Should we be concerned about the future of conservation?

The reason I ask this is that last night a few of us went to a talk hosted by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and I was very disappointed with the turnout.

No no, don’t get me wrong.  The talk, by Andrew Jenkins of the Western Cape Raptor Research Program, was very well attended so that was not the problem.

The problem, for me, was the demographic breakdown of the people at the talk.

Now just before I carry on.

The possibility is obviously there that the make up of the attendees on this particular evening just happened to be the way it was but I spoke to some of the EWT staff and they confirmed that the turnout was a very good indicator of the type of people they get at their other events as well.

Firstly, me and my group had an average age of around 35.  If I had to estimate the average age of the rest of the people attending the evening I would probably go with a number of around 65.  That’s average.

Secondly, out of the 160 people at the event all of them were white.

Now PLEASE do not see this as a racial issue because it is NOT intended that way.  I just found it very striking that there were only white people at the event and this in a country where white people make up a small minority of the total population group.

Now, to get back to my initial question.

Yeah, I think we might have a bit of a problem.

Yes, there are people out there – black, white, young, old, whoever – who are doing absolutely amazing work in the conservation field but the lack of support, or at least the perceived lack of support, for an organization like EWT does raise a bit of concern.

Do young people not find conservation ‘cool’ enough?

If it is not online or on a cellphone does it not feature as something to do or be a part of?

Is there a way to bridge the apparent gap between various ethnic groups to create a more unified approach to conserving our natural heritage?

I applaud, respect and completely support bodies like the EWT for the work they are doing but in my mind, if we do not have conservation buy-in from the younger generation and all the ethnic groups that make up the South African population we have a serious problem.

So I’ll ask it again.

Should we be concerned about the future of conservation?

Gerry van der Walt 

* * *

Some photographers just try too hard.

Let me explain.

In my mind there are two main types of images of images can you create when you go on safari.

The first is a ‘proof’ shot.  This is the happy snappy kind of images a great deal of people come back with and all it does is prove to friends and family that you actually saw a specific animal.

Proof.

The second type, and hopefully this is your goal, is an actual wildlife image.  A good, solid wildlife image that does more than just show people what you saw but shows them the way you saw it.

An image that tells a story.

Evokes emotion.

The natural progression is to move from the proof shots to more solid wildlife images but unfortunately a lot of people get lost somewhere in between the two and when they reach this point they start trying too hard.  They try new lenses.  Different settings.

When you reach this point, one of the best things you can do is to check, and simplify your backgrounds.

Paying attention to and eliminating a distracting backgrounds has got to be one of the most effective ways you can immediately improve your wildlife photography.

Here are a few examples.

For the happy snappy type of safari going photographer an image like this would be spectacular!

However, as a strong wildlife image it is not all that strong for two reasons.

Firstly, the focus locked on to the leopard’s tail leaving the face a little soft.  Secondly, the background is just a little messy.  The twigs on the right distracts your viewer’s eye a bit and the scrub below the animals’s chin is not out of focus enough.

Remember that these things might seem small and petty but, for the purposes of this post, it is worth considering all the small things that can take your photography to the next level.

How could this image have been made even better?

One option would have been to be patient and see if another chance presented itself, which it eventually did, and failing this you might have been happy to grab the above shot and just enjoy a sighting of one of Africa’s most elusive cats.

This situation is one that you might not find all that often so it is definitely worth look through your camera.

Again, there are two problems with the above image.  Firstly, the lion has been ‘chopped’ off close to the hip – something which could have been done with more purpose but can be discussed another time – and secondly the trees on the horizon looks like they are growing out of the elephant’s back.

The merging together of two objects in a frame has got to be one of the easiest things to fix in camera – if you see it when you look through the viewfinder of course.

In order to fix this problem I could have either waited for the ellies to move to the left (where they were heading) or I could have tried to change my angle just a little bit in order to split the tree and the elephant form each other.

If only I had seen it through the viewfinder.

This one is close.

Apart from the horizon being a tad skew, which is easy to fix, it again looks like it is balancing on the lion’s head.  Might not seem like a major but by either waiting a few seconds or changing my perspective I could have created a much stronger image.

This image shows a cheetah doing what they do for a great part of their day.

The problem?  The little dead branches sticking out from behind the flat cat.

A lot of the time wildlife photographers will look at the scene, photograph it, not like the image and then move on.

Often, a better image is literally a few meters away.

By simply moving five meters to the right I was able to (almost) move the dead sticks out of play and also include a much more interesting background for my cheetah image.  Notice how the stronger background plus your eyes so much that you almost do not notice the sticks behind the cheetah.

Often a better background is just a jump to the left and then a step to the right… sorry…

Yeah, its might feel like the above is nit-picking but the idea of paying attention to your background is a small thing that can make a huge difference to your images.  Some areas present more difficult shooting conditions but by thinking about your backgrounds, and looking for different perspectives and positions, you stand a much greater chance of creating strong wildlife images.

So to wrap things up, and to link back to the first line of this post – when you are trying to create better wildlife images stop trying so hard.

Pay attention to your backgrounds.

Shoot what you see.

And always enjoy the experience.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

* * *

Kenya (officially known as the Republic of Kenya), is a country in Africa lying on the equator with the Indian Ocean to its south-east. It is bordered by Somalia to the north-east, Ethiopia to the north, South Sudan to the north-west, Uganda to the west and Tanzania to the south.

A large proportion of Kenya’s tourism centres around safaris and tours of its great National Parks and Game Reserves. While most tourists do visit for safari there is also great cultural aspects of the country to explore in cities like Mombasa and Lamu on the coast. Wherever you travel in Kenya, you will find that English and Swahili are the most widely spoken and official languages. However, when you’re in the Masai Mara, your guide will more than likely speak Maa, the official language of the Masai tribe.

The Maa languages are a group of closely related Eastern Nilotic languages spoken in parts of Kenya and Tanzania by more than a million speakers altogether. They are subdivided into North and South Maa and are related to the Lotuko languages spoken in South Sudan. To make your life easier, here are some key Swahili  and Maa phrases you might want to have handy on your travels in the region:

Southern Maa

• Thank you – ashi
• Pleasure or Welcome – Karibu
• Stop – dashu
• Go – maape
• Cheetah – olowaru keri
• Leopard – Okenyala sho
• Wildebeest – ongatta
• Zebra – olotiko
• Lion – olngatuny
• Sopa – how are you
• Beautiful – sedai
• Ostrich – osedai
• Try – tonyua
• Come – ou

 Swahili

• Thank you –  Asante
• Pleasure or Welcome – Karibu
• Stop – simama
• Go –  twende
• Leopard –  chuwe
• Wildebeest –  ngati
• Zebra –  punda mulia
• Lion –  simba
• Sopa –  habari
• Beautiful –  maridade
• Ostrich – osedai
• Try –  jaribu
• Come – kuja
• Kekerok – dark trees

Most importantly, after taking in your first sighting of wildebeest crossing the Mara river, sit back and request an ice cold Kanyan Beer:

NiNa taka Tusker beridi Sanaa…

Can I have a cold Tusker please…

Thanks to Dixon and Francis for providing all the information for this post. You guys are legends in your own right!

Be sure to keep an eye out for this weeks chat which promises to be the most revealing and exciting chat in the series to date!

Unpredictable as it may be, nature has a certain rhythm and by taking some time to observe, to learn, you can start predicting when certain moments can happen.

The moment when you should click the shutter.

A lion, before yawning, will give you a host of signals before finally dropping it’s jaw and giving you the cue to start snapping away to get that iconic image.

Same goes for a leopard.

A bird, before taking off will also go though it’s standard little ritual before and taking to the air and presenting you with some amazing photo opportunities.

In any wildlife photography situation, there are certain things you can do to prepare yourself and increase your chances of getting the shot.  This includes doing some research on the area before your trip, speaking to and working with local guides and then, of course, knowing your equipment.

These are the things we all know and (hopefully) do but more that this you should know which images you want to get.

Even if you have never been to the area or you have never pointed your camera at the specific subject, having an idea of the kind of images you want to create will go a long way in your quest to capture that one special shot.

On our recent photographic expedition to the Masai Mara one of my goals was to photograph massive herds of wildebeest crossing the Mara River as a part of the annual migration.

The visual chaos, emotion and intensity of a river crossing is crazy.  Absolutely amazing!

Now I am of the opinion that anyone can get a good image of a river crossing but, and this is the point of this post, you can get even better images if you know what you are looking for.

Our first crossing was quite tough as more than 100 wildebeest drowned.  This is not particularly something I wanted to photograph, even though I did end up firing off quite a few frames, but I did learn from this crossing and I saw how the whole things happens.

By watching a crossing I learnt enough so that during the other four crossings that we saw I knew what to look for and how I could get the shots I had in mind.

I have barley started scratching the surface of all the images I took in Kenya but here are a few of the images I had in mind with a few thoughts on what I was looking for.

To often we get caught up on the tight crops and super telephoto zoom lenses.  With any wildlife scene you need to try and show the scene.

In between the chaos that makes up a river crossing I grabbed my D700 and 14-24mm lens to grab a wide angle image of what was happening in front of us.

From dusty panic on the right to a successful exit on the left, this image sets the scene.

With this image I tried to show the line upon line of wildebeest that, once the first animal hits the water, plow into the river.

This specific crossing was the only one where we got fantastic, photographically speaking, dust that made for some amazingly dramatic scenes.

When you watch a crossing for a while you will see the the young wildebeest are a lot more gung-ho when they enter the water.

If you can pick one of them out of the herd as they come down to the water you can capture them as they hurl themselves into the Mara river.

This was one of the shots I wanted before  we even got there.  A portrait image of a group of wildebeest coming down the hill and crashing into the river.

Incidentally, I was quite surpassed to see how few of the photographers on our trip shot in portrait mode but after after seeing the difference the orientation can make they shot created some amazing images!  Try it.

Of the images I have worked through so far, this one captures the emotion of a river crossing and one I was hoping to capture.

The tense approach of the animals in the back contrasts with the thundering panic of the ones in the front.

Of the five river crossings we saw, this particular one was the only one where zebra joined in the chaos.

I knew I wanted to get an image of a single zebra in the middle of a herd of wildebeest so when this opportunity presented itself I was all over it!

To complete the story I had to photograph the wildebeest as the made their way out of the river.

The only thing that came to mind when watching this was a colony of ants scurrying away from a predator.  The amount of wildebeest was unreal.

What I was really chuffed about was that after the initial shock and emotion of witnessing a river crossing, most of the photographers on our trip were able to look at the scene, find and then pick of their shots.

Now THAT is what a photographic expedition should be about and something Andrew and I always strive for on our trips.

Witness.

Experience.

Learn.

Photograph.

Share.

Love it!

Like I mentioned, I have not even started looking through most of my images from the trip and look forward to getting stuck into what is also going to be a book project.  I already have a few key images which I will be holding back until then!  Watch this space.

Anyway, I guess the bottom line is that whatever scene you are faced with make sure to they and tell the story.  Speak to your guides, watch the scene, learn from it and then look for the images you want to create!

I already have a few images in mind that I want to capture during our three 2012 photographic expeditions to the Masai Mara.  It is a truly special place and if you are keen to join – bookings are open!

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

* * *

Video Timeline

• 0:12 - Intro
• 2:05 - Chat with Andrew, Paul and Isaac on the banks of the Mara River
• 15:50 – Photographing a crossing
• 17:15 - Video clip of a river crossing
• 18:50 - Wrap up and more about next week
• 20:50 - Bloopers
• 21:14 – Something new!

Links Mentioned in This Video

• Blog Post:  5 Magical Hours in the Masai Mara
• Blog Post:  Quick Pic – Cheetah
• Blog Post:  Desktop Wallpapers – September 2011
• Blog Post:  Do You Get Lucky or Do You Know?
• Blog Post:  Quick Pic – Love Hurts
• Website:  Paul McDougall
• Follow Gerry on Twitter
• Follow Andrew on Twitter

As always I look forward to your comments, questions and suggestions.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

Since returning from our photographic expedition to the Masai Mara last week I have been waiting for a moment to sit down and start going through my images.

After a busy week back in Johannesburg that moment has arrived and as I thought – it’s going to take quite a while to work through all of the images.

We were lucky enough to see 5 river crossings which, as you can image, can lead to memory cards being filled rather quickly but there is so much more to the Masai Mara.

The amount of predators and other general game we saw was unbelievable and the scenery in this place is truly breath taking.  Combine all of this with a group of photographers and you have a bunch of very happy people!

Anyway, Andrew and I will be doing a full trip report in a week or so in which we will share images, stories and other info from our Kenyan adventure.

For now, you can check out Andrew’s blog post on our last morning drive which was without a doubt the most spectacular few hours I have ever had in the bush.

I am now going to start sorting through the chaos which is my RAW images and will have a few more images and blog posts ready for next week!

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

PS:  My RAW files are in fact quite well labeled and sorted out but sorting out the chaos made for a much better title to this post!

* * *

Love Hurts

Nikon D3s, Nikon 200-400mm VRII @ 200mm, 1/160, f/5.6, ISO 400

Masai Mara, Kenya

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt

* * *

Is this is a good image?

Nikon D3s, Nikon 200-400mm VRII @ 400mm, 1/640, f/6.3, ISO 320

I would like to think so.

To me this image shows the viewer just a small bit of the chaos that takes place during a river crossing in the Masai Mara.  There are implied diagonal lines, nice contrast and a wildebeest in the bottom left corner that is a focal point in the action packed frame.

On our recent photo expedition to Kenya we were lucky enough to see a lot of river crossings which gave all our photographers a lot of opportunities to try and photograph this truly unique natural phenomenon.

Later this week I will be doing a blog post on what went through my mind as I photographed these dramatic scenes, hopefully giving you some advise when you next head out out into the field, and after the first couple of crossings I was picking the shots I wanted.

Considering the emotional scenes and chaotic nature of the scene I was pleasantly surprised and very chuffed that I could focus, photographically speaking, and get the shots I wanted.

But…

When faced with such a unique natural spectacle, do you have to be a good photographer to capture the scene?

Not necessarily.

You see, a few of the photographers in our group did not have high end equipment and their Kenyan adventure was as much about learning how to become a better photographer as about experiencing one of the last great wildlife occurences on the planet.

And you know what?

Every single one of them walked away with absolutely stunning images!

I would like to think that it is because of the information, guidance and advise Andrew and I were able to provide.  It’s also about the people taking the time to learn, share and grow their own photography with a like-minded group of people but there’s more to it than that.

Our group of photographers were, at the end of the trip looking for images.  Looking for specific scenes.  They moved past being lucky to actually shooting with a goal in mind.

I think that anybody with a camera can get lucky when faced with a great wildlife sighting.

Yeah, anybody.

I have said it before – a good wildlife sighting does not necessarily make for a good wildlife photographic opportunity.

You need to look at the scene, make a decision and then create an image based on a specific goal.

The catch is to repeat it again. And again. And again.

The catch is to start looking for the shots that you want.

Start seeing them.

Waiting for them.

Nikon D700, Nikon 600mm VR, 1/1600, f/4, ISO 200

After watching my first two crossings I knew that the younger wildebeest are much more likely to take a running jump into the river so all I had to do was to keep my eyes open, lock onto a youngster and, knowing that I had my camera settings correct, fire away.

This image was not a result of luck.

So, the goal is to see images in your mind, look for them and then capture them.

Where a lot, and I mean a LOT, of photographers fall flat is to not go out into the field with an idea of the kind of images they want to create.  They just shoot whatever they see, even if it not a great photographic sighting, and then sift through the photographic carnage to find am image they can post online.

Not the way to do it.

Yeah, I know that in this post from a week or so ago I said that you should not go out with preconceived ides when you are heading out with your camera but this is different.

You need to, when faced with a sighting, have an idea of what you want to do with the scene or subject in front of you.

Is it worth photographing?  If so, what is your photographic goal?

Do you just want to have proof that you did in fact see that leopard?  Then use your iPhone.

If you are looking at creating a specific image, based on what you see in front of you, make sure you know what you are hoping to create.  Don’t just shoot for the sake of shooting.

Shoot with a goal in mind.

It could be anything.

A moment of action frozen in time.

An abstract view of nature.

A stunning animal portrait.

Nikon D700, Nikon 200-400mm VRII @ 400mm, 1/800, f/5, ISO 640

If you are photographing wildlife in a haphazard type of way and you simply shoot what nature presents you, whether it is a photographic moment or not, you need to reassess your photographic goals.

I believe that a lot of photographers are scared to do this because it will challenge them to change the way they approach their photography and, like in life, people do not like change.

The truth is that anybody can get lucky and yeah, it is great when that happens but the question you have to ask yourself out in the field is “What kind of photographs do I want to create?”

If you cannot answer that question you need to ask yourself “Why am I doing this?”

In the last week I asked myself both of these questions, in reverse order, and believe me – the moment you can confidently answer those questions your photography will start improving because you photographic vision will be clear.

When you then next look at one of your images you don’t have to wonder, deep down inside, whether you were lucky to get the shot or whether you nailed the image that you wanted – you’ll know.

Until next time.

Gerry van der Walt 

* * *

In this weeks chat:

Industry News

• Wilderness Safaris App for iPad
• Rare sighting of the Yellow form of the Crimson breasted Shrike
• Xigera Camp in Botswana go’s 100% Solar Powered

Main Feature

• Affordable wildlife experiences
• Mosethlha Bush Camp
• Selous Tented Camp
• Gomo Gomo Game Lodge
• Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Destination of the Week

• The Morukuru Family of Lodges in Madikwe Game Reserve