Photography by Randy Hanna » Safari

More Wild Dog Encounters

Randy Hanna — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:34:30 +0000

On one of our last days with the dogs, we found them lounging around in a small open area surrounded by low brush and trees. I really wanted to walk away with a low angle shot of the dogs; sort of an image taken from a dog’s view. Steve Carey, our guide (AKA Wild Dog Man), mentioned that he thought I could get closer to the dogs by exiting the vehicle and maintaining a very low profile as I worked my way into the bush and to the edge of the clearing. When I asked Steve just how close he thought I could get, he simply answered ‘you will know’ – a man of few words, that Steve. We repositioned the truck to cover my dismount and down I went into the brush. Ouch, Ouch I thought as I crawled on my knees to a position just forward of the outermost tree, then it was down into a low crawl position. Between the pain of the sheeps’ head burs and the acacia thorns, I was in a great deal of pain with my every move and thought about just giving it up. As I made my way to the edge of the grass, I found myself concentrating on the dogs and their interaction with his 6.2 foot guy laying in front of them holding a really large camera and lens. The pain that was previously killing me, was no longer in my attention span. On several occasions the inquisitive young dogs would approach me to the point that they were outside of the minimum focus of the zoom that I was using. Below is one of the up close and personal shots of one of the dogs taken while in this position. I used a shallow f-stop in conjunction with minimum focus range in an attempt to blur theforeground grass that I was shooting through. Steve Kruger is in the background (in the truck) shooting me shooting the dogs. BTW, I was crawling on my stomach With a D3s -200-400 and a D3x – 70-200. What a load to crawl around with and maintain a low to the ground profile and not spook the dogs. It was another great day in the bush with the dogs.

Nikon D3s, 200-400 f/2.8 VR @ 310mm, ISO 720, f/8.0 at 1/400 sec (8:38 am)

This image was taken here.

Cheers and happy photo’ing

Safari Time Again

Randy Hanna — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 07:43:12 +0000

Sitting in Zurich awaiting our flight to Kenya for another wonderful safari. This safari will focus on two locations, Lewa and Sosian.

Lewa is Lewa Wilderness Trails Lodge is located on a 60, 000 acres Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to the north on the foothill of the snow capped Mount Kenya which is Africa’s second largest Mountain.

Its topography is characteristic of mountains, rocky outcrops, acacia woods, plains and a river valley all in the immediate vicinity. Lewa Conservancy is rich in wildlife and is haven for Black Rhinos, Sitatunga – a spectacular aquatic antelope as well as the Grevy’s Zebra. Our focus at Lewa will be photographing the Rhinos.

Sosian Ranch is set amid stunning scenery and overlooks snowcapped Mount Kenya. The old ranch house sits within the 24,000 acre working ranch on the Laikipia plateau. The variety of habitat here, open plains to the north and dense scrublands to the south, supports plenty of game. However, our focus on this trip is to photograph the wild dogs. Once thought to be extinct in this area of Africa, the wild dogs have made a great come-back in this area. Armed with tracking equipment, I am very hopeful that we will have little trouble in photographing these wonderful dogs.

While I am unsure about internet connectivity, I will try to post from the bush as much as I can. For now, it’s off to Nairobi and the Fairview. We will overnight at the Fairview, my all time favorite place to stay, where will be reconfigure our bags for the early morning push into bush.

Cheers and happy photo’ing.

Photo of the Week – FULL CHARGE

Randy Hanna — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:58:18 +0000

Every once in a while, I find myself in a position to capture the charge of a bull elephant. Kelio, my long time guide in Tanzania, tells me that the bulls will make three mock charges. The forth one is for real, and they will be coming thru your window. Fortunately, the expert guides at Thomsons Safaris are keenly aware of the conditions that surround them and would never let any dangerous situation arise. As much as I would like to tell you that this bull stopped only inches from our Land Rover, it was all possible due to a telephoto lens. Using a telephoto lens, you can compress distance a great deal. As with this image, I was able to compress the distance between me and the elephant in such a manner that it appears like he was right on top of me. In reality, we were safely tucked inside of our Land Rovers and at an appropriate distance…..the miracles of telephoto glass. To get up close and personal with the wildlife, consider joining me on one of my photo safaris.

Nikon D3, 200-400 f/2.8 @ 400mm, ISO 500, f/8 at 1/400 sec

Cheers and happy photo’ing

45 Days and Counting until Safari time.

Randy Hanna — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:31:32 +0000

It has been a cold snowy past week (actually last week) in the Seattle area. On the heals of this, the 48 hour flu ht me right between the eyes, just as I was planning to travel to San Diego to do some nature photography.

On my mind these days is my next safari in March. I’m leading a private safari focusing on Wild Dogs and Rhinos in Kenya. Operating exclusively in private conversation areas, off-roading and foot tracking will be the order of the day as we strive for outstanding up close and personal photography of these wonderful subjects. We will also be spending time with a local Samburu Village for some wonderful travel shots. Below is a shot from my recent trip to the Mara Plains area. Place this in Google Earth to see where the image was taken at:

1 24.12921S, 35 8.3947E , elev 5182ft.

Drinking in the Mara

Nikon D3s, 200-400 VR @ 200mm, ISO 320, f/8 at 1/320 sec

Cheers and happy photoing.

Shallow F-Stop Usage

Randy Hanna — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:52:08 +0000

I almost always shoot in aperture mode, as it allows me to control the depth of field or zone of focus. I use this technique to control what the viewer “sees” in my photograph or to call attention to a particular part of the image or to isolate the primary image from the foreground or background. Combing this technique with the image compression of a telephoto lens, one can really start to isolate the subject. In the image below, I used a wide open aperture on a 200-400mm zoom set at 310mm and focused just in front of of the cheetah. Focusing in front of the Cheetah allowed me to keep the first cat in crisp focus while allowing the second cat (only three feet behind the first one) to go past soft focus and begin the transition into the blurred background. The result is a tact sharp cat in the foreground with a pleasing out of focus background, yet showing enough detail in the second cat to maintain interest. Having shot with the 200-400 for a number of years, I am pretty good at guessing the hyperfocal distances (I’ll save that topic for another post) within my normal shooting ranges. Like most shots, when you take your time and make use of your knowledge, you will increase your chances of walking away with a solid image.

Outside of the Massai Mara Plains, two brothers on alert.

Nikon D3S, 200-400mm VRII, set at 310mm, 1/320 sec, f/5.0, matrix meeting, aperture priority

Cheers and happy photo’ ing.

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

Sometimes A Sign Says It All

Randy Hanna — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:27:15 +0000

While walking around the Fairview Hotel in Nairobi bringing to the end of another exciting safari month, I came across this sign located just outside of the stairs leading down the wine cellar. Of course being a wine guy, I had to have a look. What I found was a wonderful old world cellar stocked with mostly European and limited South African wines; seems that they have yet to discover the new world. Anyway, I could not pass up grabbing a photo of the sign – a sign that says it all.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm, ISO 6400, 1/25 sec at f/5.0 (hand held)

This image was taken here. Yes, I shot this at ISO 6400 and hand held it at 1/25 sec and without any noise treatment or color correction – straight out of the box, as they say. I have been shooting with the D3S as my primary body (D3 is my backup) for more than two years now and I continue to be amazed at the low noise and its ability to capture fine details in low light. This camera really causes me to push the limits when it comes to shooting in low light conditions. Controlled breathing, strong abs, and solid camera holding positions are the keys to getting images like this. Remember, I am shooting upward at a sign that is over my head and therefore you will see just a bit of angular distortion. I love the colors of the warm light and the details in the post. A slight angular tilt of the camera added some emphasis to the lines.

Cheers and happy photo’ing

Safari update 26 Aug – Giraffe Center, Nairobi

Randy Hanna — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:34:51 +0000

Nairobi, Kenya

Clear skies in the early am, with smog and heavy haze developing soon after 1100.

Today was another full day after our overnight at the Fairview Hotel. The Fairview is my favorite hotel in Nairobi. Not easy to get to and located next to the Israeli Embassy, I think it is one of the most secure hotels in Nairobi – which is not a bad thing. The grounds are lush and the architecture is aged red brick with classic overtones from the days of the British. Departing early, we were off to Giraffe Center to get a special kiss from a Rothschild Giraffe. The three most common species of giraffes in Kenya are Masai, Reticulated, and the rare Rothschild. The Rothschild are best identified by their white ‘boots’ that they wear. By this I mean they have white coloration (no markings) on their feet from the top of their hooves to just below the kneecap.

The Rothschild Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) is among the most endangered giraffe subspecies with only a few hundred members in the wild.[1] All of those that are living in the wild are in protected areas in Kenya and Uganda.[1] Recently it has been proposed that the Rothschild Giraffe is actually a separate species from other giraffes and not a giraffe subspecies.[2] While giraffes in general are classified as Least Concern, the Rothschild Giraffe is at particular risk of hybridisation, as the population is so limited in numbers. There are very few locations where the Rothschild Giraffe can be seen in the wild, with notable spots being Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya and Murchison Falls National Park in northern Uganda. From Giraffe Center and at a given age, the Rothschild Giraffes are re-introduced into an area near Lake Naktau. While inter-breeding can occur, they are taking great care to insure the continued success of the Rothschild.

After spending time at Giraffe Center, it was time for lunch at Utdamani, opened by Dr. Leakey in 1960. Utdamani is a wonderful place for lunch and previewing the native products from across Kenya, not to mention a great place for some last minute quality shopping.

Steve captured a couple of fun snaps from the day. Enjoy and when your travels take you to or through Nairobi, please take time to visit this wonderful conservation facility.

Randy Getting a Special Giraffe Kiss

I Love her Facial Expressions

References: [1] Not one but ‘six giraffe species’”. BBC News Online. 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2007-12-27, Wikipedia; [2] Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds (2005). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0

Cheers and happy photo’ing

Safari update 25 Aug

Randy Hanna — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:53:20 +0000

Kogakuria Camp Site to Arusha

Weather: Clear skies with a slight cool breeze from the west.

Today was all about travel. We said our good byes to the wonderful camp staff and broke camp at 0800 for the Kogatende Air Strip to meet our aircarft for our trip to Arusha Municipal Airport. With mostly clear skies below us, it was a wonderful flight allowing us to see from above, where we had been over the past safari days. After landing in Arusha, we proceeded to Shanga River House for a killer departure lunch. Shanga as become a very special place to me, one where my face is very well known. It is such a warm feeling to recognized by the crafts people of Shanga, words can’t describe it. The mission of the Shanga River House is to teach deaf and mute native Tanzanian people a skill that will allow them to be productive members of their family. From the Shanga Web site: Shanga Shangaa was founded as a for-profit company to create a community that would support and empower those Tanzanians who have been marginalized by their disabilities. By providing an open and safe environment, disabled Tanzanians are able to realize their potential, develop new skills, build relationships based on respect and improve their own lives. Using recycled materials and producing at a sustainable level allows Shanga Shangaa to continue to expand and offer these opportunities far into the future.

Two years ago, I spent a full day at the River House doing some volunteer photography for some of their promotional materials. I will never forget how the people of Shanga helped me construct a huge sun shade for the photo shoot. It was comical to them to watch this photo guy battle the bright African sun, and we still talk about it when I visit Shanga. Today, Shanga has grown in production size, both in their bead work and in the fabric work. During my visit they the manager announced that they would soon be opening a furniture store in downtown Arusha. Please take time to visit the Shanga web site for additional information.

As we started loading up the trucks, I always remember the smile that comes across my face when I look over my shoulder and see the greeting wall, as seen below.

From Shanga it is off to our day rooms and then to the airport where the safari group splits into two groups, one heading directly home and the others heading into Kenya for two more full days of adventures.

Cheers and ulala salama

Safari update 24 Aug

Randy Hanna — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:47:37 +0000

Kogakuria Camp Site

24 Aug 2011

Weather: Clear skies, cool with a light breeze.

Today was about wonderful landscapes and a drive deep into the plains of the northern Serengeti in search of cheetah and rhino. Crossing the Bolognja River, it was classic cheetah country. Green rolling hillsides dotted with trees and rock outcroppings. As we paralleled the Bolognja River, we were treated to a 5 meter long Black Momba on the top of an ant mount. This makes two mombas that we have seen on this trip (green and black). With the speed that this snake went into the deserted ant mound, it is very clear to me why ant mounts should be avoided at all costs. With the Nyamalumbwa Hills on the left and Barakupes Hills to the right, we continued our drive toward the turn-off to Klein’s Camp Gate for lunch. In the distance, Kick Rock Lodge (Kenya) to the left and the rolling Barakupes Hills to rear, we could see for miles and miles. In the the morning, wildebeests were everywhere dotting the hillsides. By our return, they had moved south to a point that there numbers were very few. Returning to camp about 4pm, it was time to repack and ready ourselves for our charter flight tomorrow from the northern Serengeti to Arusha and later on-ward to Kenya. What a great day for viewing this wonderful countryside. I hope to return to do some serious landscape work around these rolling hills and kopjes.