Just a quick update for those who are waiting to see what Gura Gear is all about. We have received all of our inventory, and are going through some late web site changes that are necessary on the ecommerce front. These changes are necessitating a platform move, and will take a number of weeks to complete. I am also heading out on safari in a few weeks, which will delay a formal launch of guragear.com.

It is very exciting to bring a groundbreaking product to market, and it is also killing me to have to delay that launch a little bit more. Such is the life in a startup company that is made up of pretty much one person.

If you are interested in learning more, you can click on the Gura Gear logo above to go to our web site and sign up to be notified when the site launches.

Geronimoooooooooooooooooooo........

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. January 2008.

Canon 1DMkIII, 100-400mm, 1/250 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800

If you read the above definition of what a safari is, it should be fairly obvious that in the context of all of my writings on the subject I am not referring to the hunting of animals, but rather the observing and photographing of the animals. Before one embarks on booking a safari in Africa, one needs to know a few things. At the top of the list should be identifying what exactly you want out of your safari, and that will lead you to decisions such as where to go, when to go, what outfitters to work with, what means of accommodations, etc.

In the entries to come, I will write about where to go, when to go, how to pack, techniques for photography, techniques for traveling, and any additional information that might be valuable for the photographer who wants to embark on a photographic safari in Africa. All of my writings are of my own, and may not be applicable for all situations. I will attempt to make broad statements, but sometimes I will illustrate using my own experiences or examples along the way. So here goes.

Where to go?

There are many locations in Africa to go on a photographic safari, and here are some recommendations for some of the most popular locations. Safari destinations are often broken out into two different regions of Africa: East Africa and Southern Africa. Below are some of the highlights from each country, and are not meant to represent the entire country as a whole, but rather a quick and easy way of identifying what makes each country unique and different from the others. All of these countries represent amazing opportunities to watch and photograph wildlife, landscapes and people.

East Africa

Tanzania - Home of the most famous national park in Africa, the Serengeti. The Serengeti ecosystem hosts one of the largest wildlife migrations on the planet, often referred to the wildebeest migration, and also the 'greatest show on earth'. In fact this migration is much more than the wildeebeest, totalling more than 1.5 million. The migration is also made up of 200,000 zebras, 360,00 thompson's gazelle and 12,000 eland. Also home to the world's largest intact and unflooded caldera, Ngorongoro Crater. The world's largest game reserve is also found here, the Selous. Mahale Mountains is one of the best known locations for encounters with wild chimpanzees. Also home to the colorful and very photogenic Maasai tribe. There are more than 125 registered tribes in Tanzania alone.

Kenya - The Masai Mara, part of the greater Serengeti / Mara ecosystem, is also home to the wildebeest migration as they cross over from Tanzania in the northern hemisphere's late summer and fall months. Also home to Amboseli, where the iconic image of elephants with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background can be captured.

Uganda - The primary wildlife viewing experience is for its large primates, chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. Gorillas are the primary attraction at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Queen Elizabeth National Park is also a wonderful destination for those who wish to combine a more traditional safari with the gorillas.

Rwanda - Mountain gorilla trekking in their Volcano National Park is by far the most popular activity in Rwanda. Rwanda is enjoying tourism again, and with good reason.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (eastern) - Virunga National Park is home to mountain gorillas, although at the time of this writing rebels are controlling most if not all of the viewing opportunities. I recommend Rwanda or Uganda if you are less 'adventurous'.

Southern Africa

Botswana - Primarily made up of the Kalahari Desert, Botswana has many excellent and remote wildlife viewing areas. The Okavango Delta is an inland flooded delta part of the year, and attracts a wide diversity of game to the area. There are other areas, such as the pans of Nxai Pan National Park and Makgadikgadi Pans game reserve, Linyanti/Kwando, Savute and the rest of the Chobe River region. The San bushmen are residents of the Kalahari, and offer excellent photographic opportunities, as well as true cultural exchanges.

Zambia - There are four major wildlife parks, North Luangwa and South Luangwa National Parks, Kafue National Park, and Lower Zambezi National Park. Most safaris tend to concentrate around South Luangwa National Park. Absolutely stellar elephant viewing.

Zimbabwe - There are three main reserves that receive most of the traffic, Hwange National Park (huge elephant population), Matusadona National Park (cape buffalo and elphant) and Mana Pools for its concentration and diversity of wildlife.

Mozambique - The newest wildlife safari destination, and is in the process of developing the Niassa Game Reserve. Niassa is part of the greater Selous ecosystem, and there are studies the indicate significant migration patterns between Selous in Tanzania and Niassa in Mozambique.

Namibia - Home to two different deserts, the Namib and the Kalahari. Home to the tallest sand dunes in the world, the peach colored dunes at Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast National Park, the beautiful Himba Tribe, the San bushment and the desert wildlife oasis at Etosha pan.

South Africa - There are many locations to view wildlife in South Africa, and the king of them all is definitely the greater Kruger area. This encompasses Kruger National Park, Mala Mala Game Reserve and the private game reserves that make up the Sabi Sand. There are too many great locations to mention, but South Africa is an excellent safari destination for those who wish for a little less remoteness, who wish for many of the comforts of home and for those who wish to have activities other than going on safari. Madikwe Game Reserve is also an excellent safari location. You can except South Africa to be the best developed country to travel in, which means that self driving is going to be much easier to negotiate.

When to Go on Safari?

This is a subject that is open to much debate, as I often enjoy going on safari during slower months, more wet times of the year and during times when I have a specific goal in mind. With that being said, I think Mark Nolting's 'Africa's Top Wildlife Countries' book has the best summary for when to go on safari. He has also reproduced this cart on the Africa Adventure Company's web site here:

Best Time to go on Safari

Another great resource can be found on the Eyes on Africa web page:

Southern Africa vs. East Africa, which safari region is better?

In summary, there are many different countries, game reserves and national parks that are worth visitng for a photographic safari. All of the above locations will yield excellent photographic opportunities, all with different highlights and features that make each location unique from the next.

Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. July 2006

Canon 5D, 24-105mm f/4 L IS, 1/50 sec @ f/8, ISO 160

These articles can be accessed quickly by navigating to the side of this page to the Photo Safari 101 category. Time for me to start writing!

Trip Name: Botswana: The Premier Wildlife Safari

Dates: July 19-28, 2009

Where: Botswana, Africa

Trip Highlights:

• We will have private vehicles during the entire safari, with only 1 person per row of seating.
• A virtually unlimited amount of weight per person of up to 180 pounds. Bring as much gear as you can! Standard weight allowance is typically only 44 pounds by comparison.
• This safari offers superb game viewing and photographic opportunities in some of the best areas in Southern Africa.
• We will have the option of photographing aerial shots from a helicopter (additional fees apply).
• We will stay at three different camps, Kwetsani Camp, Savuti Camp and Chitabe Camp.
• There is an optional extension to the famed Mombo Camp.
  

Here is a quick bio of Chris:

For those that have been waiting for Adobe Lightroom to be released, well wait no further! Here is a quick link to purchase a full version, upgrade version or a fully functioning demo.

Adobe Lightroom 2.0

Why do I like Lightroom 2.0? Primarily because of 2 features: local adjustments and much better print sharpening, which sharpens based on the output and resolution of your images. This technology came from the expertise over at Pixel Genius. No more need to run Photokit Sharpener any more.

From Photoshop News:

Photoshop Lightroom 2: Smarter, Faster and More Accurate
The enhanced Library module in Lightroom 2 helps streamline and accelerate photographers’workflows. With the ability to visually organize images across multiple hard drives, Lightroom 2 and its powerful Library Filter Bar makes it easy for users to quickly find the images they need. The Suggested Keywords feature helps photographers keyword their images by making intelligent suggestions based on their own previous efforts. New dual-monitor support allows users to expand their workspace, giving them flexibility to edit and organize images in a way that maximizes an additional display.

In the Develop module, the new Local Adjustment Brush lets photographers fine-tune specific areas of an image to precisely adjust color, exposure and tonal range without affecting other areas of the image. The new Graduated Filter expands the toolbox in Lightroom, allowing for edits to larger areas by applying gradually diminishing or increasing adjustment effects such as exposure, clarity, and saturation, alone, or in any combination. Lightroom 2 also helps photographers print more efficiently by quickly arranging photos of multiple sizes on one or many pages with flexible and customizable templates to maximize paper and ink. Intelligent algorithms automatically determine optimal sharpening for screen or print, producing crisper images faster.

Ground-Breaking Innovation in Raw Technology
New raw technology gives photographers access to flexible camera profiles. Camera profiles are the visual starting point for the raw processing workflow, but image preferences vary for every photographer. To minimize surprises, Adobe is supplying default camera profiles that closely emulate the visual looks that photographers are used to seeing from their favorite camera, while also providing the ability to create highly customized profiles to suit different tastes. Camera profiles are available for immediate download on Adobe Labs (http://labs.adobe.com) for use with Lightroom 2 and Camera Raw 4.5, along with the DNG Profile Editor for the community to test and create their own profiles.

The Adobe Camera Raw 4.5 plug-in and DNG Converter 4.5 are also now available on Adobe.com and support over 190 camera models including the Olympus E 420 and E 520 models.

“One of the big reasons why Lightroom has become such a phenomenon among serious photographers is that Adobe built it with the input of a very vocal user community,” said Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). “Adobe really listens to the issues and challenges today’s photographers face and they’ve built a complete solution that not only meets the needs of photographers; it really feels like it was made just for us. The enhancements to Lightroom 2, combined with the power of Photoshop, give photographers the ultimate freedom to produce professional images quickly.”

The Safari Companion by Richard Estes

Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape by Galen Rowell

Inner Game of Outdoor Photography by Galen Rowell

Africa by Art Wolfe

The Living Wild by Art Wolfe

Broken Spears: A Maasai Journey by Elizabeth Gilbert

My Seregenti Years by Myles Turner

Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide by Peter Allison

Africa by Sebastiao Salgado

Vanishing Africa by Mirella Ricciardi

The Last of the Nuba by Leni Riefenstahl

1) Bracket the difficult exposures if shooting film, or learn how to read histograms on digital cameras. When photographing wildlife, you typically have dark bodies against light backgrounds, which are one of the most difficult situations to expose for. An incident meter is also a great idea.

2) Know your equipment before you depart for your safari trip. Learning to use a new camera in the field will most likely end up as that: a test. Bring along the manual for your camera(s)!

3) Bring along a bean bag, or some other means to support your camera. A stable camera platform is preferable to hand holding. I prefer the Kinesis Safari Sack product.

4) Bring the longest lens that you can afford. There will be many shots that will be close, and there will be many that are far away. Having the best tool for the job will definitely help. In 35mm terms, a 400mm lens is a great starting point.

5) You should try and take your best photographs within the first hour of sunlight, and the last hour of sunlight. The closer the sun is to the horizon, the warmer and more dramatic your shots will be.

6) Try to practice the 'rule of thirds'. By offsetting your subject away from the center of the frame, you will create nice negative space that has balance and harmony to your images. After you have practiced the rule of thirds, start breaking the rules. Rules are meant to be broken, especially if you want to think creatively.

7) At the very end of the day, when the sun is below the horizon, flash photography is a must. I have found that a Better Beamer or Flash X-Tender attached to your flash can illuminate wildlife farther away than you might think. Better Beamers are also great to put the catch light in the eyes of a far away mammal or bird. There are 3 reasons for using flash: flash as your main light (brigher than the ambient light), flash as fill light and flash as catchlight. Understand the differences, and how to use your flash for each of these situations.

8) Learn more about the wildlife you would like to photograph. You will be amazed at the abundance and variety of wildlife in east Africa, and how they interrelate. I recommend The Safari Companion by Richard Estes.

Wildlife photography comes with many challenges, both creatively and technically. On the creative side, composition is the single most important decision you will make in your images. Other things are certainly important, but composition will carry an image if other aspects are not as strong. On the other hand, if you already have your creative areas covered and need more help with the technical aspects of your images, consider this brief introduction to depth of field for wildlife photography a good start.

"Why worry about depth of field? I mean, I spent all of this money on a fast telephoto lens, why not shoot wide open all of the time?" I often hear this type of statement while out on safari, along with additional tidbits like "don't I always want the fastest shutter speed possible?" or "I don't want to have to think about my depth of field. Shooting wide open takes that decision away." Ok. Let's dive in.

Canon 1DsMkII, 400mm f/4 DO IS, f/5.0 @ 1/640sec, ISO 250

Here is a quick crop of the eyes and nose. I could have stopped down a little more, but I was trying to strike the balance between a blurred background, which usually requires f/2.8 to f/4 at moderate distances, and a sharp subject. One of the techniques that I use is mid-point focusing. In other words, if I need both the eyes and nose in focus, I will focus in the space in between them. This image is a near-miss, but I am still happy with it. Notice that the eyes are sharp, as well as the teeth, but not quite on the nose.

Here is another example of a missed opportunity. Somewhat of a grab shot, but I always try to take images with babies or action in them. Here we have a mother and baby giraffe in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. I used a 500mm lens on a Canon 5D camera, and I had only a second to grab a shot before they walked away. Well, I only had one shot, and the shot didn't work out, as I grabbed the shot at f/4. Not enough depth of field for both the mother's head and the baby's head. If you look closely at the image, you can easily see that the mother's head is likely to be 4 to 6 feet behind the baby's head. Something to think about when examining a scene.

Canon 5D, 500mm f/4 L IS, 1/200sec @ f/4, ISO 200

And here is the cropped area. Notice how the mother is dead sharp and the baby isn't sharp at all. Strike that up to not enough depth of field. The entire head area was important to me on both of them, so I missed the mark on this shot. 

So how does one determine the proper aperture for a given goal? Here are some great resources that illustrate both depth of field concepts and products that you can take with you out in the field. Understand the relationship between focal length, subject distance and aperture. All three are related to each other, and it takes a while to get a hang of it. I know instinctively that with my 500mm f/4 lens at 50 feet, I am usually shooting between f/8 and f/14, depending on how large my subject is. I will need much more depth of field for a zebra that is looking directly at the camera than if I am shooting a bird of prey that is looking sideways, or a profile look. The zebra will require about 24 inches of depth of field from its nose to is ears, and an eagle that is looking sideways might only require 4 inches of depth of field. When in doubt, stop down more than you think you need. F/14 is very common in my world. You will be surprised at how you can still reach your goal of having a blurred background, while having all of your subject in focus.

Here is an example of when you can have a tack sharp subject and a blurred background. One of the tricks is to try to avoid cluttered background, which helps separate your subject from the rest of the image. In this next shot, I used f/11 to make sure that I had all of the fine detail of the grass in focus. So my subject increased from the lioness to the surrounding area. The lines of the grass complement the angle of the lioness, so I chose to emphasize this by increasing the depth of field. I have found that for my 500mm f/4 lens in east Africa, where my subjects range from 25 to 75 feet away, I use f/8 to f/11 75% of the time. And I tend to stop down more to f/14 or more on a regular basis. I rarely use f/4 to f/5.6, unless I am in dire need of a faster shutter speed.

Canon 1DMkII, 500mm f/4 L IS, f/11 @ 1/200 sec, ISO 250

Conclusion

Depth of field control is both a tool to convey what is important in your image, as well as it is a control to help de-emphasize what is not important in your image. Learn what the depth of field is at common apertures for different focal lengths at different distances. Your understanding of these variables will go a long way in controlling how your subjects are portrayed in your images.

My new system is now php based, and has a great admin utility where I can manage all aspects of the site. Here is a quick rundown of the new features, both visible to the public and not:

• Slideshow on home page
• Optimized for search engines
• Easy creation, modification and deletion of galleries
• Easy management of print prices, sizes and finishes such as framing
• Direct photo uploading
  
• New way of presenting images in galleries: frames, drop shadows, and meta data
• Shopping cart for better and easier print sales
• Discounts for print sales
• Integrated mailing list, although I am not using this feature.
  
• Web page templates for quick publishing

These are only some of the benefits that I am seeing. I removed my Articles section that I had on my old web site, and in the following days I will migrate the old content into this blog.

I hope you enjoy the new web site. The overall design hasn't changed that much, but the entire plumbing behind the scenes is all brand new. A huge thank you to Widerange Galleries and Jack Brauer for doing all of the heavy lifting. You are the greatest. Seriously. My past experiences with oursource web development hasn't been so rosy, and you have changed my attitude from this experience.

If you are a photographer and need a new web site, you really should take a look at what Widerange is doing with other photographers' sites. Great stuff.

Check out this link to see some amazing photographs of a leopard taking out a nile crocodile. Simply amazing.

"A series of incredible pictures taken at a South African game reserve document the first known time that a leopard has taken on and defeated one of the fearsome reptiles. The photographs were taken by Hal Brindley, an American wildlife photographer, who was supposed to be taking pictures of hippos from his car in the Kruger National Park.

The giant cat raced out of cover provided by scrub and bushes to surprise the crocodile, which was swimming nearby.

A terrible and bloody struggle ensued. Eventually, onlookers were amazed to see the leopard drag the crocodile from the water as the reptile fought back. With the crocodile snapping its powerful jaws furiously, the two animals somersaulted and grappled. Despite the crocodile's huge weight and strength, the leopard had the upper hand catching its prey by the throat.

Eventually the big cat was able to sit on top of the reptile and suffocate it.

In the past, there have been reports of crocodiles killing leopards, but this is believed to the first time that the reverse scenario has been observed."

"I drove away, elated in disbelief. It may have been the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

Ellie Rose, a reptile keeper at London Zoo, said: "Normally, crocodiles are well able to defend themselves against attack. I can't think of any examples of this happening before."

I haven't taken that many photographs of Will since his birth, primarily because he is either in Leslie's arms for feeding time or all wrapped up and swaddled and sleeping. Not too many photo opportunities. I do take tons of family photographs, but my typical answer for whether I take people shots is: "If it doesn't have tusks, horns, hooves, spots or stripes, I probably won't be very good at it." So I decided to learn something today, and my area that I need work on is portrait lighting. Why not sit little Will in a basket, turn on the Pocket Wizards, get the black backdrop up, adjust the soft box and go to town. Unfortunately Will woke up after the first flash, and the next 10 minutes was filled with trying to keep a newborn comfortable. Not an easy task.

My equipment:

Canon 1DsMkIII + 24-70mm f/2.8

Canon 580EX II flash

Photoflex LiteDome small softbox

Two Pocket Wizards

Photek Background-In-A-Bag (black 8x12 foot) and companion support system