TRIP REPORT: SOUTH AFRICA, May 2007 Madikwe Hills, Kings Camp, Leopard Hills
Jun 16th, 2007, 04:24 AM
#42
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Tom,
Our first guide at MM (Dixon) was also very shy of getting close to the elephants and also related the story of the ranger who was killed by an elephant. I had seen on the internet another incident of tourist (lady) and her neice who were trampled. I don't recall where or when, but think it was recent.
So, we did not get that close to elephants as well.
Also enjoyed your story about the "bird" and delightful trip report.
Granny Joan
Our first guide at MM (Dixon) was also very shy of getting close to the elephants and also related the story of the ranger who was killed by an elephant. I had seen on the internet another incident of tourist (lady) and her neice who were trampled. I don't recall where or when, but think it was recent.
So, we did not get that close to elephants as well.
Also enjoyed your story about the "bird" and delightful trip report.
Granny Joan
Jun 16th, 2007, 05:09 AM
#43
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Granny Joan
I much prefer a ranger to show caution with eles. I feel the risk with eles charging is quite high if you get in their private space, and that they charge is indication of this, mock or otherwise, and I am not talking about juvenile males mock charging. Adult female and male eles deserve the respect of us giving them some space, and to have an ele mock charge a few times, may put another vehicle following in a dangerous position!
Kind regards
Kaye
I much prefer a ranger to show caution with eles. I feel the risk with eles charging is quite high if you get in their private space, and that they charge is indication of this, mock or otherwise, and I am not talking about juvenile males mock charging. Adult female and male eles deserve the respect of us giving them some space, and to have an ele mock charge a few times, may put another vehicle following in a dangerous position!
Kind regards
Kaye
Jun 16th, 2007, 07:00 AM
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Almostthere
I bet there are many more species of birds in your city than you have been aware of. Now you have a new appreciation you will likely be amazed by the number of different species that will just visit a suburban back yard.
I bet there are many more species of birds in your city than you have been aware of. Now you have a new appreciation you will likely be amazed by the number of different species that will just visit a suburban back yard.
Jun 16th, 2007, 07:18 AM
#45
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Almostthere,
I too have had Mac as a guide...but at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge last year. He was based there on secondment for three months. I had a great time.
Is he based at Leadwood? I'm due to be at Exeter in September but I can't for the life of me remember which one.
Cheers,
Gary.
Cheers,
Gary.
I too have had Mac as a guide...but at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge last year. He was based there on secondment for three months. I had a great time.
Is he based at Leadwood? I'm due to be at Exeter in September but I can't for the life of me remember which one.
Cheers,
Gary.
Cheers,
Gary.
Jun 16th, 2007, 09:33 AM
#46
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Tanky, Mac took over when Andrew and Nicolene went to River Lodge. He told me he had only been there 8 weeks. He is getting married in Sept. so I really dont know where he may end up. Each lodge we went to had great guides so I am sure if he is not there in September Colebert (tracker) will break in the new guy quite easily!
NappaMatt, you are quite right about the birds. My DH has requested birding books for father's day - from his "lab" child.
NappaMatt, you are quite right about the birds. My DH has requested birding books for father's day - from his "lab" child.
Jun 16th, 2007, 12:03 PM
#47
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Marc,
"Also do the Rogers still have their little Staffie at L.Hills?" I guess not, at least I know nothing about it.
I'd heard about the Better Beamer and almost got one for this trip. I have the SB600 flash. But I hesitated because it is more "stuff" to pack and carry. But I do agree that fill light and eye catch lights are a good thing. At the moment I'm thinking that if the SB600 can't do that alone then the subject is just too far away.
I really really need to learn how to use the SB600. But you know it's instruction booklet is some 89 pages long (yes, all English). It's more complicated than some digital cameras!!!!
regards - tom
"Also do the Rogers still have their little Staffie at L.Hills?" I guess not, at least I know nothing about it.
I'd heard about the Better Beamer and almost got one for this trip. I have the SB600 flash. But I hesitated because it is more "stuff" to pack and carry. But I do agree that fill light and eye catch lights are a good thing. At the moment I'm thinking that if the SB600 can't do that alone then the subject is just too far away.
I really really need to learn how to use the SB600. But you know it's instruction booklet is some 89 pages long (yes, all English). It's more complicated than some digital cameras!!!!
regards - tom
Jun 16th, 2007, 12:35 PM
#48
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Tom, your report is very well-organized and informative. Wonderful photos. Your composition is quite artistic--are you able to get this while shooting or do you think your cropping is helping? I'm very impressed with it because I think it's so difficult to compose a photo with moving subjects. I have been trying to get good shots of my dog at home and she's a couch potato!
Tops for me: the elephants on the mound of dirt, the lion cubs facing the camera with their mom facing the other way, the rhinos, the marabou stork in the leafless tree, leopard in tree.
Tops for me: the elephants on the mound of dirt, the lion cubs facing the camera with their mom facing the other way, the rhinos, the marabou stork in the leafless tree, leopard in tree.
Jun 16th, 2007, 01:57 PM
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Thanks Leely and Kavey,
I'm happy to hear that my report is readable. Moving subjects are very difficult to photograph. Simply keeping focus is not easy, and then the animal is moving its head, looking this way or that, blinking eyes, you know what I mean. I set the camera to shoot 3 or 5 frames per second and let it rip for a couple of seconds. Hopefully one of those ten shots will be in focus on the eyes, with the eyes open, looking at me, no grass or branches in front etc. The leopard in the tree is a good example of this. Of the several shots I ripped off only two had the leopard looking at me like this. And yes cropping, it is also cropped to make the leopard bigger in the picture. In fact I just put up on SmugMug the original camera jpeg of that leopard shot (but scaled down in pixel size for SmugMug). It is the very last on in the series and a short cut to it is - http://tinyurl.com/2hyy3q
You will see it is cropped a lot, much more so than I usually crop. And that Photoshop was required to bring the leopard out of the shadows. This is required for images coming out of camras like the Nikon D200. The days of shooting Kodachrome 35mmm slides, sending them in to Kodak for processing and accepting whatever comes back are over. For better or worse
regards - tom
I'm happy to hear that my report is readable. Moving subjects are very difficult to photograph. Simply keeping focus is not easy, and then the animal is moving its head, looking this way or that, blinking eyes, you know what I mean. I set the camera to shoot 3 or 5 frames per second and let it rip for a couple of seconds. Hopefully one of those ten shots will be in focus on the eyes, with the eyes open, looking at me, no grass or branches in front etc. The leopard in the tree is a good example of this. Of the several shots I ripped off only two had the leopard looking at me like this. And yes cropping, it is also cropped to make the leopard bigger in the picture. In fact I just put up on SmugMug the original camera jpeg of that leopard shot (but scaled down in pixel size for SmugMug). It is the very last on in the series and a short cut to it is - http://tinyurl.com/2hyy3q
You will see it is cropped a lot, much more so than I usually crop. And that Photoshop was required to bring the leopard out of the shadows. This is required for images coming out of camras like the Nikon D200. The days of shooting Kodachrome 35mmm slides, sending them in to Kodak for processing and accepting whatever comes back are over. For better or worse
regards - tom
Jun 16th, 2007, 09:40 PM
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Hi Tom
I strongly urge you to get the BB for your next safari. I have the SB600 also and have been practising at my local zoo in preparation for Zambia. The BB weighs nothing, it's basically 2 bits of plastic frame with a large fresnal lens on the end. You'll not regret it ;-)
Here's a few images from the zoo taken with my new 300f/2.8 VR & BB
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcs_pix/
Cheers
Marc
Cheers
Marc
I strongly urge you to get the BB for your next safari. I have the SB600 also and have been practising at my local zoo in preparation for Zambia. The BB weighs nothing, it's basically 2 bits of plastic frame with a large fresnal lens on the end. You'll not regret it ;-)
Here's a few images from the zoo taken with my new 300f/2.8 VR & BB
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcs_pix/
Cheers
Marc
Cheers
Marc
Jun 16th, 2007, 10:25 PM
#52
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Marc, your photo "Snow leopard snarl", you used the BB on it, yes? About how far away was leopard, indoors or outdoors? And what was the f stop, ISO, and shutter speed, please?
regards - tom
regards - tom
Jun 17th, 2007, 09:26 AM
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Have you used the BB on Safari in Africa at night?
Our ranger allowed flash on the Cats. With the jeep spot and our flash we got some good shots. Not sure the best way to post them here. We use Canons in this house, does your BB work on Canons too?
Our ranger allowed flash on the Cats. With the jeep spot and our flash we got some good shots. Not sure the best way to post them here. We use Canons in this house, does your BB work on Canons too?
Jun 17th, 2007, 09:52 AM
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Marc, Snow leopard at night, right? So (mostly only) lighting was from flash? Good photo. Was getting focus difficult? That f2.8 gotta be nice for that.
I rarely expect to get good photos with flash at night. Works fine sometimes for a closeup portrait like your leopard. But for general "behavior" shots, like my Serval cat looking back, the flash lighting on the background is not natural and usually causes harsh black shadows. Not to mention very strange "redeye". Thus I don't care for it. I have a nice shot of the Serval looking at the camera but the eyes are glowing so brightly looks like he has bulbs in them. However, sometimes you have no choice.
I do like fill light in sunlight and eye catch lights. So the flash is many times useful for that. And I really should use it more often. And I can see like on the BB web page it being very useful for 300mm plus lens for birds or when hazy cloudy day. But I'm still unconvinced that it will be that useful for daylight animal shots that are within 20 meters. Also, (and I really should know this) how will the flash sync at 1/250 of a second? My preferred (or usually faster) shutter speed. How do you have your SB200 dialed in on your D2Hs (or D200)?
regards - tom
I rarely expect to get good photos with flash at night. Works fine sometimes for a closeup portrait like your leopard. But for general "behavior" shots, like my Serval cat looking back, the flash lighting on the background is not natural and usually causes harsh black shadows. Not to mention very strange "redeye". Thus I don't care for it. I have a nice shot of the Serval looking at the camera but the eyes are glowing so brightly looks like he has bulbs in them. However, sometimes you have no choice.
I do like fill light in sunlight and eye catch lights. So the flash is many times useful for that. And I really should use it more often. And I can see like on the BB web page it being very useful for 300mm plus lens for birds or when hazy cloudy day. But I'm still unconvinced that it will be that useful for daylight animal shots that are within 20 meters. Also, (and I really should know this) how will the flash sync at 1/250 of a second? My preferred (or usually faster) shutter speed. How do you have your SB200 dialed in on your D2Hs (or D200)?
regards - tom
Jun 17th, 2007, 10:38 AM
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Jun 17th, 2007, 08:50 PM
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Hi Tom
The Snow Leopard pic was actually taken on a o'cast early morning. Remember, these shots were for practice purposes only. My main purpose for using the BBfor safari is to use as fill flash/catch lights during day when the usual SB 600/800 would be out of reach. For day work, you can just dial in some minus flash compensation.
For night work, I typically use ISO400, manual exposure at 1/250 and f/4, or
other f/stop based on depth of field I want. You can get away with lower
ISO's, but it will make for longer recycling time and will really put a lot
of concentrated light into the animal's eyes. When a hand-held spotlight is
being used, I've recently started put a tungsten gel in the flash to match
the color balance between flash and spotlight. Otherwise you can have a
tungsten background and a flash foreground.
Note that there's one huge difference between practicing at a zoo and "the
wild". In a zoo, there are walls, floors, other surfaces that reflect flashlight. That doesn't happen outdoors -- open terrain is an amazing "light sucker". Many people practice using the "teddy bear" test, i.e. take a
stuffed animal out into your back yard and photograph it. Try it on the
ground, in a tree, etc. Suggest you shoot as low to the ground as possible
at night to minimize the amount of foreground illumination.
I use the FV lock function as much as possible, at least when the subject is
static, to avoid pre-flashes. Animal eyes are much more sensitive than
human eyes, and the pre-flashes usually make the animal blink just in time
for the main flash.
The great thing about the BB is that it's cheap (around US$30) and light and takes up no room. So get reading that flash manual. You've got nothing to loose, so give it go. ;-)
Cheers
Marc
The Snow Leopard pic was actually taken on a o'cast early morning. Remember, these shots were for practice purposes only. My main purpose for using the BBfor safari is to use as fill flash/catch lights during day when the usual SB 600/800 would be out of reach. For day work, you can just dial in some minus flash compensation.
For night work, I typically use ISO400, manual exposure at 1/250 and f/4, or
other f/stop based on depth of field I want. You can get away with lower
ISO's, but it will make for longer recycling time and will really put a lot
of concentrated light into the animal's eyes. When a hand-held spotlight is
being used, I've recently started put a tungsten gel in the flash to match
the color balance between flash and spotlight. Otherwise you can have a
tungsten background and a flash foreground.
Note that there's one huge difference between practicing at a zoo and "the
wild". In a zoo, there are walls, floors, other surfaces that reflect flashlight. That doesn't happen outdoors -- open terrain is an amazing "light sucker". Many people practice using the "teddy bear" test, i.e. take a
stuffed animal out into your back yard and photograph it. Try it on the
ground, in a tree, etc. Suggest you shoot as low to the ground as possible
at night to minimize the amount of foreground illumination.
I use the FV lock function as much as possible, at least when the subject is
static, to avoid pre-flashes. Animal eyes are much more sensitive than
human eyes, and the pre-flashes usually make the animal blink just in time
for the main flash.
The great thing about the BB is that it's cheap (around US$30) and light and takes up no room. So get reading that flash manual. You've got nothing to loose, so give it go. ;-)
Cheers
Marc
