Botswana Safari Report - Part 2

After I said goodbye to my safari group, I spent the next 3 nights in the Selinda Reserve with my good friend and guide, Kane Motswana. Kane and I have been on many game drives together, and I wanted to see him as well as spend some time between two of the camps in the reserve, Zarafa and Selinda Camp. Selinda Reserve is managed and operated by Great Plain, one of my favorite safari outfitters in Africa. They not only have great camps, but they also have a great ethos of delivering low impact, high value safaris. This really means few travelers, big pieces of land, community involvement and employees who care deeply about conserving habitat for wild animals.

During my three nights in the reserve I spent a night at Zarafa Camp and two nights at Selinda Camp. We had some great sightings, but nothing compares to the numerous game drives of nothing but African wild dogs (lycaeon pictus). I have a soft spot for wild dogs, often referred to as African painted dogs, or cape hunting dogs. We had 4 game drives in a row when the wild dogs were within 5 minutes of camp, and on one occasion they hunted down a young reedbuck and made their kill within 2 meters of my vehicle’s door. Awesome. Amazing. Violent. Efficient.

On another occasion we left for our game drive, only to turn around after 50 feet to follow the dog pack back into camp. After a few minutes we heard the staff screaming in the lobby area, and it turned out that a wild dog had chased an impala through camp and through the dining room. The impala got away, and it was funny that we would have had a better photo opportunity if we were still sitting on the couch, sipping a coffee or tea. We had some good laughs over that sighting.

As I left Selinda at the end of September the temperatures were starting to rise, and I was worried that my next safari in Namibia would be scorching heat, which ultimately never happened. Usually we refer to October as being the warmest month in Botswana, then some rains hit in early November to cool things down a bit. These early rains also coincide with very intense clouds, making for a very dramatic backdrop for photography.

I am planning on running some safaris to Selinda Camp and Duba Plains in the coming years, so look out for those on my calendar.

African Wild Dog (Lycaeon Pictus)

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 300mm f/2.8 APO

African Wild Dogs (Lycaeon Pictus) at the end of a kill

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 300mm f/2.8 APO

African Wild Dog Puppies (Lycaeon Pictus) at play

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 300mm f/2.8 APO

African Wild Dog Puppies (Lycaeon Pictus) at play

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 300mm f/2.8 APO

African Wild Dog (Lycaeon Pictus)

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 28mm lens (17mm equivalent)

Kane Motswana

Botswana Safari Report - Part 1

The Move To Medium Format

Back in September I led a safari to northern Botswana, which was my first safari where I shot exclusively with digital medium format gear. Sometime in the middle of 2012 I actually sold off all of my Nikon 35mm gear, adopted a Phase One IQ160 (60mp) digital back on a Phase One DF camera body and pursued the world of the biggest and best files I could possibly obtain. Here is the complete camera setup that I took with me: 

• Phase One DF camera body
• Phase One IQ160 (60mp) digital back
• 28mm
• 45mm
• 80mm
• 75-150mm
• 200mm f/2.8 APO
• 300mm f/2.8 APO
• 2x Teleconverter

Drawbacks

There are major drawbacks with this approach, and the major issue is that autofocus speed an accuracy isn’t even in the ballpark of what 35mm gear can deliver. Another major limitation is that I am limited to ISO 100, 200 and 400 in a pinch. I have to make sure that I stay within my opinion ISO range, which is ISO 100 or 200. Oh, and I haven’t even gotten to the best part: my preferred wildlife lens is a Mamiya 300mm f/2.8 APO model, which I was able to find still in the original box and was unused. The 300mm lens equates to about a 190mm lens on a 35mm camera, so the images won’t be ‘in your face’ type images that fill the frame with the face of a lion. The catch? It is also a manual focus lens. Oh, and aperture selection is manual (on the lens) and cannot be controlled on the camera. So my process isn’t exactly what I would call easy, but then again I absolutely love challenges and the payoffs that go with them. These drawbacks are just obstacles on the way to HUGE files that can be printed at any size that I wish. My goal is to always make images that stir the soul, and to be able to print these images at any print size that my 44” printer can accommodate. 30x40” prints are my desired target on a fiber / baryta type paper, and 40x60” on canvas. 

The Safari

This safari took place in northern Botswana, and we split our time between Chitabe Camp in the Okavango Delta and DumaTau Camp along the Linyanti River. I always like to split up my time between camps when I am in Botswana, because every camp has a different ecosystem, wildlife, look and feel that need to be experienced. Other places in Africa can work for only 1 camp, such as the Masai Mara, however Botswana is best when split between 2 or more camps.

While at Chitabe we took sole use of the camp for our 4 nights there. I typically take over a camp in order to control the dining schedule, as well as have sole use of all of the vehicles. September is a great time to be in northern Botswana, as it is one of the dry months and wildlife is easier to locate and photograph when the grasses are short.

After we left Chitabe we had 4 more nights at the newly built DumaTau Camp, which sits at the edge of the Linyanti River. These two camps could not be more different, as the vegetation, wildlife, scenery and feel are completely different. Between these two camps we had over the top lion sightings, great leopards, elephant water crossings, hyaenas, wild dogs and also general game. I have been running photographic safaris for the past 11 years and this was one of those safaris that had an excellent balance between all of the available mammal and bird species. 

Ok, on to some of the images!

Elephant Along The Linyanti River

Phase One DF, IQ160, 300mm f/2.8 APO

Leopard On A Termite Mound

Phase One camera, IQ160 digital back, 200mm f/2.8 APO

Two Giraffes Drinking From A Puddle

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 300mm f/2.8 APO

Leopard On A Tree

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 300mm f/2.8 APO

Elephant Parts

Phase One DF camera, IQ160 digital back, 300mm f/2.8 APO

Gura Gear Bataflae 26L camera bag in tan

Phase One camera setup with 300mm f/2.8 APO lens

Phase One camera setup with 200mm f/2.8 APO lens (gaffer tape all over the place, to ensure the back was sealed)

Pile ‘O Gura Gear Bags at the airport

Blog update

Wow. What a couple of months it has been. I apologize for the lack of updates on this blog, however I have been so busy that I haven’t had much of a chance to do more than update my Facebook account with little snippits. Why the lack of content? I have been to Africa twice since early September, leading 4 separate photographic safaris between the countries of Botswana and Namibia. That’s a ton of time in the bush in such a short period of time. Let’s break it down: 3 safari groups in Botswana and 1 group to Namibia, totaling 6 weeks in the bush since September 8. Given that I don’t live in Africa, the flying back and forth between continents has put a strain on my energy levels as well as on my family life. Needless to say I am glad to be home to be with my family for the Christmas holidays.

Let’s break down my time in the bush by separately writing about each safari, which I will do in separate posts over the next couple of days. I have so much to write about, from unique wildlife sightings to unique moments with my travelers, so it will be best for me to split up the posts.

I want to wish everybody a wonderful holiday season, no matter where you are or what your belief system is. Time spent with loved ones is extremely important to the Biggs family, and we want to extend our own Christmas blessings to you.

Canon Pixma PRO-100 Video

Recent Interview in H Texas Magazine

I was recently interview by H Texas magazine about my photography, how I got started, and what my passions. Check it out if you have a few minutes to spare.

Big Cats of the Masai Mara - 2 New Safaris for 2013

Today I am announcing a pair of safaris for 2013 that will excite those who wish to photograph all three of the 3 big cat species: cheetah, leopard and of course lion. I planned these safaris for the photographer who wants more opportunities to capture the Masai Mara’s big cats in their majestic environment. The safari will be entirely based at the best camp in the Mara ecosystem, Mara Plains Camp. Mara Plains in in the Olare Orok Conservancy, which has very few camps and also has offroading driving. We won’t have to worry about crowds or having to stay on roads to get our best photographs. I have to say that in my past travels to this area of the Masai Mara I have had my best opportunities to witness and photograph cheetah chases. On my last safari in March 2012 to the area we had numerous cheetah chases, leopards with cubs on multiple sightings, majestic male lions on top of hills with wind in their faces, and to top it all off we had the big cat trifecta of having all 3 species within view of our vehicle at the same time. This is just a taste of the things that we can see on this safari. Please join me.

Safari Highlights

• Game drives in the private Olare Orok Conservancy (where our camp is located), bordering the Masai Mara, to the north. Unlike the Mara itself, this reserve is private to the very few camps located here, so we will not experience the larger crowds present inside the Mara proper. With this said, we will have the option of driving into the Mara each day if we decide to, although the game viewing is as good or better in the Orok. We will also have the option of returning to camp after dark since we are not subject to the rules of the National Park. 
• We have private vehicles for the safari game drives, with only 1 person per row of seating (the vehicles have either 2 or 3 rows behind the driver, plus a seat next to the driver if you want to be lower down to the ground.) The vehicles are open 4x4 vehicles, allowing for unhindered movement for photography. 
• Private and exclusive use of the safari camp.
• Safari is limited to 14 participants, plus Andy and Chas as trip leaders.
• Private air charters between Nairobi and our private camp in the Masai Mara region.
• Extra luggage allowances to accommodate the special needs of our photographic equipment. The Nairobi-Mara charter flights will allow for an average of 30-35kg (66 to 77lbs) per person.
• This itinerary focuses on up-close and real wildlife experiences from the surroundings of premier accommodations.

For a complete detailed itinerary, dates and costs I have two links:

Big Cats of the Masai Mara, May 22-31, 2013

Big Cats of the Masai Mara, May 30-June 8, 2013

Cheetah on a Termite Mound, March 2012

 

Mara Plains Camp at Night

Hot Air Ballooning over the Masai Mara

Desert Landscapes of Death Valley - Workshop

Desert Landscapes of Death Valley National Park

January 9-13, 2013

The Race Track, Death Valley National Park

I will be co-leading a rigorous 5-day photography workshop with my friend, Michael Gordon, in Death Valley National Park January 2013. Death Valley is a landscape photographer’s paradise, combining large sand dunes, mountains and desert scenes all in one place. If you have never photographed in Death Valley, you owe it to yourself to witness some of the most famous geological formations in the American West. January is an excellent time to photograph in Death Valley, as the combination of moderate temperatures and shorter days make for an excellent experience. Outside of the winter months, Death Valley is too hot and days are too long to be considered good times to visit. I do prefer to be in Death Valley in the winter, as the short days allow for more star trail photography, which we will spend some time doing out on the Race Track.

This workshop is primarily a field workshop, however we will have opportunities to discuss and work on post processing tips and techniques with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom as well as some of the Nik Software plugins. We will be in the field early in the morning and early in the evening to catch the dawn and dusk light with a little bit of down time in between. We will also spend a few evenings working on star trails, which will keep us out late when combined with some long drives back to our hotel. We will have discussion and assistance while out in the field each day. Advanced techniques will be constantly discussed, demonstrated and put into practice. We will all work closely together, sharing our knowledge and experience.

The workshop will begin on the afternoon of Wednesday, January 9 at 1pm, and will finish after a morning shoot on Monday, January 14th. The workshop is limited to 10 particpants only.

Desert Landscapes of Death Valley, January 9-14, 2013

Photo of the Day - Leopard In A Tree

Leopard In A Tree

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. February 2012

Pentax 645D, 400mm f/5.6, 1/250 @ f/5.6, ISO 400