If you’ve never been on a photo safari in Tanzania, you’ll get a taste of one by watching this video. Andy Biggs of Gura Gear fame shows us travel, accommodations, relaxation and wildlife in this video of a typical photo safari.
You’ll want to go, or go back, after watching this video. Thanks Andy!
Hi, I’m Andy Biggs, and thank you for taking the time to look at this brief introduction to an African photographic safari. The reason I put this together was to really explain what we see on a typical game drive. We have beautiful wildlife. We have beautiful landscapes. And then to also show you our accommodations, how comfortable they are, as well as take a look at our professional wildlife guides
Photographic Safari Client
When you get to be around my stage in life you’re looking to fill your bucket list, and Africa was number one, has been since I was a child, actually. So when I chose to come to this safari, I had high expectations. They’ve all been met and exceeded. You walk in here, you walk around the campsites, you get in the vehicles, you see Africa, and it’s sort of becomes part of your soul.
Photographic Safari Client
My favorite moment was, for sure, the encounter with the cheetahs at the water’s edge. There was a little stream with cheetahs, and the reflection was just awesome, all blue. I got some awesome shots from that.
Photographic Safari Client
I also just like the general massive herds just trucking on through. Don’t worry about you. They’ve just got a place to go. That’s all they’re worried about is where they’re going, and it’s impossible to describe these masses of animals just moving along.
Photographic Safari Client
My favorite part of the trip so far – because this is my first time to do anything like this, any type of vacation – was actually when we flew into the airport. There was a pond of hippos below us when we flew over. So that was kind of, “Okay, we’re in Africa now.”
Photographic Safari Client
The accommodations have been great. We have warm beds, a self-contained toilet that we can use, a hot shower in the evening. The food’s been great. I eat a lot of food at home and have not gone hungry here. I’m also a very picky eater, and I’ve definitely liked the food that we have.
Photographic Safari Client
The accommodations here have just been fantastic for tents. It’s like you’re in a hotel or a lodge actually, because you can walk out. The food’s been great, and the beds and everything has been fantastic, comfortable, warm.
Photographic Safari Client
I’ve been on Safari now for about eight days, and I can honestly say this is one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. The wildlife has been amazing. We’ve seen everything that I was hoping to see multiple times and more. The guides are knowledgeable, friendly. One of the things that I like about Andy’s safari is that, as a photographer, you get the time to work with the animal as long as you want. You can recompose. The drivers are accommodating. If you need them to move around for different angles, they’ll stay with the subject as long as you like. If you want to wait for better light, you can wait for better light. There’s no rush.
Check out one of our favorite products in action! The Kwik Camo Portable Blind covers you and your equipment so you can get that crucial shot. Thanks to Juan Pons for the camera work and editing!
Check out all the models of the Kwik Camo in the store here: Kwik Camo
Hi, I’m Chris Klapheke from Outdoor Photo Gear, and I’m here to review some products for you today that we carry in our store.
The first product I’d like to review for you today is the Kwik Camo from our pals at Essential Photo Gear. As wildlife shooters, we like to be out in the woods. We like to be close to our subjects so we have to stay concealed. We’re already carrying a bunch of gear with us, so we don’t want to carry a big blind around with us.
Essential Photo Gear has come up with a product called the Kwik Camo, which is easy to take with you. It’s basically a camouflage poncho that’s designed not only to cover yourself but all of your equipment as well.
As you saw, I pulled this right off my waist. It’s got a nice little belt. You can wear it around your waist. It’s lightweight and padded. You could even use it for a seat if you needed to while it’s folded up, or you could stuff it in a pack. The Kwik Camo comes in two weights, a lightweight for summer and a heavyweight for colder times, and it comes in four patterns of camouflage, depending on where you live in the country. This is the APG Max 4. It’s the most popular.
How does it work? Well, we’re going to pull this out of the bag, and we’re first going to attach it to our camera lens. It will leave the lens end exposed. Velcro will come down the front to seal it, and then we’re going to pull it over our head, much like an old-time photographer did when he was taking pictures. So let’s put it on and see how it works.
First, we’ll take it out of the bag. You can see the meshing for your head, and we’ll find the front, which is not the easiest part. Find the front with the Velcro. You can see how it is sealed all the way down, no matter how high your lens is, whether you’re standing up or sitting down. That’s what we’ll put on first. I’ll walk in front of the camera here.
You can see where you expose the front of your lens. The Velcro meets it, and we’re going to seal it all the way down. Turn it back to where we were. So you can already see that we’ve broken up the shape of the camera. It looks pretty good already.
Now, we’re going to get under it. One hint when using the Kwik Camo is if you wear a billed cap, you will be able to keep the mesh part away from your face, and you’ll get a lot more visibility. You won’t be able to see me in a minute.
Now, I’ve put this on and straightened it up. You notice sometimes you might pull your Kwik Camo up a little forward. That’s why it’s always nice to have a lens coat on your lens to keep your lens camouflaged even if your Kwik Camo pulls out a little bit. You can see where the mesh is on my head so I can see out. I can see the camera even though you may not be able to see me, and the lid on my hat keeps the mesh up and away from my face.
Of course, when I’m shooting, I’ll be down next to the camera. But if I want to stand up and look for my wildlife so I can sight it in, this gives me a good, clear view. It’s nice and cool. There’s a breeze blowing through here. It breaks up my shape, and you probably can’t even see me, can you?
You can use the Kwik Camo both sitting down and standing up. I’m standing up right now. I’m about five-nine, so that will let you see about how long it drapes to the ground. Even if you’re taller than I am or shorter than I am, it will still work for you in the woods. It will conceal your shape just fine.
If you have any questions about the Kwik Camo, check it out on our website, www.OutdoorPhotoGear.com or give us a call. We’ll be happy to help you.
Here’s a short video that I shot on Feb 1, 2011, of a Blakiston’s Fish Owl Feeding in the town of Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan.
The pool from which the owl feeds is rocks covered with snow. The rocks were put there by locals, and they drop fish into the pool each night to feed the owls. This is done whether photographers are there or not, and is helping the owls to grow in numbers for the first time in decades.
You can also view the embedded video right here on your iPad, thanks to Vimeo!
Don’t forget to hit the full-screen button in the video window to view the video full-screen.
Note that there is an iPod/iPhone version of this video in iTunes, which is good for portability, but if you’re watching on a computer, the video above is better.
Learning wildlife photography – Making sharper images – Part 3 – In this final installment on making sharper images, we’ll discuss a few more things to think about when you’re trying to make the sharpest possible images.
Shutter Speed – You need enough shutter speed to have a reasonable chance at making a sharp image. The general rule of thumb is that your shutter speed should match the focal length you’re shooting at. E.g. For an image made at 220mm you should be shooting at a minimum of 1/200th of a second. With an image stabilized camera or lens, you can generally get away with a shutter speed that’s a couple of stops slower (1/50th of a second in this example).
If your subject is moving around, you need enough shutter speed to freeze the motion. In most situations, you probably need shutter speeds of 1/250th of a second or faster to freeze the motion.
One of the big advantages of digital photography is that you have the option of boosting your camera’s ISO setting in order to achieve a higher shutter speed. Of course the trade off with the higher ISO settings is increased noise in the images.
Camera Support – Many photographers are not accustomed to making images with the aid of a tripod. They find them cumbersome to use but instead enjoy the flexibility that hand-holding their camera gives them. However, I am a strong advocate for using a tripod whenever it is practical. Even with today’s advanced image stabilization system and cameras capable of reasonable images at high ISO settings, it is still generally advisable to use a tripod to enhance your image quality.
Cinnamon colored Black Bear sitting in the tall grass
Hand Holding - If you insist on hand-holding your camera, learn how to properly brace yourself.
When standing, have one hand supporting the lens from underneath while the other hand operates the camera’s controls and shutter.
Keep your elbows tucked tight against your body to provide extra support.
When kneeling or lying prostrate on the ground, look for ways to brace yourself against your own body or another structure in order to enhance the camera’s stability.
Tripods – When considering a tripod, look for one that is over-engineered and built to withstand at least a 1/3 more weight than the heaviest equipment you plan on perching on top of the tripod.
I personally prefer Gitzo carbon fibre tripods. I really appreciate the light-weight of the carbon fibre when I’m carrying the tripod on my shoulder. I use the Gitzo 3540XLS. It’s the first tripod I’ve had that I can walk under when it is fully extended and that’s a bit of trick given that I’m over six foot tall.
I understand that not everyone can afford a Gitzo tripod. A tripod that is well engineered and available for quite a bit less than a Gitzo are the tripods from Induro.
Puma kitten running across the snow – CA
Tripod Heads – Gimbal Heads - When photographing wildlife using my telephoto lenses, I almost exclusively use a gimbal head when photographing wildlife from a tripod. Why?
A gimbal head allows you to completely balance your equipment. You don’t need to worry about the head flopping over if you let go of it. On a gimbal head, when you let go of your equipment, it just returns to a center position.
A gimbal head gives you fingertip control while panning your equipment left to right or up and down (or any combination thereof).
When you’re photographing a subject that is moving a lot, a gimbal head allows you to concentrate on the action instead of fiddling with keeping your equipment upright on a ball head.
Tripod Heads – Ball heads – Most photographers seem set on using a ballhead to support their lens and camera. If you do use a ballhead, make sure it is engineered to support the equipment’s weight.
A good ball head will lock down in a manner that doesn’t allow the angle to creep due to the weight of the equipment.
When I use a ball head, I’m partial to the ball heads made by Really Right Stuff. Acratech also makes excellent ballheads.
Short-eared Owl in flight
Beanbags – When I’m photographing from my vehicle my absolute favorite support for my camera and lenses is a saddle-shaped beanbag. This beanbag slings over the door/window with half hanging on the inside of the vehicle and the other half hanging on the outside of the vehicle. The seat of the beanbag supports the lens. Beanbags are great because they are extremely easy to pack into your luggage and take with you (empty!, duh) and then you can fill them when you get to your destination. Remember to turn the vehicle off when you’re shooting from a vehicle so that the engine’s vibrations don’t make your images soft.
Bird seed makes excellent filler for beanbags and has the added benefit that if you decide to leave it behind somewhere, the local birds get a treat.
When I’m home and not planning on flying anywhere anytime soon, I use lima beans as my filler. It makes for a heavy beanbag, but the weight really gives a solid support for the gear.
For a lightweight alternative consider using crushed walnut shells. These are commonly used as filler in the beanbags sold in gun stores for target shooting.
Conclusion – So there you have it, the three basic elements of making sharper images.
Remember to focus on the eyes
Learn to quickly select your camera’s auto focus points quickly and efficiently.
Use the best quality lenses you can afford
Spend available resources on good glass and not chasing the latest/greatest body
Use a shutter speed appropriate to your focal length and the speed your subject is moving at
If your lens or camera support a stabilization system, use it when appropriate
If you insist on hand holding your gear, learn how to do it properly
Get a strong tripod capable of supporting a 1/3 more weight than the gear you plan on using
Use a tripod head suitable for the job.
For the large super telephoto lenses, a gimbal tripod head is a virtual necessity
For photographing from an automobile, use a beanbag to support your lens.
You can see from this three-piece article that there are a lot of factors that go into making sharp wildlife images. Practice combined with the right equipment will go a long way in your quest for sharper images.
Making sharper images – Part 2 - In the previous psot I discussed some of the finer points of using your camera’s auto focusing features to help compose an image and get what’s important (the eyes!) in focus. Let’s look at some additional factors that go into making sharp images.
Lenses – The higher quality the lens, the better images it can produce. And unfortunately, higher quality almost always translates to higher cost. Most camera and lens manufacturers make a line of “professional” lenses. In addition to the higher price for the “professional” quality, the lenses can produce tack-sharp, well saturated images. Spend enough time on Internet camera forums and you’ll come across a bevy of people constantly chasing the latest and greatest body. There are even some individuals who flip-flop back and forth between brands constantly chasing the newest camera body with the best perceived specifications. I’ve always advocated investing in the glass and then purchasing the best camera body you can afford. And I don’t know if I’ll ever understand people who switch back-and-forth between brands. I sincerely doubt it makes them better photographers and I know I couldn’t afford to take the hit on selling all my gear every couple of years only to stock up on gear for another brand.
Squeeze, don’t stab – One aspect that is often missed in the analysis of why an image isn’t sharp is how the photographer releases the shutter.
I suggest that photographers learn how to gently squeeze the shutter button to create an image as opposed to stabbing at it.
When using telephoto lenses, just the act of stabbing or jabbing at the shutter button can induce enough vibration to make an image soft.
Photographing with large telephoto lenses is a lot like being a sniper with a high-powered rifle. Get into a routine of calming your breathing and slowing your heartbeat. Press the camera’s viewfinder tight against your eye. Drape your free arm over top of the lens to further dampen any vibrations. Ideally you’ll shoot between breaths and when you’re ready slowly squeeze the shutter button.
American White Pelican in flight
Vibration Reduction – Image Stabilization – SteadyShot – Nikon and Canon have a system built into many of their lenses for helping reduce vibration and make sharper images. Sony and Olympus build this ability right into their camera bodies. There’s some disagreement about which approach is better (lens versus body), but regardless, I recommend either buying lenses with this system built in or using a body with the built in system. And if you’ve got it, use it.
On my Canon lenses, I use the image stabilization whether I’m hand-holding or have the lens mounted on a tripod. Again, this is an area of some controversy and you’ll hear all sorts of advice about whether or not to use the image stabilization system while a lens is mounted on a tripod. I never have the lens locked down hard when I’m photographing wildlife. I always have the tension on the tripod head set so that I can move the lens to adjust for an animal’s changing position and I have the lens collar loose so that I can quickly switch to a portrait orientation to make vertical images. My rationale is that as long as the lens isn’t locked down rock-solid, it won’t confuse the lenses image stabilization system. And that even holds true on my 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS lens that features Canon’s first generation of their lens stabilization system. You’ll have to do your own experiments to find out what works for you, but for me, the lens stabilization system on my Canon lenses is always on.
In the next article, we’ll conclude the discussion on making sharper images with some information on supporting your lenses and cameras.
Wilson's Phalarope swimming on a marsh – 1000mm, AI-Focus
Making sharper images– Part 1 – A lot of wildlife photography is dependent on the use of telephoto,telephoto-zooms and super telephoto lenses to make reasonable images of small subjects or larger animals off in the distance. When you use a telephoto lens, you need a new set of techniques in order to ensure that you end up with sharp images. Nothing is more frustrating than coming across some desirable subject, actually getting them into your viewfinder only to get home and discover that the images are lacking in the sharpness department.
The first thing to focus on (pun intended or not, you decide) is the subject’s eyes. In nearly all cases, the eyes of your subject should be tack sharp. So, that means that your going to have to put your camera’s focus point onto the animal’s eyes. Or, you can either exclusively use the center focus point and just accept the fact that your going to be spending a lot of time in Lightroom or Photoshop cropping your images to create a usable composition, or you can learn to use your camera’s features to create that composition in the viewfinder.
If the camera/lens combination you’re using allows it, learn to move the focus point around the available areas. Most of the consumer digital SLR cameras and many of the point-and-shoot cameras allow you to select from a number of different focus points. The trick is to practice selecting the currently active focus point until you can do it quickly, efficiently and without thinking. When I was getting serious about wildlife photography, I’d watch television through the viewfinder of my camera. I’d put on a lens that would allow me to have just the television in the viewfinder and then I’d move the focus point to the person who was currently speaking. It took a couple of weeks of practice but I finally got to the point where I could quickly perform the finger gymnastics necessary to instruct my camera where to move the focus point to. Practicing while you’re otherwise relaxing is a great way to learn a new skill so you’ll be ready when that cute little critter pops up while you’re in the field.
Chipping Sparrow perched on a mossy branch – 700mm One-shot focus
Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible to move your focus point around. Depending on your camera body, you may lose the ability to change focus points at F5.6 or F8. For instance, when I put my 2.0x teleconverter on my Canon 500mm F4L IS lens, it turns it into an F8 lens and I’m stuck using the center focus point. In that case I’ll have to live with shooting loose enough that there is enough room around the subject to allow for cropping in Lightroom or Photoshop, or depending on the situation, I can use another feature that many cameras have.
While I normally have my camera in AI-Servo mode (Nikon calls it Continuous-Servo AF) when I’m photographing wildlife, I’ll occasionally switch to One Shot focus mode. This allows me to put the camera’s center focus point on the animal’s eye and then recompose the image before I press the shutter to make the image. Again, this is a technique you can practice while watching television. The One Shot focus method only works on subjects that are relatively static. If you’ve got a subject that is moving around a lot and you’re stuck with the center focus point, you’ll just have to accept some extra computer time while you crop the images.
Okay, so now we’ve got our focusing techniques down so we can use our camera’s autofocus systems to make sharp images focused on our subject’s eyes and we’ll create as many images as possible that don’t need extra processing in our photo editing software.
In the next article, we’ll continue the discussion on making sharper images.
Here is a series of pictures I made a few years ago. The pictures show the main stages of a monarch caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly. This group of pictures was made over about a two week period. All of the action takes place at the beginning and end of that two week period. Near the end you can tell when the butterfly is about to emerge because just before the hatch the chrysalis becomes transparent allowing you to see the butterfly inside.
I came home early one afternoon and found a transparent chrysalis, I knew that the butterfly was just about to emerge. So I got my gear ready and kept a close eye on things. As the day went on I could see the butterfly moving inside struggling to break free. About ten o'clock that evening I had myself completely convinced that it was going to happen very soon. At midnight, (twelve hours in now), I'm quite certain that the chrysalis is just about to burst. By three in the morning I'm seriously considering using a razor blade to perform an emergency butterflyectomy. Well, five am comes and I certainly can't go to bed, I had already spent fifteen hours waiting for this thing! I could not imagine going to sleep and missing it at this point! The clock on the mantle announces eight in the morning, and still no butterfly, OK this is just getting ridiculous! In the end the butterfly you see here was 'born' at 11:00 AM on a beautiful July morning, after I had spent just over 23 hours on stakeout!
I can tell you that I took a much deserved nap that afternoon.
Browse Steve's wonderful images, read his blog, and learn about his incredible variety of workshops at his site www.stevegettle.com
Editor's note: Welcome Steve Gettle to the blog! Steve has been a professional wildlife photographer for over 25 years. Hailing from Brighton, Michigan, Steve has traveled the world to acquire stunning images and to teach a wide range of workshops. Steve's work has been featured worldwide as well, from the Museum of Natural History in London, to the National Center for Nature Photography in Ohio. Steve has been a multiple award winner in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest as well. Make sure and take some time to browse Steve's wonderful images, read his blog, and learn about his incredible variety of workshops at his site www.stevegettle.com!
A few years back I had the privilege of spending some real quality time with a Sandhill Crane family. I have photographed cranes on the nest on several different occasions but this situation was about as good as I could imagine. The nest was located in Kensington Metro Park (a park very close to my home). The nest was very near the Nature Center so the birds were extremely acclimated to the presence of people. This was a good thing because at times there were more than a half a dozen people enjoying the experience. Over the course of about a month I spent dozens of hours photographing this incredible situation.
I found the nest early on and was able to photograph the adults as they incubated and turned the eggs. The incubation period for Sandhills is about 30 days, during that time one of the parents was with the eggs at all times.
Finally after a month of waiting and checking, the first egg hatched. In this first image below the female is still incubating the second egg while bonding with the older sibling that had hatched earlier that morning.
I knew that the following day the second egg would most likely hatch, so I was out early to try and photograph this event. This was my favorite image from that morning. In this image the mother is helping the utterly exhausted chick out of its shell, as the older sibling watches on.
I am fairly certain that the younger sibling had no idea what he was in for. In true ‘survival of the fittest’ fashion the older sibling tormented the younger, smaller, chick for the first couple of days. The reason for this is that if he eliminates the sibling it means more food for him and a better chance at survival. This behavior stopped after the first couple of days when the younger bird got large enough to defend himself. I am happy to report that both chicks survived at least into the fall when I last saw them before they headed south for the winter.
Our local pal and great customer Jason Holzworth from Louisville, KY recently ventured to Costa Rica for a photo excursion. Jason's a fan of snakes and of OPG and he decided to mix the two in a few images. One of the best pics of our hat we've seen!
Jason engages in even more dangerous photo ventures every week: weddings! You can check out his site and his images here: holzphoto.com and join him on Facebook here. Thanks Jason!
Editor's note: Welcome Andy Biggs to the blog! Andy has been a long time supporter of OPG, and is the designer and manufacturer of the wildly popular Gura Gear Kiboko bag. In addition to running Gura Gear, providing commercial stock images and teaching workshops, Andy conducts incredible photo safaris to Africa. Andy heads overseas six or more times a year, covering nearly every accessible part of the African continent. Having traveled with Andy myself to several stops in southern Africa, I can tell you that Andy's safaris are first class, and that you'll have the photographic experience of a lifetime. You can find out more about Andy, see his images and learn about his safaris at his websitewww.andybiggs.com. We look forward to more articles and videos from Andy in the future! –Chris
There are many different types of safari vehicles in Africa, and this is the first in a series of videos to try and explain what the vehicles are like. This video specifically describes what the pop-top, or open-roof vehicles are like in east Africa. There are other vehicle types in east Africa (Tanzania and Kenya), however this video specifically addresses the open roof type. I'll shoot similar videos in Botswana and in Kenya later on this year, and my goal is to use these videos to visually explain what the vehicles are like before travelers get to Africa.
You can find the Kinesis Safari Sack described in this video in the OPG Store here.
So I’m here today to talk about how to photograph out of a Land Rover in Africa. Here we have one of my vehicles that we use in Tanzania, and the vehicles are very similar in Kenya as well. But these are what we call pop top, open roof vehicles. Some vehicles do not have a top. I prefer the ones that provide shade because you’re out in the bush all day long, and that sun just beats you down. So I’d really prefer to have one of these tops, these canopies.
The main location you’ll photograph from will be from the standing position. You’ll be in your vehicle. You’ll find your game, what you want to shoot, and you’ll stand up. Here we have a generic bean bag underneath my 200 to 400 lens. My preferred bean bag is from Kinesis. It’s their Safari Sack. It’s kgear.com is their website, and what makes this bean bag really great is it’s got the ability to cinch it to the posts here and keep it in place. You could put a bean bag on one side of the vehicle and another on the other and just leave them there all day long.
When I mount my lens or I place my lens on the bean bag, a lot of times I am using the lens foot. I have a replacement lens foot here from Really Right Stuff, and the reason why I like to use the replacement feet is because they’re typically lower, a lower sense of gravity. You’re not creating a big pendulum on top of the bean bag. That’s my recommendation there.
If my subject distance isn’t changing very much, I do prefer to move that lens foot around to the side or to the top so I have more surface area to hold the lens. The downside of that is that you can’t tweak your manual focus very well, and it’s also hard to zoom if you’re using something like a 200 to 400, a 100 to 400, just some other type of zoom. But for the long zooms, the focusing ring and the zoom ring really do get in the way, so I do like most of the time to just leave the lens foot in place on the bottom.
Now, this is really the best place to photograph if your subjects are farther away. But if your subject is very close, you’re going to want to be shooting from a lower position. And here on the bottom of the vehicle I have a 70 to 200 mounted on top of another bean bag and just sitting out of the window. This is great for those big cats and subjects that come really close to the vehicle because you don’t want to shoot down on your subject. You really do want to shoot at eye level, if at all possible.
This also allows a different view where you can get things and your subject in your frame, like the horizon. I find that is a good storytelling item in an image. The second thing is that if you’re shooting at the same aperture up here, like let’s just say F8 versus F8 down here given the same length of lens, you’re going to have more shallow depth of field, i.e. a blurred background from shooting from a lower position. Why? Because your background is physically farther away from the lens.
I also have two bean bags stacked here in the middle of the vehicle. This is really great where, maybe, if you’re uncomfortable and you need to create a little bit more height but you still want to shoot from a lower position, this can work well. The caveat with that is that if you’ve got some sort of predator walking by the vehicle, you’re not going to want to have that bean bag fall out. That’s a really bad time.
Here is a Land Rover from East Africa and how we shoot from them.
