, a family and my regular two photographic sessions. This year was our best ever for bears, and many days we photographed twenty or more, including quite a few sets of mothers and cubs. The great bear photo year was helped by a very late spring. The bears came out late and hungry, determined to make up for lost time. The berry crop is also late and the salmon haven't started to run, so the bears were focused on the broad grassy coastal plain where they are easiest to photograph. And their enthusiasm for food seemed to be high enough that they tolerated being much closer to each other than usual.
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Grizzlies (aka brown bears) spend much of their time eating various plants. Along the coast their primary spring and early summer food is grass. They can easily consume over 30 pounds a day of grass and plants like the "beach peas" this female is happily munching. |
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Grizzly bear mothers (sows) will protect their cubs against almost any eventuality if they can, but still nearly 50% of the cubs don't survive their first year. Most of them are killed by large male grizzlies (boars). This makes the mothers especially wary of other bears. To see a mother and "spring cub" (a cub born this spring and with little ability to run from a large boar) out on the mud flats digging clams is rare, as they are quite far from the woods and safety. |
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This young bear smelled a shark carcass on the beach and was proud that he had driven off the juvenile bears that had previously claimed it. We'd watch him eat his fill and try unsucessfully to bury the shark under the sand. After the tide washed it up again a female and cub would have at it and bury it--only to have it stolen later by another young male who'd drag what was left off into the grass. |
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The key to bear photography, like to most wildlife photography, is understading your subjects. We work with guides who have wildlife biology degrees and years of field experience with the bears. We keep our group quite small, stay together as a group, hang back and let the bears approach us if they want. And of course we still never let them get too close. The result has been years of very successful trips for photographers without stressing the bears.
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The late summer made puffin photography difficult, but instead we were rewarded with some incredible rafts of common murres--numbering many thousands visible at one time--and a few great opportunities to photograph bald eagles. We were even treated to a great session with a porcupine who chose to waddle back and forth across the grassy area. |
NOTE: We've just announced our 2007 bear trip dates. Our 2006 trips sold out, so you might want to get a deposit in early if you're planning to go. It promises to be another great year and the lodge keeps making nice improvements so our stays get better and better. This year we added wireless internet for participants and a large monitor with card reader so it was easy to show images for the group (we already had a projector and screen for group presentations and a computer with card reader and CD burner for participant use). I also guided a family this year in a "custom" trip to see and photograph the bears, which went very well, so if you have a family or group interested in a customized trip, please let me know and we might be able to work something out.
In the meantime, I've posted some of our highlight photos from this July.
Alaskan Safari Tip:
We work hard to make sure our Alaskan safari participants invest in a pair of hip boots or waders. Hip boots in particular are inexpensive and easy to find at a discount in Alaska, but we get more questions about them than about anything else. "Why hip boots?", people ask. The truth is, that whether it is hip boots, waders, or just wearing sandals and shorts on the beach in Florida the key is being ready to get the shot. In the mud that grizzly bears frequent in Alaska, hip boots are ideal for tracking them, and ideal for kneeling down to get that perfect perspective without ruining your pants or getting you cold and wet. In Florida sandals and shorts might provide the same flexibility. In either case the key is to make sure that your outfit gives you the tools and flexibility to work your subjects and get the shots you want.
