pictures from trip
Aug 24th, 2003, 05:23 PM
#1
pictures from trip
I finally got these downloaded and uploaded. Hope you enjoy. I had a wonderful time in South Africa and Botswana
http://www.ofoto.com/AlbumMenu.jsp?U...80_93144282505
Cindy
http://www.ofoto.com/AlbumMenu.jsp?U...80_93144282505
Cindy
Aug 24th, 2003, 06:21 PM
#2
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Cindy-
Thank you. That is such a good album. I laughed at some and was in awe at others. Really nice. It seems you missed a step in the album or something. Should anyone looking at it be able to alter it? The others have a space for comments, I don't think I would want others to be able to delete my pictures, etc. Just seemed strange to me.
But a wonderful set of photos. I would like it if you would add where they were taken, i.e., country, camp, etc. Thanks again. Liz
Thank you. That is such a good album. I laughed at some and was in awe at others. Really nice. It seems you missed a step in the album or something. Should anyone looking at it be able to alter it? The others have a space for comments, I don't think I would want others to be able to delete my pictures, etc. Just seemed strange to me.
But a wonderful set of photos. I would like it if you would add where they were taken, i.e., country, camp, etc. Thanks again. Liz
Aug 24th, 2003, 06:44 PM
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Cindy-
Nice photos!
Where did you see the anteater? And in the daytime! I was dying to see one when we were in Southern Africa last October/November.
What Southern African country were most of these taken?
Thanks,
Nicci
Nice photos!
Where did you see the anteater? And in the daytime! I was dying to see one when we were in Southern Africa last October/November.
What Southern African country were most of these taken?
Thanks,
Nicci
Aug 24th, 2003, 07:04 PM
#5
Liz - you are so right. I'll try to get it changed. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Nicci - I'm sorry I didn't say where they were - I thought I wrote it somewhere in the album but I guess not.
I was at Mabula in South Africa, all of the elephants (can you tell I loved them!) were in Mashatu in Botswana and I also visited a private farm in the Limpopo Province in the very north of SA. It's border was the Limpopo River by Botswana. That's where the anteater was.
Cindy
Nicci - I'm sorry I didn't say where they were - I thought I wrote it somewhere in the album but I guess not.
I was at Mabula in South Africa, all of the elephants (can you tell I loved them!) were in Mashatu in Botswana and I also visited a private farm in the Limpopo Province in the very north of SA. It's border was the Limpopo River by Botswana. That's where the anteater was.
Cindy
Aug 25th, 2003, 05:29 AM
#8
Clematis - copy and paste this link - I think you can view photos without signing in. If it doesn't work we can wait for Kavey - maybe she can tell me what to use.
http://www.ofoto.com/ShareLandingSig...43_41830592505
Cindy
http://www.ofoto.com/ShareLandingSig...43_41830592505
Cindy
Aug 25th, 2003, 07:03 AM
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How fantastic! Thanks for sharing. May I ask what kind of camera and lens you used? We're heading to East Africa in November and just bought an SLR on Saturday, but are mostly clueless about photography!
Aug 25th, 2003, 11:18 AM
#12
Liz ? there are always more than one way to skin a cat. I went to ofoto.com and sent myself the link to view the photos (which doesn?t allow changes) and copy/pasted it on here.
hlphillips2 ? I?ll turn this into a trip report and list the camera equipment.
Last year I was in Namibia and was greatly disappointed in my photos. I knew absolutely nothing about photography other than put it on automatic and push the button. But I decided my life would not be complete without going back to Africa to get good photos. So I let my cleaning lady go so I could save that money for another trip.
In March I took a local community education photography course to learn about exposure ? f/stops, aperture, film speeds etc. Then I found this website: naturephotographers.net and started viewing the photos and reading what exposures they used on different photos and the critiques that other people made suggesting what could have been different. Taking photos like I saw on that website became a mission.
At the end of May I bought a digital camera (Canon 10D), lenses (70-200mm F2.8 IS and a fixed 300mm f2.8 IS) and two converters (1.4x and 2.0x). The equipment decision was based on talking to different people at that website whose photos I was jealous of. My rationale in paying such exorbitant amounts for the lenses was knowing I could sell them upon my return and get back most of the money. Of course, I still haven?t been to Kenya so I?ll be keeping them awhile longer. I did try to buy used lenses but couldn?t find what I wanted. I then took a photographic workshop (Moose in Maine in June) with one of the photographers from the naturephotographers.net site because I didn?t have a clue how to use the camera. I learned enough in that 5-day course to get by. Hopefully by the time I go to Kenya I will have learned more.
Anyway ? after spending all that money on equipment I decided to postpone the actual trip until 2004. (The cleaning lady money I saved was all used up!) But then a friend of mine (internet friend) introduced me (through the internet) to a guy, Rod, that would help me plan a trip and be a guide (I was going alone) in South Africa. Going to SA was cheaper than what I was looking at in Kenya so I decided to just go for it. Rod lives in a Joberg suburb and undoubtedly knows more than I?ll ever know about all the camps in SA so I just told him what I wanted to see and he planned the whole trip. (I hate planning a trip.) So off to Africa I go to spend two weeks with a stranger as a guide.
hlphillips2 ? I?ll turn this into a trip report and list the camera equipment.
Last year I was in Namibia and was greatly disappointed in my photos. I knew absolutely nothing about photography other than put it on automatic and push the button. But I decided my life would not be complete without going back to Africa to get good photos. So I let my cleaning lady go so I could save that money for another trip.
In March I took a local community education photography course to learn about exposure ? f/stops, aperture, film speeds etc. Then I found this website: naturephotographers.net and started viewing the photos and reading what exposures they used on different photos and the critiques that other people made suggesting what could have been different. Taking photos like I saw on that website became a mission.
At the end of May I bought a digital camera (Canon 10D), lenses (70-200mm F2.8 IS and a fixed 300mm f2.8 IS) and two converters (1.4x and 2.0x). The equipment decision was based on talking to different people at that website whose photos I was jealous of. My rationale in paying such exorbitant amounts for the lenses was knowing I could sell them upon my return and get back most of the money. Of course, I still haven?t been to Kenya so I?ll be keeping them awhile longer. I did try to buy used lenses but couldn?t find what I wanted. I then took a photographic workshop (Moose in Maine in June) with one of the photographers from the naturephotographers.net site because I didn?t have a clue how to use the camera. I learned enough in that 5-day course to get by. Hopefully by the time I go to Kenya I will have learned more.
Anyway ? after spending all that money on equipment I decided to postpone the actual trip until 2004. (The cleaning lady money I saved was all used up!) But then a friend of mine (internet friend) introduced me (through the internet) to a guy, Rod, that would help me plan a trip and be a guide (I was going alone) in South Africa. Going to SA was cheaper than what I was looking at in Kenya so I decided to just go for it. Rod lives in a Joberg suburb and undoubtedly knows more than I?ll ever know about all the camps in SA so I just told him what I wanted to see and he planned the whole trip. (I hate planning a trip.) So off to Africa I go to spend two weeks with a stranger as a guide.
Aug 25th, 2003, 11:19 AM
#13
Trip report part 2
Rod met me at the airport and then we drove to his home where I met his family and took a shower (17 hr flight and I was ready for one!). After lunch we drive to the Sable Lodge at Mabula. Sable Lodge consists of 5 or 6 separate chalets (very nice) with a central lodge with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, bar area and dining table inside and out. Although Mabula has a lodge with a restaurant, at Sable Lodge you prepare your own meals. Rod brought some prepared meals and some he cooked there. All excellent. Rebecca was our Ranger at Mabula and she was very good at her job. We saw lots of game and she was very knowledgeable about everything. The grasses here were taller than anywhere else we went and one big field we came upon had been mowed. They were experimenting - the last 2 years they had burned the grasses but they grew back in thicker than before. So this year they mowed it to see what would happen. They have a sable breeding program there, they are trying to reintroduce some birds (I can't remember which one) there and many other interesting things going on. The lions they have are kept in a huge fenced area separate from the giraffe, eles etc but there are many of the antelope type animals in their area and they do hunt/catch their own food (for over 4 years now). We were the only guests at Sable Lodge so we had Rebecca and the game drives to ourselves. Had a wonderful time there. I've labeled the pictures with where they were taken.
After Mabula we drove up to the Botswana border where we had to leave the car. Mashatu does not allow any private vehicles to enter. We were picked up by Daniel who would be the game driver and right hand man while we were there. The lions at Mashatu are free roaming and their spoor is all around the area. No wandering around at night without armed escort (Daniel). We stayed at the Tent Camp there. No electricity but they do have solar powered lanterns in the tent at night and propane? lanterns in the toilet/shower area. The camp managers, Conway and Becky, charged all my digital stuff in their office at night. Mashatu has a large 2-story hide at a waterhole behind the camp and I took many pictures there. Excellent food/staff/hospitality/game drives. We were hours late for a couple of meals because the game drives were too good to go back "on time". No complaints from us! We saw a leopard on 3 different game drives, we saw squirrels just chattering away and stopped and watched them until we could figure out what they were upset about. It was a python lying right there in front of them. We were fairly close and we all thought it was a big stick. After sitting there trying to decide if it was a stick or a snake, it finally moved and the sun glistened on the skin and you could see the pattern. We saw many, many elephant (as the pictures show!). Mashatu was an excellent experience.
After Mashatu we drove to a farm near Thabazimbe which is owned by a friend of Rod's. It rivaled the reserves as far as food/staff/hospitality/game go. I took pictures of the warties, many birds and of course the anteater in the daylight there.
I was in Africa about 2 weeks and had so much to do at each place there was barely time to get an afternoon shower (too cold am and pm) and certainly no time for naps. And I loved every minute of it and wouldn't change a thing. Other than it all ended too soon.
Rod met me at the airport and then we drove to his home where I met his family and took a shower (17 hr flight and I was ready for one!). After lunch we drive to the Sable Lodge at Mabula. Sable Lodge consists of 5 or 6 separate chalets (very nice) with a central lodge with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, bar area and dining table inside and out. Although Mabula has a lodge with a restaurant, at Sable Lodge you prepare your own meals. Rod brought some prepared meals and some he cooked there. All excellent. Rebecca was our Ranger at Mabula and she was very good at her job. We saw lots of game and she was very knowledgeable about everything. The grasses here were taller than anywhere else we went and one big field we came upon had been mowed. They were experimenting - the last 2 years they had burned the grasses but they grew back in thicker than before. So this year they mowed it to see what would happen. They have a sable breeding program there, they are trying to reintroduce some birds (I can't remember which one) there and many other interesting things going on. The lions they have are kept in a huge fenced area separate from the giraffe, eles etc but there are many of the antelope type animals in their area and they do hunt/catch their own food (for over 4 years now). We were the only guests at Sable Lodge so we had Rebecca and the game drives to ourselves. Had a wonderful time there. I've labeled the pictures with where they were taken.
After Mabula we drove up to the Botswana border where we had to leave the car. Mashatu does not allow any private vehicles to enter. We were picked up by Daniel who would be the game driver and right hand man while we were there. The lions at Mashatu are free roaming and their spoor is all around the area. No wandering around at night without armed escort (Daniel). We stayed at the Tent Camp there. No electricity but they do have solar powered lanterns in the tent at night and propane? lanterns in the toilet/shower area. The camp managers, Conway and Becky, charged all my digital stuff in their office at night. Mashatu has a large 2-story hide at a waterhole behind the camp and I took many pictures there. Excellent food/staff/hospitality/game drives. We were hours late for a couple of meals because the game drives were too good to go back "on time". No complaints from us! We saw a leopard on 3 different game drives, we saw squirrels just chattering away and stopped and watched them until we could figure out what they were upset about. It was a python lying right there in front of them. We were fairly close and we all thought it was a big stick. After sitting there trying to decide if it was a stick or a snake, it finally moved and the sun glistened on the skin and you could see the pattern. We saw many, many elephant (as the pictures show!). Mashatu was an excellent experience.
After Mashatu we drove to a farm near Thabazimbe which is owned by a friend of Rod's. It rivaled the reserves as far as food/staff/hospitality/game go. I took pictures of the warties, many birds and of course the anteater in the daylight there.
I was in Africa about 2 weeks and had so much to do at each place there was barely time to get an afternoon shower (too cold am and pm) and certainly no time for naps. And I loved every minute of it and wouldn't change a thing. Other than it all ended too soon.
Aug 25th, 2003, 11:40 AM
#14
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Cindy-
Thank you for sharing such details about your planning and trip. I'm headed back to see your album again. I admire how you tackled the photography classes and how determined you were and you can see by your photos it paid off. Knowledge you will always have now. Kavey has done an excellent post on doing manual settings and their meanings. I believe it was on one of Rocco's threads. I still don't get it, so I will continue to point and shoot, and hope for the best. Anything you decide to post will be eagerly grabbed up and savored. Thanks again. Liz
Thank you for sharing such details about your planning and trip. I'm headed back to see your album again. I admire how you tackled the photography classes and how determined you were and you can see by your photos it paid off. Knowledge you will always have now. Kavey has done an excellent post on doing manual settings and their meanings. I believe it was on one of Rocco's threads. I still don't get it, so I will continue to point and shoot, and hope for the best. Anything you decide to post will be eagerly grabbed up and savored. Thanks again. Liz
Aug 25th, 2003, 12:08 PM
#15
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Just took another look and left comments. You can delete them if you'd like. I really enjoyed it, even more this time. I have wanted to visit Mashatu, and am even more sure that I do on our next trip to Botswana. Reminded me of the Moremi area of Botswana. I would like to go in April though when its a bit warmer. I imagine that shower in the open air was freezing. Liz
Aug 25th, 2003, 01:18 PM
#16
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Cindy -
Wonderful photos - loved the captions. Glad you took time to capture our winged friends.
You do know that the expression "high tail it out of here" came from the way those warthogs run. They have always be one of my favorites, because they make me laugh when then "high tail it out of there".
Thanks also for the info on the photo equipment.
Still have to read the trip report, but seems you had a great time. Thanks for sharing. Sandi
Wonderful photos - loved the captions. Glad you took time to capture our winged friends.
You do know that the expression "high tail it out of here" came from the way those warthogs run. They have always be one of my favorites, because they make me laugh when then "high tail it out of there".
Thanks also for the info on the photo equipment.
Still have to read the trip report, but seems you had a great time. Thanks for sharing. Sandi
Aug 26th, 2003, 05:52 AM
#17
Thanks to all of you for your kind comments. Liz, I enjoyed reading your comments - thank you! I have been very impressed with the photos shared by others including Kavey, Roccco, the Robertsons, Andy and Laura. They were all definitely inspirations to me as well. I am happy mine turned out to be "shareable".
Cindy
Cindy
Aug 26th, 2003, 04:37 PM
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sundowner -- thank you so much for the wonderful report -- and the great photog advice! We will absolutely check out that site. And I'll admit I'm a bit jealous of the fantastic photos you've taken. They're quite impressive. We will start learning from you on naturephotographers.net!
