Cduff406 wrote:
Thank you! I've greatly benefited from your contributions in this thread. I'll certainly incorporate your advice when it comes time to pack my bags and hit the road. I will definitely be hustling as much as I can! I just really hope I can come back with some great photos.
Thanks again for the help! It's greatly appreciated. I will certainly report back when I am home.
Very cool, you are welcome. The only thing that is a question mark at this time are the conditions from the weather and what the vegetation will be like. I have friends in Amboseli and the Mara and they have gotten a ton of rain this winter (El Niño). My friends in Amboseli say the lakebed is not accessible due to all the water and they expect it will take several weeks to dry up depending on how much more rain they get. May is typically a rainy month but we are in an El Niño pattern so who knows what will happen. It could back off or there could be heavy rains spill over into June. I presume it might be a tall lush green grass look in June if the heavy rains continue. I would say to bring some warm clothes as it can be chilly in the AM but seeing you are from Montana I'm sure you'll be wearing short sleeves.
Yes, we are going the second week of June an dI have been watching the weather. Hopefully it's not still rainy when we get there, and not so green that we can't see anything for all the grass!
"United Nations experts have attributed the heavier-than-usual rains to a combination of two natural climate cycles: El Niño, which increases the likelihood of wet conditions in certain parts of the world, and a similar pattern called the Indian Ocean Dipole."
Cduff406 wrote:
Yes, we are going the second week of June an dI have been watching the weather. Hopefully it's not still rainy when we get there, and not so green that we can't see anything for all the grass!
Of course these things can't be predicted or planned for. But I've seen some interesting and beautiful photos of big cats, etc in the rain. You might catch some interesting behaviors. It's never a bad time to be in the African bush, IMHO! (Unless it's too hot. I can't take that...) ;-)
The Talek river overflowed and flooded a bunch of camps, but apparently the water level has gone down. By June, I assume it will be fine. I actually think some rain (not a dangerous amount) is better as you will be able to shoot all day without worrying as much about heat haze and harsh lighting.
Sharona wrote:
Of course these things can't be predicted or planned for. But I've seen some interesting and beautiful photos of big cats, etc in the rain. You might catch some interesting behaviors. It's never a bad time to be in the African bush, IMHO! (Unless it's too hot. I can't take that...) ;-)
Some rain is okay, but the problem right now is too much rain which limits your mobility by blocking river crossings and washing out the roads. It just gets too muddy for game drives with massive puddles that become small ponds, and you get easily stuck or even covered in mud from getting pulled out. It's not fun when the rain is blowing sideways in an open jeep. It soaks you and all your gear and now everything inside the vehicle is wet. If you are lucky enough to zip the sides up before this happens then okay, but it's not ideal for game drives. I agree the storms that blow through make for some dramatic images, but it's a fine line between a light or distant shower, and a full downpour/deluge. I will say, the one cool thing about being in a heavy shower is watching all the animals "statue" and face the same exact direction. It looks a savanna full of fake animals, definitely a sight to see.
Even in the dry season when it's hot there are evenings showers that blow through which can cause havoc on some of the roads, so you can imagine how bad it is right now with the El Niño pattern during the rainy season. It will be interesting to see what happens for Cduff's trip as we'll find out when he reports back.
if you've booked a camp along the Talek river, better check with your operator if the place is still up and running... some camps have been hit quite hard. I'm sure if there's damage they'll do anything to fix things in time, but there's also a limited amount in what can be done. Most places in June should be fine though.
And yes rain makes for great photo's, but a very wet Mara is very tricky to navigate, and it will limit access to some area's
evertdoorn wrote:
if you've booked a camp along the Talek river, better check with your operator if the place is still up and running... some camps have been hit quite hard. I'm sure if there's damage they'll do anything to fix things in time, but there's also a limited amount in what can be done. Most places in June should be fine though.
And yes rain makes for great photo's, but a very wet Mara is very tricky to navigate, and it will limit access to some area's
Agreed. I wasn't suggesting that it's fun to traverse these areas in heavily wet, muddy conditions. A little rain, however isn't all bad. Kenya, in places, was certainly badly affected by these recent rains.
Sharona wrote:
Agreed. I wasn't suggesting that it's fun to traverse these areas in heavily wet, muddy conditions. A little rain, however isn't all bad. Kenya, in places, was certainly badly affected by these recent rains.
Absolutely! I love watching lions in the rain, especially if they shake off the water. And a drought is certainly not good either, as we've seen in recent years, in particular in places like Amboseli..
I've received a couple PM's asking what I meant when I mentioned "hustling", and I regularly get PM's inquiring about gear options and the best bags to use for safari. I'm not sure what page it's on but several pages back I laid everything out in detail about the gear. I bring a ton of gear in inexpensive bags that are not made for camera gear, and this is to save a few pounds. The photos below show some of my gear laid out in the safari tent and safari vehicle, and one of me carrying all of it for a game drive. The overhead bin shot shows the lightweight rollers I use to transport it.
As for my comment about hustling I'm referring to several things, like being out first and returning last to camp. Get out no matter what the conditions are - rain or shine, blistering hot or cold, windy or dusty, etc. Be the first vehicle out of camp in the morning long before sunrise to get yourself positioned, and do the same preparation for every sunset. Don't miss any sunrises or sunsets. Hang out the side of the vehicle when physically possible, and move around in the vehicle. Get out of the vehicle as much as possible and move around to get different angles. If you don't like how your guide positions the vehicle then speak up and tell him to move. Constantly scan the terrain along with your guide, because there are times when you will spot something he doesn't see. My lady and I have both spotted leopards that the guide hadn't spotted yet. A lot of people just roll along socializing in the vehicle and leave it up to their guide's one set of eyes. Be patient, meaning while everyone else might go back to camp for lunch, you stay out and wait for the cheetah kill that you've been tracking all morning. Take risks and go the opposite direction of all the other vehicles. This has paid huge dividends for me with experiencing one of my best leopard sightings with no one else around for miles. The other vehicles were all busy watching a cheetah and cubs lay in the shade. I could go on but these are the types of things I'm talking about. I realize this style is not for everyone as most people like to relax and enjoy their cup of tea and eat breakfast after sunrise before they head out. But from my experience, you get out of it what you put into it from a photographic perspective. The more you hustle, the more you'll be rewarded. It can get exhausting doing this for several weeks straight, but it's all worth it in the end.
Regarding gear - I never let anyone carry my gear even if it means I'm carrying several heavy bags and sweating my ass off. This is just my personal preference because I know how it's handled from the day I leave home until the day I return. Plus, some of the tents are very far from camp so this makes for some good exercise in between game drives, and also a little exercise while traveling between camps.
I'm looking forward to hearing some of you report back after your safari this year.
So drones are permitted or not... why did you bring one with you. Where did you fly
I am going for 1 month
- 1 week Tanzania Safari
- 1 week Kilimanjaro
- plan to visit Zanzibar
- I would prefer to go to Mauritius and Reunion Island but prices are a little high
- optional Amboseli, Gorillas in Uganda, Diani Beach in Kenya - too many options and hard to decide the best way to spent my time there
PIOK wrote:
So drones are permitted or not... why did you bring one with you. Where did you fly
I am going for 1 month
- 1 week Tanzania Safari
- 1 week Kilimanjaro
- plan to visit Zanzibar
- I would prefer to go to Mauritius and Reunion Island but prices are a little high
- optional Amboseli, Gorillas in Uganda, Diani Beach in Kenya - too many options and hard to decide the best way to spent my time there
Generally speaking, drones are not permitted unless you have previous authorization from the relevant authority (in national parks, at least). For good reason, too. They can certainly cause stress to the animals, for one. Poachers often use drones to locate animals so authorities are on the lookout and you don't want to waste their time being a false alarm. Also, they're noisy and pretty inconsiderate to other visitors.
If it's really important to you I believe you can get permission if you're willing to jump through all the hoops. Otherwise i'd recommend leaving the drone at home.
Drones are not permitted without the proper permits/authorization. Although some in the parks or conservatories will turn a blind eye to it because it’s their clients, the rangers certainly won’t.
PIOK wrote:
So drones are permitted or not... why did you bring one with you. Where did you fly
I am going for 1 month
- 1 week Tanzania Safari
- 1 week Kilimanjaro
- plan to visit Zanzibar
- I would prefer to go to Mauritius and Reunion Island but prices are a little high
- optional Amboseli, Gorillas in Uganda, Diani Beach in Kenya - too many options and hard to decide the best way to spent my time there
I was thinking more about flying in Kilimanjaro Zone but if I remember correctly -- not drones permitted there...
I will not fly drone above animals for my own gain and satisfaction so my plan was leave my drone at home
PIOK wrote:
So drones are permitted or not... why did you bring one with you. Where did you fly
I am going for 1 month
- 1 week Tanzania Safari
- 1 week Kilimanjaro
- plan to visit Zanzibar
- I would prefer to go to Mauritius and Reunion Island but prices are a little high
- optional Amboseli, Gorillas in Uganda, Diani Beach in Kenya - too many options and hard to decide the best way to spent my time there
Drones are definitely not permitted and for good reason. I have a way to get my drone in and I've flown it all over Kenya. I always go the opposite direction of other safari vehicles and then launch it when I'm by myself. I usually get the footage I'm after and then I hand the drone with a fresh battery over to my guides and let them fly it (after I've already taught them how to fly of course). They have an absolute blast flying it, to the point it's always difficult to get them to land it and move on.
As for your itinerary, I would skip Zanzibar and try to get to the gorillas in Uganda. Being that you are from Micronesia, I see zero reason to go to a beach destination like Zanzibar. The gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda are amazing and you'll never find them on any beautiful beach, but, they are pretty expensive to see. Try to fit that in if you can somehow.
Now that my trip to Kenya and Tanzania is drawing closer, I am again considering a few changes to my gear and would love some input from experienced safari photographers.
Here is what I had been planning to take:
Two Sony A1 bodies
Sony 300/2.8
1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters
Sony 70-200/2.8 GMII
Sony 135/1.8
Sony 24-70/2.8 GMII
Tamron 17-28
Considering taking my Sony 200-600 for flexibility and in the event that something happens to the 300.
Another idea is to get the Tamron 150-500 and take in instead of the Sony 200-600 with the benefits of being smaller and a little lighter. The downside is the crippled frame rate on the A1. Ditto for the Sigma 500 with even more weight reduction.
Also considering getting another body (probably another A1 so that everything can be exactly the same on all cameras). Thinking that it might be advantageous to have the 70-200 or 135 on one, the 300 (without w/o tc) on one, and a long-range zoom on another.
Abuttolph wrote:
Now that my trip to Kenya and Tanzania is drawing closer, I am again considering a few changes to my gear and would love some input from experienced safari photographers.
Here is what I had been planning to take:
Two Sony A1 bodies
Sony 300/2.8
1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters
Sony 70-200/2.8 GMII
Sony 135/1.8
Sony 24-70/2.8 GMII
Tamron 17-28
Considering taking my Sony 200-600 for flexibility and in the event that something happens to the 300.
Another idea is to get the Tamron 150-500 and take in instead of the Sony 200-600 with the benefits of being smaller and a little lighter. The downside is the crippled frame rate on the A1. Ditto for the Sigma 500 with even more weight reduction.
Also considering getting another body (probably another A1 so that everything can be exactly the same on all cameras). Thinking that it might be advantageous to have the 70-200 or 135 on one, the 300 (without w/o tc) on one, and a long-range zoom on another.
berimbolo wrote:
Can you rent a 100-400GM? That will keep the frame rate and it is reasonably small.
I could and had not thought of that. My only issue with that is that the 100-400mm GM that I used to own was not sufficiently sharp at distance. It was phenomenal with closer subjects, but I was not happy with results that were more than about 15 feet away.
Abuttolph wrote:
I could and had not thought of that. My only issue with that is that the 100-400mm GM that I used to own was not sufficiently sharp at distance. It was phenomenal with closer subjects, but I was not happy with results that were more than about 15 feet away.
I would consider it simply for versatility. Sharpness at distance (although 15 feet seems very close) will be impacted more greatly by heat than anything else.
