m8o in Tanzania '07

<UPDATE>
All pictures can be found under here:
Tanzania 2007 | m8o | Fotki.com

I'll be posting what I think to be the 'pick of the litter' in this thread here. Still at least a week to maybe two to get through all the RAWs.
</UPDATE>

ok, this is just a TEASE! The worst kind as a matter of fact as it doesn't come with pics!!! But I can't upload 10 meg RAWs, let alone unprocessed from the camera here, over satellite from the Ngorongoro Crater rim! Taking from the animals I've seen, I'm marking my territory for later use!

Leave for the great plain tomorrow and only have minutes of satellite time left, so I won't be able to reply. Keep watching; will not dissapoint when you start seeing the RAWs converted to JPEG next week from both the Sigma 300mm f/2.8 (with the necessary 1.4x or 2x TCs) and the Pentax 12-24mm f/4 (1st time I've been happy with it) ... from Tangire (sic) Preserve, Gibbs Farm, Ngorongoro Crater Preserve, and Serengeti Preserve.

Oh, and I ran into someone who I thought was new member here, daveinaz! But I can't find him here. He must be on another forum. That was a kick still! I didn't think to ask his itinerary to know if we'd be travelling the same place again tho. Great meeting you Dave when if you read this here and become a member.

l8r all,
-steve

(I learned how to say "see you later" in Swahilli (sic) but it excapes me @ the moment! )

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by m8o

... Dunno if you'll check in again Mech. I thought I'd come back to this older post as there's a show on PBS at this very moment called "Seeing in the Dark" about armature astronomy ... pertinent to this post is they stated due to light pollution in recent times, only 1 in 5 people (dunno if it was 'the world' or the 'USA') have ever seen the Milky Way with their naked eyes.

...I take comfort in knowing I'm not alone in that case! Yes, you are very lucky. In my case, the security guard of the 1st camp we were in, Tarangire, who patrolled the long camp along a ridge, protecting us against wild animals with a bow and arrow, had to chase me inside. I could not rip myself away from the view once I look up; my wife, she couldn't care. The guard wouldn't leave until I went inside however, for my own protection. ...I snuck out later...

I am going to have to walk out into my backyard and setup the tripod and wide angle lens one clear night and get some shots then.

Lucky for me I am on property and just over an hour out of the city ... so the night skies are clear.

[Jonson PL]

Originally Posted by m8o

p.s. GUILTY AS CHARGED! I did lean towards keeping the aperture wider for both that, and to maximize OOF blur.

My wife if going w/o me with her parents to China this summer. (they're getting old so they are cramming in the last of their major travel these past few years) I decided not to go because:
1) wicked hot in the summer
2) worried about pollution @ this point in time there
3) they'll be passing through as the Olympics start ... it's already crowded; will be insanely crowded.
4) It's mostly a bus tour, when not on the boat (I would have loved the 6 day on the boat part)
5) They're going on for a 3rd week to Vietnam... I had to get back to go to work. And I couldn't book my own flying arraignments or be sure of what seat I would get on the plane. You know as a single flier that I'd get stuck in the middle of 3 seats. As a 6'2" guy, middleaged and a bit overweight (not too badly thankfully) I'm not going to put myself in a position to live that misery for 12 or 15 hours.
6) Care of my 3 dogs and some issues surrounding them.

...so, no epic journey this year. I do want to go to the Galapagos w/just the wife myself; not a tour with the in-laws.

The Pro wildlife shooter Andy Rouse, gives in his book “Life in the wild”, various tips on wildlife photography. On animals in landscape, he writes : “The common perception in wildlife photography is that the bigger the image in the frame the better. Well, I beg to differ. I love photographing my hares small in the frame, so that their habitat dominates the picture. Of cause, this is not always possible and it does need either a spectacular setting or exceptional light, which is not in my power to control. But I am always looking for the opportunity.”

Andy oftens stops down to f/11, to make sure everything is pin-sharp in the image.

On Teleconverters, he writes : “Unfortunately, I really needed to be in closer, but walking towards the mother would have caused her stress and may have provoked an attack. I was forced to use my least favourite accessory – a 2x teleconverter. I use 1.4x teleconverters all the time with great results, but the 2x versions are dark and gloomy cousins.”

Walter did some great bird photography with the Sigma 500/4.5. And others are hoping for a DA* 400/4 or f/2.8 lens, in the next roadmap.


Still looking forward to your pictures of Giraffes fighting, and from the balloon ride at dawn. That must have been an amazing site.

[m8o]

[Post 1 of 3]

OK, so where I left off this past June of this year (this being Dec. 30, 2008) with these photos taken in Aug. of 2007, (self-proclaimed "greatest procrastinator" here), I was covering day 5 or 10, covering the Avians & some 'amorous' behavior of the day by the 'African Venison' & Hyenas. Not shared from the day were...

There were some Lions Feeding on the Plain... (photos were not nearly as good as some I got later, some of which were shared on the previous page)



Ummm.... Funny pose.


Some more "Ham ala Tanzania"



I don't believe I remember seeing any of the "Plains Elephants" in Ngorongoro, rather I think the only ones I saw were the "Forest Elephants"

Who have the long straight ivory tusks.

Observed above is the dis-advantage of having a 2x mounted on the 300mm and not having an extra body w/a wide angle on it. When you're stuck in a land rover that has to stay on the trail and you're too close.

However, perfect example of when 600mm isn't enough even given how large these Stinky Hippos are.

So I cropped...

Yes... We're looking @ you!


...Muck...

...& Dry...

(these two are 'pano-able')

[m8o]

[Post 2 of 3]

And thankfully the crater has facilities to allow for a sometimes much needed bio-brake!
(I put the wide angle on for these, dust be damned!)

[m8o]

[Post 3 of 3]

And so many Beasties & Bulls...
(dunno if you know, but these Cape Buffalo are some of the most dangerous animals on the plain)

(I love what the dried foliage does for this shot below.)

Lunch Time!


So so many Beasties...




Beastie Parts (again, when 600mm is a hindrance)

And So so much Dust



Horns aplenty...




Err... Umm... Mooooo...


Ok, that's it for tonight, and until who knows when. I was a bit dismayed when I realized this was just day 5 out of 10 and these are 1 1/2 years old. Ugh.... At least only 4 and not 5 more days to go (I did the last day 1st). Someone nominate me for the "worst procrastinator of the decade".