Photography by Randy Hanna

Every now and then, I come across products that just make my life so much better.  When I travel to Africa to lead one of my safaris, I am very hard on my equipment and so is the environment.  So you can image my thrill when I discovered (thanks to a safari traveler that will be joining my January 2009 group), a killer duffel bag that carries a lifetime warranty and is made right here in good ‘ole Seattle.  We have to use duffel bags on our safari trips due to the inter-county flight back from the Serengeti to Arusha.  For this flight, we use a Cessna 208 with a cargo pod.  Hard sided luggage simply will not fit into the cargo hold of the aircraft.  OK, back to the bags.  After talking to the owner, Malcom, I took a risk and ordered three different sizes of his bags.  I don’t know what I was more excited about, receiving my bags or a new camera lens that came at the same time.  Funny thing, the bags were opened first.  Holy smokes, these are beauts and are made like a tank.  The zippers are industrial strength, and the bags are constructed from 1,000-denier CORDURA®, a nylon fabric that despite its brushed-cotton appearance has been generously coated with urethane and DWR (durable water-repellent finish) for abrasion- and water-resistance.  Every BAD BAG is double-stitched and seam-taped to resist pressure, both internal (your overstuffed load) or external (beefy baggage handlers).  From the zippers to internal compartments to the built in compression straps, these bags rock to the point that I now strongly recommend them to all safari goers, as well as anyone else that is sick of buying bag after bag.  These bags come in sizes ranging from 10.5 by 7.5 to 36 by 18 inches and can carry up to 7800 cubic inches of stuff.  I’ve stepped up to the Best American Duffel and I can’t wait to hit the Serengeti with them.  Contact BAD here.

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Whiskey Dick Wind Farm, near Ellensburg, WA  Oct 2008

Nikon D300, 70-200VR @ 90mm, ISO 100 @ 1/40 sec & f22

Back in October, I traveled to Ellensburg to photograph what has become an annual fall Yakima River float trip.  This year was a bust with very high winds that blew us off of the river and very cold temperatures to boot.  Not wanting to freeze to death on the river, a group of us headed for the wind farm between Ellensburg and Vantage, WA.  This outing was also my first chance to use my new Nikon 600 VR.  Despite having to start going to the gym to lift this animal, it is one wonderful piece of glass. Shooting groups of multiple objects that are perpendicular to the ground always presents a challenge with visual alignment, as not all of them will seem to be square to one another.  In this case, the perceived lack of square between the masts is due to the uneven ground and my camera angle.   With access restrictions, this location proved to be the best angle.  Shooting from a tripod with a leveling head, the shutter was slowed to create a feeling of motion with the blade tips.  Each blade is about 120 feet in length and rotates at 65-ish RPM.  Image was shot in RAW and converted to B&W in Lightroom.

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Lady Washington Crossing Commencement Bay

July 4, 2008

Nikon D3, 70-200VR

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I thought I would start the first post of the New Year off with a short recap of 2008:

• I started 2008 off by spending some 29 days in the bush of Tanzania.  My first safari was with my friend and African safari expert Andy Biggs, who gets the credit for introducing me to Tanzania and costing me lots of money.  This safari was followed by a 5-day private safari and then leading my own photo safari of 12 days for 12 great travel and photo clients. From planning to execution, I had outstanding support from Kathy.  Special thanks to Kaki, Gregg, Kelio, and the entire Thomson Safari Team for making my safaris a wonderful success.
• The month of April turned out to be both difficult and joyous with the passing of my mother and the birth of our first grandchild, all within the same week.  Strange what life hands us to deal with from time to time.
• In May, I gave away my youngest daughter in marriage to a really great young man, Paul Adams.
• June and July were filled with planning and managing the photo pool for Tall Ships Tacoma.  What a great event.  Several of my Tall Ships photos were selected as promotional items, book covers, and gifts for VIPs.  I also landed the cover photograph of the Tacoma Business Directory and the Tacoma Pierce Transit Directory.  The Transit Authority told me they had a bus wrap of the Lady Washington but I was never able to photograph it on the road.  At this point I have to consider it a ‘vapor bus’.
• In the fall I treated myself to a quick trip to Zion National Park. Sort of a scouting trip for a more serious trip next fall.  Although the weather was hit or miss, I was able to pull out several good images from the area.  I hope to hike deeper into the Narrows during my next trip.
• With my 2009 African safari full, I completed my winter Feb 2010 trip plans to Tanzania.  Much to my surprise, this trip is already more than half full.
• Nearly filled up the wine cellar.  Time to start drinking some of those hold-backs like the 1998 Silver Oak.
• In early December, I presented a lecture on photographing in Africa to a filled room for the ‘Tacoma Travels’ series at Far and Wide.
• And on the more serious side, our son-in-law headed to Afghanistan with the Army so our prayers are for his safe return to our daughter and new grandson.

Alexis, Kevin and Cole - "Departure Good-Byes"

So what is up for 2009?

• Starting in early February, I’ll be leading another photo and wildlife viewing safari to Tanzania.
• With my winter safari for 2010 is already scheduled and the itinerary set, I am in the early planning stages of offering an Aug 2010 trip on the heels of another adventure to South Africa with Andy Biggs.
• In Aug I’ll be leading a photo safari to Iceland – the island of fire and ice.
• In November, you can find me in Hawaii, New Mexico or Mexico – it all depends on the weather and the winds.
• With the recent release of some new Nikon products such as the D700 and the D3x, no doubt Nikon will continue to get more of my money in 2009 than I desire to part with.  Some call this problem, NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome).  NAS is a very dreaded syndrome with no real cure other than spending far too much money on camera equipment.

And now for those New Years’ Resolutions (at least the ones that I am willing to make public) that we all have and try to maintain:

• More frequent postings on this blog site.
• Continue my professional photography training and start trying to get my hands around Photoshop CS4.
• Learn to harness the power of the Nikon Creative Lighting System by doing more on-location portrait work.
• Sell more photographs and lead more safaris.
• Shed 15 additional pounds and improve my overall fitness.

So there you have it; a little bit of the past and a glimmer into the future – at least as best I know it.

Now, go make a difference in the world:

• Tell someone special that you love them today.

• Do a good deed more frequently than not.

• Be kind to Mother Earth.

Cheers to all and enjoy all of that surrounds you.

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