Photography by Randy Hanna » Nikon

Safari Update – What Worked Well On My Last Safari

Randy Hanna — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:00:28 +0000

After each safari I consult my travelers and make a list of what went well, as well as those things that need improvement. For this post, I will highlight what worked well for us or those things that made our lives on safari just a bit better (or a lot in some cases). Before we get to the list, I would like to share the photo below. I seldom have my photo taken, but Steve was able to capture my sheer joy of being in the bush. If I had my way, I often wonder if I could find a way to simply live there.

That Safari Grin

The top fifteen tips or observations of what worked well on the last safari:

Ramadan did not pose a problem while in Dubai. Before you go, spend time learning to work around cultural events in foreign countries.
While Fairview was nice and always my first choice for lodging in Kenya however, you need to stay in the main building (rooms 3 and 5).
Transfers with additional camera equipment between Kenya and Tanzania with Precision Air, was relatively painless.
All coordinated transfers were painless.
Packing and planning well in advance for differing conditions reduced shooting stress.
Mobile camp at Senera (unit) was really special – fast response by Thomson’s to alter location to better support photography clients (BIG PLUS – these guys are simply the best).
Mobile camp at Kekogona was perfect for northern work and river crossings.
Inverters in the trucks are great support.
Amod tracking device was flawless, and worked well on rechargeable batteries.
Hyperspace worked great, less the combat card issue and having one of the units dropped which fractured the hard drive connection point.
Jerimah Beach Hotel in Dubai is THE place to stay (not cheapest)
The maps that Thomson’s provided was used often buy all of the travelers – great resource.
Difficult but rewarding hike up the side of Mount Meru. This was an optional trip for some of my travelers. Great to do if you are in shape.
English-Swahili ‘Useful Phrases, TMP Book Department – TABORA’ – the best book I’ve seen thus far.
A visit to Shangaa, was rewarding as usual.

Cheers and happy photo’ing

Studio Six19 – Coogan & Melissa (part IV – Coogan)

Randy Hanna — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:04:17 +0000

Here it is, the very last of the studio shoots of Coogan. While these are more of the classic portrait shots, they are shots every serious photographer needs to know how to do. They include managing your shadows, fill light, and striking a balance with ambient light. Enjoy

Studio Six19 – Coogan & Melissa (part III – Coogan)

Randy Hanna — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:05:54 +0000

Continuing with the next to last installment in this series are several images of Coogan. All images demonstrate the wonderful abilities of the Nikon Creative Lighting System which is available in their pro-sumer and professional model cameras. SB900 and SB800 flashes were used along with diffusers and reflectors.

Studio Six19 – Coogan & Melissa (part II)

Randy Hanna — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:46:13 +0000

Here I am up late again continuing to do some processing from last weekend’s shoot of Coogan and Melissa. In most of these shots below, I was using a softbox and or a shoot-thru diffusion panel with a pair of SB900′s. In all cases, exposure was controlled using the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) system from the back of the camera. Camera was a Nikon D300 with a 70-200 or a 17-55 lens. I’ll be shooting at Studio 619 again on the 8th and 9th of Aug demonstrating the Nikon CLS. Here are some of my favorites of the two of them doing their thing.