Kenyan wildlife

Kenyan wildlife · Posted by PePe, 11-17-2008, 09:50 AM

Last winter I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in Kenya and Tanzania. I have heard a lot of talk about the nature there being addictive. Believe me - it is all true !
It is almost a year ago now, and I am still trying to figure out how to get back there !
In addition to the classical safari scenery I was impressed by the richness and diversity of the fauna around the lakes in the Rift Valley. I enclose some of the hundreds of shots

*woodworm* · 11-17-2008, 10:22 AM

Hi, nice shots - It would be nice to see some more, maybe you would post all several hundred

or if you have a link to a gallery ...

I'm going to Zambia next year and would be interested in what equipment you took with you and what you found useful (or not!).

kurt · 11-17-2008, 12:49 PM

Great series of shots! Africa is too hot for me, but it is nice to see such a lovely pics from there. Thank's for sharing the images.

scott-devon · 11-17-2008, 12:52 PM

Beautiful shots, especially the lion shot which is not your typical pose.

*Clicker* · 11-17-2008, 12:54 PM

Get back? Volunteer work maybe?

Nice photos.

**Damn Brit** · 11-17-2008, 01:37 PM

Nice series, I really like the two bird shots, they look almost like paintings.

cupic · 11-17-2008, 03:25 PM

Born Free comes to mind in this series

cheers

**roentarre** · 11-17-2008, 09:29 PM

Wow, truely stunning images. I love Africa!

dazman · 11-18-2008, 01:22 AM

Great series. Would enjoy seeing some more.

PePe · 11-18-2008, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by woodworm

Hi, nice shots - It would be nice to see some more, maybe you would post all several hundred or if you have a link to a gallery ...

I'm going to Zambia next year and would be interested in what equipment you took with you and what you found useful (or not!).

The actual number of shots from that trip is a bit over a thousand... Setting up a gallery somewhere might really be a good idea !

My two weeks there doesn´t make me an authority by any means. But I did learn something...

I used all kind of lenses from extreme wideangle to the longest telephoto I have. If you travel that far- an provided you don´t have to carry your equipment all the time - it does make sense to have a set of lenses covering the bigger part of the range. For wildlife shots you will need good-quality glass in the 200mm-400mm range. My mostly used lens was a 300mm/2,8 telephoto, combined with a 1,4 x or 2 x teleconverter when needed. The environment is full of surprises,you really need to stay alert to seize the moment. Things just happen, often resulting in awkward shooting positions, having to shoot from a moving car etc. You need to be able to react quickly. I found my tripod nearly useless for wildlife photo ( but very useful for landscapes). A monopod proved to be absolutely irreplaceable, a bean bag is also a good choise for long lenses.
For the same reason I found it convenient to work with two bodies. This way you minimise the time wasted for changing lenses. You still do have to change them every now and then. The conditions are often extremely dusty, so better be very careful in doing this ! No matter what you do, sooner or later you end up having dust on the sensor, so better practice cleaning it already at home. In the wilderness there is no one else to do it for you.
One more thing crossed my mind. Power. The camps in remote places have diesel generators insted of fixed power lines. Therefore power interruptions are not uncommon, and may last for hours. Always have enought charged batteries and memory cards to keep you going for another day if needed.
I am sure Zambia will be an unforgettable experience ! Nature in Africa is absolutely fantastic, while in the cities the massive social problems can be quite distracting.

*Oldschool* · 11-18-2008, 11:12 AM

Beautiful. Great shots.

*gawan* · 11-18-2008, 11:24 AM

Great series! I'd love to be able to visit East Africa some day.

*woodworm* · 11-18-2008, 12:03 PM

Hi Pepe, again great shots.

Thanks for the advice, I'm trying to pick up as much as I can from anyone that's been to Africa - I have to say the one thing that worries me is the dusty environment. I've never had to clean my sensor before so the idea of having to do it is a bit

Gerrys · 11-22-2008, 12:37 PM

Beautiful shots! I was in Kenya 2 months ago and posted a few shots. I have the same bird on a tree. I also shot over 1,000 and wish I could post them all. What lens did you use?
thanks for sharing

PePe · 11-23-2008, 02:29 AM

Originally Posted by Gerrys

Beautiful shots! I was in Kenya 2 months ago and posted a few shots. I have the same bird on a tree. I also shot over 1,000 and wish I could post them all. What lens did you use?
thanks for sharing

The yellow bird is probably a Black-headed Weawer Ploceus Melanocephalus . I am not 100% certain about this, so someone may be able to correct me. The more colorful one is a Superb Starling Lamprotornis superbus
.
Most of these were shot with a Tamron SP 300mm f 2,8 telephoto, sometimes with a 1,4 x teleconverter. This became pretty much my standard lens, I quess something like half of my pictures were shot with it. This Tamron did a great job! Being a rather old lens, it´s only disadvantage is that it is MF. More recently I have updated to a Sigma AF 300/2,8. Next time in Africa I will probably include also a 500mm prime in my set.
The last two landscapes above were shot with a DA*16-50.