Safari Upday Day 1 – Tanzina
19 May
After collecting the clients from the airport the previous evening, it was time for a leisurely breakfast followed by the safari briefing on how things would work on the trip. Before we knew it, we were off the Gibbs Farm. Traveling though the farmland, we soon found ourselves in the sprawling city of Mto Wa Mbu. As we passed the entrance to Lake Manraya, the extensive flooding damage from heavy rains was evident everywhere as we started our climb up the escarpment of the Rift Valley. Arriving at Gibbs Farm, we were treated to a wonderful organic hot lunch. Gibbs Farm continues to impress me with their continuous improvements; not that they needed any. Following our leisurely lunch, we were off to the Ngorongoro Crater. After a quick stop at the view point for an incredible view of the worlds largest intact caldera, we heading to the local Maasai village. We learned about the Maasai way of life and admired their bead work and a few of us had to shop.
While inside the boma, I worked with several of the clients on selective focusing. I really love photographing the intricate bead work.
Nikon D3X, 7–200mm f/2.6 @ 200mm, ISO 320, f/7.1 at 1/1000 sec
Prior to our departure, I gathered up a couple of the Massai warriors for some portrait work. I set up the the scene and talked the clients through aperture selection and subject placement. As part of the discussion, I present the two photos below. The first image is a typical ¾ head and shoulder shot. As we discussed placing your subject in the environment, Abigal Rosenblum took the instructions to heart and produced the outstanding image below. By using effective subject placement and making use of the background, she created a very nice environmental portrait. Great job Abbi. Off to our camp on the rim of the crater for a great night’s sleep in anticipation of our first full day of wildlife viewing in the Ngorongoro Crater.
Nikon D3x, 70-200mm f/2.8, @ 200mm, ISO 320, f/7.1 at 1/80 sec
Photo by Abigal Rosenblum, Nikon D700
Cheers and happy photo’ing, live blogging from the bush in Tanzania