Ok so I hope this isn't too off topic but I am wondering peoples views. I was in South Africa once many years ago solely on a birding trip but in the process I saw loads of mammals as well. How do you guys that have been to the fenced in reserves feel about shooting there? For birds it is one thing but for mammals. Maybe I am the minority but the fenced reserves just feel like large zoos to me. I would personally have zero interest in photographing mammals there. Thoughts?
aboutthelight wrote:
Ok so I hope this isn't too off topic but I am wondering peoples views. I was in South Africa once many years ago solely on a birding trip but in the process I saw loads of mammals as well. How do you guys that have been to the fenced in reserves feel about shooting there? For birds it is one thing but for mammals. Maybe I am the minority but the fenced reserves just feel like large zoos to me. I would personally have zero interest in photographing mammals there. Thoughts?
I don't know anything about those reserves or why they are fenced. But why would you shoot caged birds but not caged animals?
Alan Kefauver wrote:
Pangolin Photo Great Migration Safari: We leave the camp at 6AM and return at 7PM. Breakfast and lunch are in the field.
I've made good use of Pangolin Photo Safaris' review and setup/settings videos for some of the new Canon mirrorless cameras, so I've been curious about their safaris. Please post a description/review of your experience with them after you return.
Daran wrote:
I don't know anything about those reserves or why they are fenced. But why would you shoot caged birds but not caged animals?
There are fences not cages. The animals can’t get over the fences. The birds fly right over them and are 100% free. And for what it is worth I was only birding when I was there and didn’t even have a camera with me. It was long before I took pictures.
Isn’t Kruger fenced? I mean it is a giant area like the size of New Jersey but it is fenced as far as I know. If I was going to photograph animals it would not be there.
I am not looking to fight. I am curious what people's thoughts are who have been there and done it. Or if they have chosen to go to a place like the Mara as opposed to Kruger for that reason.
Fenced or not the animals in most of the National parks all over Africa are pretty tame these days. They are so acclimated to vehicles and humans that you can pretty much drive right up and get a picture. I don't see much difference if the area is fenced or not.
Unfortunately, many of the hunting reserves are similar in that they are just selling tickets to shoot farm raised animals that have been released to be shot. A horrible situation that I have no regard for.
There are still areas that remain remote and where the animals are truly wild. But there you won't see as many. You have to work to get either an image or a trophy. I have never hunted trophy myself. Only for pot for my workers in remote exploration camps. And looking for poachers who I hate with a passion.
For me the geography, geology, flora, and fauna, and diversity of East Africa cannot be matched. Of course this perception was imprinted on me nearly half a century ago when I was a young man exploring mineral deposits. The migrations in the Serengeti was in the millions of animals backed then. The huge red Elephants of the Tana River in the North of Tsavo were a sight you can never forget.
I suggest that for anyone wanting a taste of the old East Africa adventure a trip down the forests and planes of the Tana River from the high county down to Tsavo area will still be that sort of adventure. But understand the risks are much greater than you will face in any of the popular National Parks. Especially so in these turbulent political times. But that is living to its fullest.
vbnut wrote:
I've made good use of Pangolin Photo Safaris' review and setup/settings videos for some of the new Canon mirrorless cameras, so I've been curious about their safaris. Please post a description/review of your experience with them after you return.
I did the Chobe Hotel, and the Chobe houseboat, the Okavango delta, and the Kalahari in 2022 with them. Fabulous. And Janine is just as beautiful in life as she is in pictures, and a great teacher.
Next up is their Great Migration Mara with Pangolin, and then to Timbavati (Tanda Tula) and then Madikwe (Jaci's). The last two legs are not Pangolin, but their Safari planner booked the whole trip for me.
I can't speak highly enough about their people, tours, and service. They will even loan you a Canon 1 series with a Sigma 150-600 and teach you how to use it if someone needs a camera. (non Photographer who came along with you.)
Alan Kefauver wrote:
I did the Chobe Hotel, and the Chobe houseboat, the Okavango delta, and the Kalahari in 2022 with them. Fabulous. And Janine is just as beautiful in life as she is in pictures, and a great teacher.
Next up is their Great Migration Mara with Pangolin, and then to Timbavati (Tanda Tula) and then Madikwe (Jaci's). The last two legs are not Pangolin, but their Safari planner booked the whole trip for me.
I can't speak highly enough about their people, tours, and service. They will even loan you a Canon 1 series with a Sigma 150-600 and teach you how to use it if someone needs a camera. (non Photographer who came along with you.)...Show more →
Who did you fly with to get to Chobe? Every flight from Toronto to Botswana that I've seen thus far is > 30 hours
Uarctos wrote:
I didn'know anything about those reserves. For me Africa was about big open spaces with animal migrations. Fenced wildlife is not wildlife.
Just for your information
The Greater Kruger national park is only fenced in certain areas and basically open to Mozambique and
a part of Zimbabwe. The size of the park is 20 000 000 (20 million) hectares or 20 000 square Km or 7523 square miles.
Etosha Game reserve in Namibia is about 23 000square kilometers.
The Kgalagadi transfrontier park is close to double the size of Kruger at 38 000 square kilometers and open from South Africa to Botswana
Central Kalahari Game reserve is the largest game reserve in the world at close to 53 000 square kilometers.
Also, Serengeti eco system (mara/serengeti) is not fenced. Neither is the delta in Botswana. Kafue is not fenced, etc. And of course migration is not everywhere; the most known is the migration in the serengeti eco system, and the zebra migration in Botswana.
However, at the same time, just like everywhere else in the world, people are putting increasingly more pressure on wildlife habitats and the area's available to them get smaller, wildlife corridors are dissapearing, etc.
Thank you. I am not talking about large/very large enclosures, of course.
I've seen some amazing photos with a lot of species from one photog and wonder how in the world was that possible, only to search and find that they were made in some 10-15 square km reserve.
Sanlameer wrote:
Just for your information
The Greater Kruger national park is only fenced in certain areas and basically open to Mozambique and
a part of Zimbabwe. The size of the park is 20 000 000 (20 million) hectares or 20 000 square Km or 7523 square miles.
Etosha Game reserve in Namibia is about 23 000square kilometers.
The Kgalagadi transfrontier park is close to double the size of Kruger at 38 000 square kilometers and open from South Africa to Botswana
Central Kalahari Game reserve is the largest game reserve in the world at close to 53 000 square kilometers.
As I wrote most places. If you are out the whole day just pack two spare batteries in the jacket.
And/or get an batterygrip for longer juice.
I have a multicharger. So i just charge all batteries over night and in the camera.
If you are in a camp with no electricity over night than you have to do it on the jeep.
1bwana1 wrote:
Fenced or not the animals in most of the National parks all over Africa are pretty tame these days. They are so acclimated to vehicles and humans that you can pretty much drive right up and get a picture. I don't see much difference if the area is fenced or not.
Unfortunately, many of the hunting reserves are similar in that they are just selling tickets to shoot farm raised animals that have been released to be shot. A horrible situation that I have no regard for.
There are still areas that remain remote and where the animals are truly wild. But there you won't see as many. You have to work to get either an image or a trophy. I have never hunted trophy myself. Only for pot for my workers in remote exploration camps. And looking for poachers who I hate with a passion.
For me the geography, geology, flora, and fauna, and diversity of East Africa cannot be matched. Of course this perception was imprinted on me nearly half a century ago when I was a young man exploring mineral deposits. The migrations in the Serengeti was in the millions of animals backed then. The huge red Elephants of the Tana River in the North of Tsavo were a sight you can never forget.
I suggest that for anyone wanting a taste of the old East Africa adventure a trip down the forests and planes of the Tana River from the high county down to Tsavo area will still be that sort of adventure. But understand the risks are much greater than you will face in any of the popular National Parks. Especially so in these turbulent political times. But that is living to its fullest.
Yes tame animals is one of the main reasons that I asked. For that matter I mostly feel the same about tame birds. I tend to stay away from the local beach nesting grounds as it is basic shooting with limited number of species. I always wanted to see Mountain Goats. A few years ago I was in CO and got to the top of Mount Evans. Just before the summit I saw my first goat and was thrilled. It was right along side the road. Then I turned the corner to go to the summit parking lot and they were all over the place. They were 2 feet from people, they were licking sweat off of peoples bikes while the people were still on them. Totally ruined the experience for me. The vast open areas that I saw in South Africa were just amazing. The plains of the east, the Karoo it was all magical. But at the same time I have seen so many videos and photos of lions walking feet from cars without a care in the world. For me it would cheapen the experience, especially if they were in a fenced in preserve (no matter how large the preserve is).
Remember, many areas were very quiet during covid.
In the Serengeti we saw several animals very near the vehicle, so lucky for us, the driver and guide were both grabbing phone shots as it surprised them too.
Odd that the animals grew more accepting after a quiet time.
