I think it is important to remind folks of things to avoid when on safari.  Some of the items I will list have to do with personal safety, some with respect for wildlife and some are to help us preserve the natural environment of the park:

Personal Safety

• Do not get out of the vehicle:  While in the vehicle, I am told animals see you as an inanimate object in their environment and an object to which they are familiar.  Generally, they will let you approach quite close while in the vehicle.  You will see folks getting out of the vehicle to have a morning coffee.  Hopefully this is in one of the designated areas and/or with a guide that has permission from the rangers to stop at that location.  Even in this case, you are not 100% safe out of the vehicle!  I have been with groups in the bush that have spotted lions (with cubs in tow) within 100 meters of the picnic area at Serondela in Chobe.

I have friends that theorize that man is not a natural food source to the game, so you should be generally safe out of the vehicle.  Nice theory, however, within past articles of ChobeSafari, we have noted lions biting a man in his tent and wild dogs surrounding a person separated from their group.  I recall we have also noted baboons hassling folks at various public locations. This is not a zoo and these animals are not programmed.  Any one of them can be a danger to you at any time.  Be alert.

There are exceptions one can take but still take care!  For example, one may really, really need a bio-break.  I know I have.  In this case, I suggest driving to a large sandy beach area with lots of open surroundings, and then relieving yourself while standing in the doorway of the vehicle (so you will still appear to be part of the vehicle).

Another exception is car problems. If you have a punctured tire or are stuck in the sand or water, consider the potential of another vehicle coming along to aid.  Two reasons: 1) occupants of the second vehicle can act as second sets of eyes to spot problem game and 2) the second vehicle may be critical to pulling you out of the stuck mess.  Do not consider walking out of the bush to get help as a viable option.

Times like this may require you to leave the vehicle, but this is best done if another vehicle is nearby to help and act as a scout

By the way, I have personally had to change a punctured tire while a large population of Cape Buffalo were headed my way.  I was lucky enough to have a friend in a second vehicle arrive to speed my repair and to keep an eye on the narrowing gap as the herd approached.

• Watch your distance around elephants: I think elephants present one of the greater risks to vehicles in the park.  They are larger than you, they have a much better turning radius.  Generally, the elies are quite laid back at Chobe; however, they have been known to go ‘agro’ (get affrevated) if they feel pushed, feel their young could be harmed, are single animals, are bull elephants or particularly if they are a bull in musth.  As you can see, there are a lot of conditions that could provoke an elephant charge, so the best things is to keep your distance.  Previously, we published an article specific to dealing with elephants.  The link is here and we suggest you read this as a refresher prior to your safari.

• Take proper medication precautions: For most safari locations, one should have proper hepatitis and tetanus immunizations.  For some, anti-malaria medications are recommended.  Many of my friends do not like to take anti-malaria med due to side effects.  I prefer to be safe and take them.  I have written about these meds previously at this link.

• Stay on the roadway: This is primarily an issue within national parks. You will see guide drive into the bush to give tourist the best view of lions under bushes.  They are trying to improve their tips … and they are breaking the rules.  Do not follow their lead.  The environment is dry and fragile.  If everyone took these liberties, the bush would be a real mess.  There are other reasons to stay on the main roadway.  As noted earlier, the best way to get help if broken down is to wait for another passing vehicle.  The likelihood of another vehicle gets more remote as one gets further off the regular trails.

• Take care in using flashlights (also known as ‘torches’): The wild game is not limited to the park system.  Wildlife will often come very close to the lodges where you will be staying.  This wildlife can be anything from a badger to an elephant.  It is wise to use your flashlight to check the path ahead. This light will generally warn game to clear out for you.  It is rude and disrespectful to intentionally shine or wave bright lights at the eyes of game specifically to get their attention.

On my last trip to Botswana, we stayed one night at Elephant Sands, which is a small lodge and campground just  north of Nata.  Elephant Sands has a nice waterhole and viewing area.  I set up at this location and began photographing the night elephants as they came down to the water.  Drunken visitors with bright flashlights started shining the lights at the elephants, which startled them, perhaps put us in danger, and eventually led to the elephants running off into the bush.  Bottom line, move slowly, use the light wisely and it enhances your wildlife viewing.

• Leave no trace behind: This is obvious, and we have all heard this before. This means not to alter, modify disturb or destroy any habitat, food source or surroundings. Leave your location in the same state than you found it.  Enough said on this topic.

• Respect the people: Part of the images you may want to bring home are images of the locals at work.  Great idea, but be aware that not everyone wants their photograph taken.  For example, I have found that rangers on patrol in the park do not want to be photographed.  Military personnel or equipment should not be photographed.  Often the fishermen out on the Chobe River do not appear to like having their photos taken.  These limitations are not show stoppers.  We have written about the challenge here.  Review this article and then do what you feel is best.

Wildlife Respect: Don’t stress the wildlife: No image, no matter how good, unique or special it may be, is worth stressing, endangering or otherwise harming wildlife. As wildlife photographers, we all need to be advocates for wildlife, after all, if we, who love to photograph them, are not, who will?

Imagine being out of your vehicle when this lone fellow comes along. Not a good idea.

Take responsibility for our actions and make every effort to lessen our impact on wildlife and the environment. There any number of organizations promote their own code of ethics for safe and respectful enjoyment of nature, and I will list a few of those at the end of this article.

Here is my basic set of guidelines that I follow. I’ve made these simple and to the point in an effort to make it easy to remember and stick to.

• Do no harm: The foundation of the wildlife photographers ethic. You must always ask yourself if the next action you are about to take will bring any harm to wildlife. Sometimes it’s is very clear cut, sometimes it’s a little more difficult to discern what consequences your actions make have. In any case you should always be considering the welfare of your subject first and foremost.

• Never harass wildlife: This means never to never taunt, bait or force an action out of your subject. There are many ways to harass the wildlife.  Earlier in the article we noted that flashlights may harass the wildlfie.  Another ‘trick’ I have seen explored is honking of vehicle horns to get an animal to look up for a photo.  Generally this does not work, so don’t do it.

Be patient! The most beautiful wildlife photographs result from natural behavior. Never interfere with animals engaged in breeding, feeding, nesting, or caring for young. Learn the habits of your subjects; Respect and protect your subject, look for signs of stress. If you notice your subject is altering it’s behavior as a result of your actions, stop. Learn to recognize wildlife alarm signals for the safety of both wildlife and yourself.

PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL FIELD PRACTICES

NANPA believes that following these practices promotes the well-being of the location, subject and photographer. Every place, plant, and animal, whether above or below water, is unique, and cumulative impacts occur over time. Therefore, one must always exercise good individual judgment. It is NANPA’s belief that these principles will encourage all who participate in the enjoyment of nature to do so in a way that best promotes good stewardship of the resource.

Environmental: knowledge of subject and place

• • Learn patterns of animal behavior–know when not to interfere with animals’ life cycles.
  • Respect the routine needs of animals–remember that others will attempt to photograph them, too.
  • Use appropriate lenses to photograph wild animals–if an animal shows stress, move back and use a longer lens.
  • Acquaint yourself with the fragility of the ecosystem–stay on trails that are intended to lessen impact.

Social: knowledge of rules and laws

• • When appropriate, inform managers or other authorities of your presence and purpose–help minimize cumulative impacts and maintain safety.
  • Learn the rules and laws of the location–if minimum distances exist for approaching wildlife, follow them.
  • In the absence of management authority, use good judgement–treat the wildlife, plants and places as if you were their guest.
  • Prepare yourself and your equipment for unexpected events–avoid exposing yourself and others to preventable mishaps.

Individual: expertise and responsibilities

• • Treat others courteously–ask before joining others already shooting in an area.
  • Tactfully inform others if you observe them engaging in inappropriate or harmful behavior–many people unknowingly endanger themselves and animals.
  • Report inappropriate behavior to proper authorities–don’t argue with those who don’t care; report them.
  • Be a good role model, both as a photographer and a citizen–educate others by your actions; enhance their understanding.

Adopted February 3, 1996 by the NANPA board of directors.

'Lion Siblings' - © Andy Biggs

Elephant Tusks - © Andy Biggs

This week, I had the chance to visit B&H Photo in New York City and hear my friend Andy Biggs talk on ‘a day in the life of a professional wildlife photographer’.

As usual, Andy did a great job of connecting with the audience.  During the presentation, he shared ‘keeper’ shots as well as the series of shots before and after that were rejects.  The presentation allowed us to climb inside his mind as he attempted to get position to get the shot. All of this was insightful and worth an article, but for today, I would like to talk about Andy’s intro into his presentation.  It really resonated with points I try to make to fellow photographers … and in Andy’s case, is really nicely backed up by his body of work.

At the start of Andy’s talk, he noted that as a beginning photographer, he wanted to define specifically who he was as a photography and what message he wanted to convey through his work.  Andy decided he needed to distill his message down to three words.  Yep, THREE WORDS. For Andy Biggs, the words were:

• Timeless.
• Hope.
• Remote.

When I review one’s photography, my first questions has always been “What’s your message?  What are you trying to convey?”  Often I get a blank stare as feedback.  I can usually correlate the blank stare to images with a weak composition or lack of subject.  Perhaps these photographers are beginners.  Perhaps these photographers are still finding their way.  Regardless, they will become better photographers if they strive to have a message in their images.

Even good photos often have the photographer answering my question with long ramble explanations..  For these photographers, the longer the answer, the more I can expect a portfolio that is a mix of subjects and (many times) over use of the latest plug in tools.  While I am a fan of experimentation, I still think the portfolio will benefit  from a unified vision for the artist.  Without direction, one’s photo journey is a ramble. Direction can be a good thing.

Elephants and Clouds, Serengeti NP, Tanzania - © Andy Biggs

I love Andy’s self challenge of distilling the vision to three words.  In my past life, I was often involved in product branding.  The challenges were always in trying to distill the offering to a tightly worded value proposition and in developing a brand/trademark a name that conveyed the customer benefit or primary product attribute.  Andy was developing a business … it made perfect sense to use classic branding methodology to develop what he calls his vision and business would call his value proposition.

Timeless. Hope. Remote.  Andy has done a great job of staying true to this vision.  As you look at the images within this article, do you see it?  Do you feel it?  Andy’s shots often include predators, but do you see lions on the kill? NO.  Andy isn’t selling ‘the circle of life’.  Andy is selling that special feeling of an Africa that was there long ago and still there today.  Andy is selling a feeling of a simplified setting in a peaceful land.  Andy is selling a tease that the future can support this beautiful wildlife setting.

Two Firaffe Heads, Lake manyara NP, Tanzania © Andy Biggs

In this article, we are sharing several of Andy’s images, but we have not handpicked the ones that support the article.  If you visit Andy’s galleries at AndyBiggs.com, you will see a consistency of the theme throughout the images.

This formula of 3 words and a gallery faithful to the words has worked for Andy.  So what is the message you wish to convey?  Can you distill it down to three words?  It will take some thinking time, but I feel the time reflecting will pay off in your future images.

Lioness Hiding in the Grass, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania - This article has featured a lot of Andy's B&W images, so we thought we would close with this color image just to show that the message can be consistent across both B&W and color - © Andy Biggs

We also encourage you to visit Andy’s blog, The Global Photographer, as it is full of photo and safari travel tips (but beware, Andy is a gadget freak, so if you read too much, you’ll end up buying a lot of new toys).

by Meg Sullivan, UCLA

Mother, daughter, offspring A baboon mother (left) and daughter sit together with their offspring In Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve, mother and daughter baboons have the strongest bonds. Their bonds are three times stronger than those between sisters and 10 times stronger than those between other females. The daughter is pictured on the right, and the mother on the left. (Photo credit: Joan Silk)

Baboons whose mothers have strong relationships with other females are much more likely to survive to adulthood than baboons reared by less social mothers, according to a new study by researchers at UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions.

“If you’re a baboon, the strength of your mother’s relationship with other females is the best predictor of whether you’ll live to have children yourself,” said Joan Silk, the study’s lead author and a UCLA professor of anthropology. “The study adds to mounting evidence of the biological benefits of close relationships among females.”

The findings are significant because “survivorship to reproduction is the gold standard in evolutionary biology,” said co-author Dorothy Cheney, a professor of biology at the University of Pennsylvania. “Females who raise offspring to a reproductive age are more likely see their genes pass along, so these findings demonstrate an evolutionary advantage to strong relationships with other females. In evolutionary terms, social moms are the fittest moms — at least when it comes to baboons.”

The study appears online in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a peer-reviewed journal published by the national academy of science of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Silk, Cheney and seven other researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan and the University of St. Andrews in Kenya analyzed 17 years worth of records on more than 66 adult female baboons in the Moremi Game Reserve, a 2,000-square-mile national park in Botswana that teems with wildlife.

Collected on the ground by primatologists who tracked the baboons six days a week, 12 months a year, the records reflected the sex and survival rates of baboon offspring, as well as telling details of the mothers’ social lives, including their ranking within the group, as measured by the direction of approach/retreat interactions, and the amount of social interactions they had with each of the group’s other females.

In addition to showing how often one animal approached another, the records of social interactions included details of grooming, which is known to be the primary form of social interaction in Old World monkeys. The researchers noted how much time — frequency and duration — the females spent grooming each other and how often they solicited grooming from other females.

Of all the factors studied, the strength of a mother’s social bonds with another female had the most significant effect on the survival rates of offspring. A mother’s dominance rank proved to have no effect on the survival rate of her offspring.

“We really expected dominance status to be more influential than it proved to be,” Silk said.

Offspring from the most social mothers turned out to be about one-and-a-half times more likely to survive to adulthood than offspring from the least social mothers.

Baboons grooming Female baboons groom one another. (Photo Credit: Joan Silk)

The strongest social bonds were measured between mothers and adult daughters, followed by sisters and all other potential relationships, including aunts, nieces, cousins and baboons with no familial ties. Bonds between mothers and adult daughters proved to be three times stronger than those between sisters and 10 times stronger than relationships with other females.

“What really matter to these girls are mother-daughter bonds,” Silk said. “They’re really strong, and they last forever. If your mom is alive, she’s one of your top partners, always. But more importantly, it’s the strength of these bonds, because females whose bonds with their mothers and daughters were strong had higher offspring survival than females whose bonds with these relatives were weak.”

Silk’s past research with Jeanne Altmann, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University, and Susan C. Alberts, a professor of biology at Duke University, on baboons in the Amboseli Basin of Kenya had found a higher survival rate for baboons with social mothers, but the research only tracked offspring through the first year of life.

For the new study, researchers followed offspring from 1 year of age through sexual maturity — roughly 5 years of age. The new study also differs from past baboon research by focusing on the strength and duration of relationships between pairs of females rather than on the amount of social interactions in general.

“The benefit comes not from being wildly social — it’s about having close social bonds,” said Cheney, who runs the Moremi baboon-tracking project with University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Robert M. Seyfarth.

“These females form strong relationships with particular partners,” Silk said. “They don’t treat everyone the same. They spend a lot more time with — and a lot more time grooming — some females than others, and these relationships tend to be very long-lasting.”

Additional research is needed to determine how the female bonds improve infant survival, but it may have to do with such stress hormones as cortisol, Silk said. Research has shown that prolonged elevations of stress hormones in primates can lead to cardiovascular disease and other serious health problems. Research has also shown that grooming tends to lower these stress hormones in baboons.

“Our research suggests that somehow there is a link between the kind of social relationships you form and the natural, normal stresses that occur in everyday life, and that seems to have — at least in baboons — a long-term effect on reproductive success,” Silk said.

Said to share 92 percent of their DNA with humans, baboons are close relatives of humans. Baboons and humans last shared a common ancestor about 18 million years ago. The new findings on social interactions among mothers parallel recent research that has shown health benefits for humans who enjoy particularly close social networks.

“Our findings suggest benefits from forming close relationships are built into us from a long way back,” Silk said.

The research received funding from the National Geographic Foundation, the Research Foundation of the University of Pennsylvania, the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science at the University of Pennsylvania, the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Which camera?

I often prefer shorter, 2 second exposures if windy conditions exist - photo by P. B. Eleazer

All you really need in the way of equipment is a camera on which you can manually set focus, shutter speed and aperture. Normally these days that would mean a digital SLR  or a high end P&S type digital camera. The reason that you need to be able to manually set the camera is that autoexposure probably won’t work, plus you need an exposure of several seconds in order to record fireworks bursts. You also need to be able to set the focus since there may be nothing in the frame when you open the shutter (more on that later), so AF will fail.

Which Lens?

Which lens you need depends on how close you are to the show, but I used a 24-105 zoom on a Canon 7D for a show that was about 1/2 mile away. Most of the time I used focal lengths around 80mm. If your lens has Image Stabilization, turn this off as it is not needed for tripod use and will add blur to your images. Set focus to manual and focus at the distance at which the fireworks will be from you. For most work, this will be a setting of infinity. If you zoom, make sure that your lens keeps focus when it zooms, otherwise you may have to refocus after zooming. The Canon EF 24-105 doesn’t noticeably shift focus when zoomed, or if it does the use of small apertures such as f8 and f11 masks any focus shift. Also, since you will be shooting stopped down, you don’t really need a fast lens and even a consumer zoom usually gives good results at f8 and f11.

Camera Settings

So what camera settings work? Well a good place to start is with a 4 second exposure at f8 with the camera set to ISO 100.

The shutter has to stay open this long to record the trails of the various components of each burst. You can also try exposures of 2 seconds and 8 seconds if you want less or more bursts captured. Remember, check the histogram after the first few shots to make sure you are getting the right exposures.  I find that for windy conditions, the 2 second exposure actually works best.

The brightness of the trails depends on the aperture and ISO setting, not on the length of the exposure. For very bright firework bursts, stopping down to f11 might give better results.

With such long shutter speeds the use of a tripod is essential and the use of some type of remote shutter release (either wired or wireless) is highly recommended.  I also recommend you carry a flashlight as you will be working in a dark setting.  I prefer an LED headlamp style light so my hands are free to work the tripod and camera.

When to Shoot

The problem of course is that you don’t know ahead of time how bright each burst will be, when it’s coming or exactly where in the sky it will be, so there’s an element of luck in capturing the image. If you wait until you see the burst, it will be over by the time you take the shot, so you have to anticipate. Sometimes you can see the rocket trail going up and that can give you a clue when to open the shutter. Ideally you want to open the shutter just before the major display occurs.

Some thought is needed on the ‘when to shoot’ part.  I find that if you try and shoot during the ‘grand finale’, the composition gets too cluttered with burst and is also easily over exposed.  Additionally, as the display progresses, the sky fills more and more with the smoke from the explosions.  This can add effect, but is out of your control.  For balance, I find shots with about 3 explosions being revealed often works best … but you do not know when or how many shots are happening at a given time.  The only solution is to shoot a lot of shots.  Yes, you will end up with a lot of reject photos, but some will be keepers – this is not an exact science.

It is helpful to check the 'image preview' screen on the back of the camera to see if you need a longer or shorter exposure. - photo by P. B. Eleazer

It’s a hit and miss process, but with digital you can afford to fire off 10 shots/minute for the duration of the display (usually displays don’t last more than 15-20 minutes), though that would get a bit expensive if you were shooting film. It’s worth varying exposure times and apertures a little, but bracketing around 4s at f8 and ISO 100 should usually give the best results.  It’s very difficult to get good framing (except by luck) since you don’t know exactly where the major bursts will occur or how high they will be. This probably means you’ll need to crop your images somewhat to get the best composition. Sometimes you may get lucky though and get a shot that has everything in the right place.

The Grand Finale

At the end of the fireworks show, many events feature a ‘grand finally’ with many burst happening almost simultaneously.  While this has great potential, the light entering your sensor is also drastically increased with this final event.  I suggest you increase your f-stop at least one and maybe two stops to decrease the potential for over exposure during this dramatic show end.

Summary

• Use a tripod. You can’t handhold the camera for a time exposure, even if you’re using an IS lens.
• Turn off the image stabilization.
• Use ISO 100. Fireworks are bright and the lower the ISO setting, the lower the image noise.
• Unless you are a really long way from the fireworks, a wide to short-telephoto lens should be fine.  For the shots above, I used my 24-105mm lens on a Canon 7D
• Stop down to around f8, maybe f11. This will give you the sharpest images and allow a long exposure.
• Prefocus the lens and switch to manual focus.  This is critical or you will not get the shot.
• Try shutter speeds from 2s to 8s. The longer the exposure, the longer the trails will be.
• Open the shutter while the firework is on it’s way up, not when the shell explodes.
• A remote release will be useful. Use one if you have one.
• Shoot lots of images. Some will work, some won’t. It’s a matter of luck.

by John Huxley

Seriously, our guide Thuso Sarefo says with a wide, Batswana smile, there is an ever-present danger of being trampled by a rampaging hippo. Or surprised to death by a clumsy elephant. Or snatched, like a fast-food takeaway, by a lion.

When we arrive at Kwara camp, on the north-eastern edge of the delta, it is late summer and hot-water bottles are out of season. But, just as it was that night in the English couple’s tent, there is water everywhere, across the broad, flat land.

During our stay in the region, many airstrips west of Chobe NP are flooded. Regular safari tracks have become impassable even in snorkled-up trucks. Some luxury cabins with “picturesque river views” have suddenly acquired 360-degree water frontage. Further north, in Zambia, the lower steps of Livingstone lodges are lapped by the swollen Zambesi. So much river is tumbling over Victoria Falls, local guides grumble that vantage points for “the smoke that thunders” are too dangerous.

Not far away, whole holiday resorts in Namibia have been inundated, abandoned, replaced here and there on the miles-wide Chobe River by several high-rise houseboats. For the visitor, at least, it is all very exciting.

Like many visitors to Botswana, we had arrived via Johannesburg, where we had a restful night behind the razor wire at a suburban hotel; then Livingstone, where we spent only a couple of days after paying $US50 ($57) for a visa; and then the strange border town of Kazungula. There is a settlement of sorts, built close to the cross on the map that marks where Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana join. But the real action is either side of the Zambezi River.

Elephants at Chobe

Here as many as 250 heavy trucks can be found waiting – often for more than a week, we are told – to make the ferry crossing. Around the slow-moving queue of men and machines has grown a flourishing trade in food, drugs, sex and car washes. It is a fascinating study in patience and poverty. But there’s no time to linger as rich whites are fast-tracked through customs, whisked across the river in a speedboat and taken in open Land Rover, like visiting royalty, into Botswana.

The reputation of the land-locked country precedes us – a blessed fraction of Africa whose friendly efficiency is vouchsafed by author Alexander McCall Smith and his “No.1 ladies’ detective”, Precious Ramotswe.  But after the stress of South Africa and the casual scruffiness of Zambia, the smooth, tarmac roads, manicured verges and colourful signs politely requesting visitors to “Please drive safely and keep Botswana clean” come as a pleasant surprise. As McCall Smith, whose Precious Ramotswe spin-offs now include an opera and a cookbook, admits, it is not flawless. “There’s ‘grim’ in every country,” he has said. But Botswana has less than its fair share of “grim”, more than its fair share of great.

It is difficult to dislike a people whose most-heated political debate in recent years has been over choice of a “national bird”: the mournful kori bustard, known by its call as “the go-away bird”, or that tarty little show-off, the lilac-breasted roller? Both can be easily spotted among the teeming wildlife, elephant-big and butterfly-small, in the Chobe National Park, near the town of Kasane, our starting point for a 10-day trip into the delta. Statistically, we:

• Stay at four camps: Kubu Lodge, Kwando, Kwara and, lest anyone think we’d got stuck on the same page of the directory, Xakanaxa.

• Make three short, scary hops in small planes and one lengthy, lazy boat trip, between the camps and our exit point, Maun.

• Embark on 14 dawn or dusk safaris, four river safaris, two night safaris and three kayak trips.

• Observe up close four of the big five (lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo but no rhino); all of the ugly five (wildebeest, warthog, hyena, vulture and marabou stork); and one of the small five (leopard tortoise but no buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, lion ant or rhino beetle).

• Tick 182 birds, a bigger attraction for us than the three fives, but no hot-water bottles.

• Record zero mosquito bites, illnesses or accidents but come close to being hit by falling fruit from the famous Botswana sausage tree. Pity. “Killed by falling sausage” would have looked so cool on a death certificate.

• Take one decent walk, accompanied by a guide named the General, who has a serious gun and a qualification in alternative bush medicines. He points out plenty of remedies for keeping away evil spirits but none for curing arthritic hips.

• Have one helluva good time.

That said, being on safari is at times an odd experience, frequently evoking feelings of indolence, claustrophobia and displacement, possibly derived from watching too many Out of Africa-style movies and reading too many White Mischief-type books.

Roadway view between Kasane and Chobe NP

The constraints inevitable in organising luxury holidays in remote, potentially dangerous surroundings are, as one of the German guests put it, like living “in einer seifenblase”. That is, “in a bubble”, where we feel expertly, generously, kindly pampered like old-colonial English, overfed and under-exercised. In a word, guilty.

By day three, my gym-junkie wife and I are organising “Botswana biathlons” that involve swimming two three-stroke laps of a small splash pool, picking up a carved, wooden hippo, running around the pool, replacing the hippo and repeating, 25 times.

Picture the opening scene to one composite camp stay: A small Cessna 206 with defective dials (“They never work on this model,” the South African pilot cheerfully explains) comes slip-sliding to a halt on a muddy, bush airstrip.

At a rickety wooden table labelled “guest lounge”, the passengers are greeted by the smiling guides, who introduce themselves as “Pete and GT – as in gin and tonic”. Their first question is: “What would you like to drink?” Water, perhaps? “No, not for now, for tonight,” Pete says, explaining the evening ritual of sundowners. Orders placed, guests and luggage are loaded into an open-top four-wheel-drive and are taken off to the camp, where smiling staff are lined up, offering welcome drinks.

Slowly, seductively, guests are drawn into the daily routine, which typically starts with a wake-up call at 6 o’clock and breakfast. The morning safari, which includes a stop for tea and biccies, lasts about four hours. Then it’s back to camp for brunch, a big cooked breakfast. The hot middle of the day is free. Afternoon tea, nicknamed tiffin, is at 4pm, followed by an afternoon safari for two or three hours, depending on animal activity. As the blazing red sun sets on one of the flattest countries in the world, the vehicles stop, the guides climb down and set up a metal table, spread a crisp tablecloth and start serving the sundowners. A couple of hours later, the guests have freshened up and are seated at the communal table hoeing into a four-course meal, with “help yourself from the fridge” drinks.

The catering is wonderful and completed on one memorable evening when all the staff members emerge from kitchens and camp patrols to stage an impromptu concert of songs and dances.

The hospitality, on safari and in camp, is overwhelming. Kwara’s energetic manager, Janet Sejammu, explains: “We always tell our guides they must remember the next game drive may be their 500th but for the visitor it could be the first. Or last.” And the company is never hard going, which is just as well given the hours we spend together being shaken on deeply rutted bush tracks. (Xakanaxa guide Ollie says they are kept like that for guests wanting the “real Africa experience”.) New friends include an American musician who switched from symphony orchestras to heavy-metal bands and an English couple who have driven to Botswana from Manchester. “The worst bit was the M6,” they explain.  And several people who have tacked a safari on to the beginning or end of a tax-deductible overseas “conference”.

Sounds perfect? Well, with minor reservations, a safari holiday in Botswana almost is. But I’d make some suggestions before booking a holiday that could cost thousands:

• Choose to spread time among a number of different camps. However wonderful the wildlife, driving over the same tracks, morning and afternoon, for more than a couple of days becomes surprisingly tedious.

• Inquire whether the camp runs safaris into a national park, where vehicles have to stick to the tracks, or on private property, where they can go wherever they like in search of marquee animals. Clearly, it is more rewarding to be up close to the animals – but we feel that charging through waist-high grass in pursuit of a lone leopard amounts to harassment.

• Ask how many people will travel with you. In terms of comfort, common purpose and the guide’s attention, the fewer the better. And in terms of guides, four eyes – the driver’s and the tracker’s – are more effective and safer than two.

• Check the guides and their qualifications, especially for specialist interests: birds, specific animals, specialist photography etc. After a frustrating trip with a guide who clearly didn’t know his birds, an American woman gave her tip instead to another guest, who’d spotted and correctly identified 90 per cent of the birds seen.

• Accept that, despite its best intentions, Moremi Air, which carries guests between camps and to and from the airport, is running a taxi service rather than scheduled flights, so pick-up times can change at short notice.

One mid-morning, we receive an urgent call from base to rush back to Kwando for our flight to Kwara. Sadly, it comes at a climactic moment as three cheetahs, hidden behind a mopane tree, survey a straggly line of unsuspecting tsessebe. The other couple in the truck are, understandably, even less happy than we are. Did the dozy antelopes escape? Or did the cheetahs, three brothers, make a dash, followed by a leisurely feed? If anyone out there knows, please let me know.

FAST FACTS

Getting there

Qantas flies non-stop to Johannesburg from Sydney (14hr) for about $1650. V Australia flies non-stop from Melbourne (15hr 15 min) for about $1470. Fares are low-season return. Air Botswana will take you on to Maun (1hr 40min) for about $615 return including tax.

Package holidays include transfers into the delta and between camps, by boat or plane, mostly on Moremi Air.

Touring there

The author booked with safaridestinations.net, one of several companies based in Maun. All arrangements and payments were made online, or by bank transfer. Ten days in the delta cost about $260 a person a night, including all domestic flights and boat rides from Kasane to Maun, our point of exit.

Wildlife Safari has a seven-day “Wings Over Botswana” safari in luxury accommodation, with scenic flights to Chobe National Park, Moremi Wildlife Reserve and the Okavango Delta and game-viewing options by open safari vehicle, foot and mokoro (canoe). It costs from $6500 a person, twin share, including all meals, accommodation and domestic flights. Phone 1800 998 558, see www.wildlifesafari.com.au.

For general information see www.botswanatourism.co.bw. For camps mentioned here, see kubulodge.net, www.kwando.co.za (for both Kwando and Kwara), and xakanaxa-camp.com.

• First, it’s a great cause.  EWB’s tracking efforts help us to learn more about many aspects of the elephants.  Since the ellies roam well outside of the park borders, these insights are critical to understanding potential conflicts with farmers, towns and man in general.

• The site also provides a peak into the day to day life of folks working in and around the Park area.

• For Chobe Safari, teh EWB site also provides our readers with increased understanding of current conditions within the Park.  For example, in this article, we learn more about the current temperature patterns as well as the level of animal activity within the Park, including but more than just the elephants

For all of these reasons we are proud to syndicate their blog articles from time to time at our site.  When we contact EWB by e-mail, they are always quick to respond and helpful.  If you enjoy this article, we suggest you may also send them an e-mail to learn more about these magnificent elephants. The following article was written by EWB and the text and images are the copyright of EWB.

Written By: Kelly Landen of Elephants Without Borders on June 18, 2010

EWB spent the week  of June 13th in the field of Chobe National Park with the intentions of deploying 2 new satellite tracking collars on bull elephants. (to read more about EWB tracking: http://www.elephantswithoutborders.org/tracking.php) EWB were successful at deploying only one. EWB had decided it best to dart from the ground rather than using a helicopter, considering the high density of wildlife, elephants and tourists in the area. Also, now that the cold, dry winter is in full swing, the vegetation is already becoming sparse, allowing us easy access through the brush.

Larger Bulls are rare along the Chobe

EWB had decided to focus on large bulls, as they are becoming a rarity seen in the Chobe waterfront area. Young bulls and breeding herds are plentiful, but we would like to learn more about the random, larger bulls that occasionally come here.

EWB spent several days driving the park, searching from the sandy roads to locate a possible subject. It is fairly cold with temperatures ranging between 4ºC (39ºF) in the morns to 24ºC (75ºF) mid-day, and winds blowing upwards of 25km/hour throughout the day. Neither condition is conducive to elephants liking or need to utilize the river frequently. On some days, elephant numbers were limited and the large bulls were nowhere to be seen.

However, EWB were happy to see large numbers of many other species. The impala are at the end of their rutting season. Their displays, grunts and courting behaviors are quite entertaining. Buffalo have returned and the herds are spread throughout the waterfront drives. With buffalo, follow the lions and one particular pride lay satisfied over their evening’s meal.

Sable herds are more and more common

The zebra are completing their yearly round seasonal journeys and are beginning to appear at the Ngoma side of the park, waiting for the floodwater to subside to reveal kilometers of grazing pastures. Kudu are plentiful, as well as, surprisingly large herds of sable are now a regular sight. To everyone’s surprise  giraffe seem to have had a sudden population “explosion” and “journeys” of giraffe with many young, were everywhere feeding on woolly-caper bushes. (to view more EWB photos, see: http://www.elephantswithoutborders.org/photo_gallery.php)
One afternoon, Kelly Landen stumbled across an elephant breeding herd 60 strong, accompanied by a bachelor herd of 12 and two beautiful, substantially large bulls. As luck has it, this sighting was on a spotting drive by herself and was not prepared to collar without the team assembled. The next day, EWB circled the same area relentlessly but they did not reappear.

Mike explains the collar, while Sammy demonstrates

However, one morning EWB came across a healthy, lone, size-able bull. It was decided that he would be one of our newest elephant ambassadors. The collaring exercise went very smoothly. The immobilization drugs took effect quite quickly. The team moved in, attached the collar, took his measurements and attained blood samples. When the antidote was given, he stood up and immediately wandered off through the shrub, donning his new tracking collar. His name is Bemwa, named by our sponsors from the Swiss BMW Dealership Association, approximately 30 yrs of age, stands just over 3meters high at the shoulder and he bares modest, yet symmetrical tusks. (Note BeMWa has BMW in the name … cute huh???)
We are particularly excited about Bemwa’s collar. It is a new type of satellite collar created by Africa Wildlife Tracking in Pretoria, South Africa.

Larry administering the anti-dote to Bemwa

The battery life is supposed to last much longer than the previous models we’ve used, allowing us to download data location points every half hour throughout a five year span before having to retrieve the unit. (EWB colleagues: http://www.elephantswithoutborders.org/colleagues.php)
EWB would like to Thank all the BMW representatives that journeyed to Botswana. It was a pleasure meeting you and hope you enjoyed your trip here. EWB sincerely appreciate your support and are eager to share Bemwa’s journeys with you!

If you would like to support our projects, please log on to http://www.elephantswithoutborders.org/donate.php…

Elephants Without Borders, the elephants, wildlife, and local communities Thank you!

Zebra have returned to the Chobe riverfront

The Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust (WHWT) together with Elephants without Borders (EWB) is researching the release of domesticated elephant back into the wild.

The first ‘example’ is Damiano.

Why Damiano?

Wild Horizon’s training of elephant has always been based on a reward system, using food such as cubes as an incentive for the elephant. Wild Horizon’s mission has been to give these elephant the most favorable life possible out of the wild and if one shows a reluctance to remaining in the herds, they are not forced to do so.

Damiano lived at the sanctuary for 10 years. In that time, he grew from a rambunctious young bull to a dominate leader of one of the herds.  Damiano would sometimes wander off and spend time with wild bulls before returning to his herd. When Damiano disappeared for 3 months Wild Horizon realized it was probably that time of life when a mature bull,in the wild, leaves his herd.   Prior to his release Damiano became anxious and showed a resistance to daily activities.

It was decided between the two organizations that it was important to monitor Damiano’s movements. Upon his last return, he was fitted with a satellite collar and hours later, he wandered off with his new companions

It is noted that WHWT and EWB also assisted the ZNSPCA and National Parks with the translocation, release and monitoring of nine other elephant in November 2009.

Where’s Damiano?

Damiano's Collar

Damiano’s collar enables the team to closely monitor and track Damiano in real-time. The collar on Damiano provides valuable information on elephant reintroductions to the wild and elephant movements in the four corners region of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.

Over the past two years EWB has monitored his movements in the area as well as cross-border movement with other elephant.

The Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust and Elephants without Borders work together using the satellite collars which monitor the distance each individual elephant travels over a two year time period.  This shows seasonal movements in each animal’s region as well as a general range. Guides and Management often travel to the site of the latest satellite reading, to get visual sightings of each animal to make sure they are physically well, and gather information on how they are interacting with other wild elephant.  Additionally, EWB takes fecal samples to analyze the hormone levels and stress levels of the individual elephant.

Initial fitting of the collar

Updated Learnings

A major part of the research and monitoring of the elephant is to ensure that the elephant (which we are trying to  desensitized to humans) avoid human settlements.  At present Damiano and the nine elephant released in November of 2009 are interacting socially with other wild elephant, and seem to be rehabilitating well to their new life.  Thus far, this is a successful case of the release of domesticated elephant back into the wild.”

Damiano recently demonstrated how elephants need and will utilize safe corridors. In Kasane, a wildlife corridor is designated from the forest reserve to the river. This corridor crosses the tar road and is situated between 2 large fruit and vegetable fields. Elephant herds walk past the fields to get to the water and attain nutrient rich soils along the river’s bank. Here is a map of Damiano’s movements this week and how he avoided conflict with people and used the corridor:

Tracked path of Damiano to the river

JUNE Update

To reemphasize the trans-border aspect of the elephant movement, I communicated with EWB on June 18th.  On that day, Damiano was currently within Zimbabwe … doing what elephants do as they migrate to food, water and family.

Much Must still be done

While this story gives hope, all is not perfect.  The Ngami Times recently reported on June 11th that a Kasane resident is said to have shot and killed two elephants on Wednesday night, angering other residents who feel the elephants posed no threat.  According to sources in Kasane, the resident shot the elephants which were close to his house.

The department of Wildlife and National Parks could not confirm the incident by the time of going to press for The Times.

© Julian Glover, guardian.co.uk

If its wildlife is to be preserved, more income from the tourists who flock to safari parks must find its way to local people

Something shaming often happens when you clatter up a dusty track and enter any of Africa’s famous national parks, or even some quieter ones, such as Malawi’s Liwonde, which I visited recently. Almost all those outside are black and very poor. Most of those inside, at least the tourists, are white and rich. Quite often you pass through a high electric fence, though whether it is intended to keep the animals in or the hungry poor out is not always clear.

The boundary between the preserved world and the real one is explicit. Beyond Liwonde, life is lived in one of Africa’s populous nations. Women hoe cassava fields; minibuses hoot at petrol stations in search of fuel (Malawi is short of foreign exchange and so petrol). There is commitment and endeavour and hope: lots of small businesses with cheery handpainted slogans (“Save water, drink beer”, suggested one roadside bar).

And just the other side of the fence, there is silence and beauty, and a wide river lagoon packed with belching hippos – a magical place of the sort people fly to Africa to find. But the park is sustained, in part, by a form of tourism detached from the realities of a continent about to see its one-billionth inhabitant. Westerners are more likely these days to be clutching a zoom-lens Nikon than a rifle, but the effect is still deadly: a gated cul-de-sac for the natural environment, hawked to the west as a long-haul luxury product.

Brochures are awash with nostalgia for a colonial dreamworld, the myth of the wilderness. “Imagine the Africa of the great safari era, when blazing sunsets melted into lantern-lit romance and service was an effortless whisper,” declares one, and it is typical. Fantasies such as these, priced out of reach of almost every African, demean a continent and detach themselves from science or conservation. Lions are a backdrop to a sunset gin and tonic, as unreal as the Disney king of the jungle. No one mentions that when the Liwonde park was created in 1973, villages were evicted to make room for game.

This sounds unfair to the efforts of good people. Sustainable tourism is more than a slogan; some tourist projects raise money for schools and healthcare. Parks provide foreign exchange, and without them there would be little incentive to preserve ecosystems. Only a brute could wish for fewer elephants in the world, or to see the warthog snuffle its last, or trees cut down for charcoal, which will damage the soil, disrupt the rains and heat up a continent facing environmental crisis. It is undeniable that Africa’s conservation movement has achieved magnificent things in tough conditions. Few indigenous species have become extinct; even the strange half-striped Okapi from the Congo basin survives, with a tongue so long it can wash its own ears. Despite the horrible trade in powdered rhino horn, sold to a Chinese elite in search of stimulation, brave men and women have, so far, kept the rare black rhino alive in the wild. All this should be celebrated. But can it last, with Africa’s population set to double in the next 50 years and its people – as they should – wanting wealth and jobs?

We want Africa to keep its environment untamed, as we never did ourselves. Lincolnshire too was once wild before we chopped down the trees and drained its soils to grow potatoes. No one now suggests fencing the county off and letting it revert to wolves – but we expect Africa to shoulder the burden. Almost 40% of Tanzania has protected status. Can a growing continent afford it?

Last week Mo Ibrahim, the admirable Sudanese-born philanthropist, pointed out in the Guardian that Africa does not – contrary to repeated claims – have a problem with overpopulation. It has 20% of the world’s land and only 13% of its people. It also has some of the planet’s most outstanding ecology, and it is greatly to Africa’s credit that so many reserves have thrived. But who can blame a poor country for turning its eyes towards obvious sources of wealth – Tanzania and soda-rich Lake Natron, which an Indian company wanted to exploit despite its precious population of flamingos, or the Kongou Falls in Gabon, threatened by a Chinese iron ore project? In 2002 Gabon declared 10% of its land to be national parks. Well-fed conservation-minded Britain cannot match that.

It isn’t hard to take a stand against ivory poachers or an international conglomerate intent on ripping the wealth out of Africa. But should the peasant farmer, desperate for new land, be condemned in the same way? In the 1990s locals smashed down the fence and invaded Liwonde park, almost wiping out its wildlife. They were driven back, but the truce is temporary.

A better balance has to be found. African governments, and tour operators, need to leave income from parks with the people who live near them. And tourists need to stop imagining they are visiting an empty continent in the guise of a latter-day Livingstone or Stanley. They should see wildlife, but meet people too. If one of 50 chose an 18-hour total immersion in rural life, precious dovetails between a park and its surrounds would grow.

The word “stakeholder” has been horribly abused; but unless the world can find a way of giving ownership of Africa’s parks to Africa’s people, the parks will be doomed and the people diminished.

• guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010

In a recent Photo Contest at Outdoor Photo, I came across a series of excellent images … all by Miles Morgan.  I immediately googled the name and found numerous other great shots by Miles.  From there, we swapped a few emails resulting in this guest article.   Miles has a lot to offer, so we hope this post is the first of many by Miles.

Article by Miles Morgan

In wildlife photography, flexibility and quick reactions are critical.  Things happen fast, and trying to combine changing light, moving subjects (who aren’t interested in your direction), and safety creates a kaleidoscope of decisions that need to be made on the fly in order to make a successful image.  This is exactly why I’m a landscape photographer.

The preparation for my landscape images starts days, or months in advance.  After deciding on a subject that I would like to see for myself, I’ll scour the internet for information on the best time or day, the best season, the best tides (if coastal) and weather patterns, and the best composition.  Once I’ve settled on the time when all these things converge, I’ll arrive on scene early…. REALLY early… to set up and wait for my chance when the light is most ideal.  Having time is a landscape photographers luxury if he/she prepares properly.  Of course, any of you that have actually been in the field shooting are  putting a huge asterisk on that last sentence.  Some photographers are naturally flexible, and artfully maneuver from composition to composition during peak light, coming home with many different possibilities to process.  My preferred method of shooting is to spend quite a bit of time finding THE composition that I find most pleasing, and shooting images across the whole spectrum of good light.  That way, I am assured of having frames when the scene looks its very best.  But what happens when things are evolving differently from what you planned?

If the light is amazing in a direction different from the one you are facing, do you abandon the composition that you worked so hard to find and chase the light, hoping to quickly put together all the elements required to make a pleasing image?  Or do you stick with what you have, waiting and hoping that those same lighting conditions will migrate into your chosen scene?  The answer depends on several factors, and requires you to evaluate your personal strengths.  If you are also a wildlife shooter, comfortable with rapidly changing conditions, it might make sense to try to quickly create a new composition highlighting the best light.  I tend to be rather reluctant to change my original composition.   As an airline pilot, I’ve spent countless hours watching how light reacts to unfolding weather conditions, and I use that knowledge to constantly evaluate how I think the optimal light is going to look over the scene.  The combination of exceptional light and a sense that the conditions will never be ideal over my composition will finally be enough to spur me to try quickly putting together some strong elements in a new composition showcasing the great light.  An honest evaluation of your shooting strengths before arriving on location will give you the best possible chance of coming home with a memorable image.

Below is an example of a situation where I abandoned the composition that I had been hoping to shoot in order to take advantage of unexpected lighting conditions.  The story behind the image was so startling, that I thought I would include it as well.

Flexibility and an open mind can yield shots like this

Last night I finished my household duties a little earlier than I thought I might, and figured I had time to race to Kiwanda before sundown to try to catch the clearing storm that had been pounding Oregon the previous day or two. My friend Sonny had been anxious to see the Cape, so the extended invitation was quickly accepted and we were off. I’ve been trying to get a good image from here for some time now with little success on the light, but the conditions were ripe for another attempt.

Kiwanda Cliff

Climbing the dune and crossing the narrow paths proved entertaining, as Sonny is deathly afraid of heights. I should mention that Sonny is a friend of mine from flight school, and a pilot for UPS. I’ve thus found his acrophobia to be rather amusing, and I test it whenever possible. The last time Sonny and I went for a “hike”; we climbed Mt. St. Helens. At the summit, he had to lay on his stomach to feel comfortable peering into the Crater. When I asked him what he thought of the un-paralleled vista spread forth before him, he said, and I quote: “Well, I’d rather be changing the diaper on my 3 year.” There’s a man who is in touch with nature.

At any rate, we arrived successfully on the small cliff where I planned to shoot, and after setting up the gear, waited for the light. Sonny entertained himself by continuing out to the end of the rocky shelf to look for sea creatures. I was back on camera: focus, check. f-stop, check. polarizer, check. scooby snack break, check. While going through my settings I heard “WWWWWHHHHAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEE” and looked up to see a large Grey Whale surface not 100 feet offshore from where Sonny was standing. It was, without a doubt, the closest I’d ever been to a whale, and I was a good 75 yards further than Sonny. He screamed, I screamed, and we continued our vigil for quite some time as first one, then another, then another slowly swam south directly past the ledge. Massive and fantastic. Finally, Sonny walked back to my shooting area and stood watching for more marine life. I turned and saw this light burning from behind the clouds and faced my dilemma. I have a bad habit in photography.

Once I’ve found the comp that I like, I tend to stick with it throughout the best light conditions so I’m shooting from that spot at the ideal time. If I move from the spot that I want an image of, I might miss the optimal moment, and then I’ll be grumpy and generally make life miserable for all who come in contact with me. On this night, I broke from my comfort zone because the light was just too cool to pass up. I set up this image, and fired off a few frames.

I was just about to move to a different spot to improve on the too-centered comp when I heard a huge WOOSH from my right, just by the channel over which I was shooting. There, less than 30 feet away, was a Whale. I was so completely shocked that I forgot that I had a camera with me. I just stood on the ledge and gawked, watching the whale swim right up below the 10 foot ledge and roll around for several minutes. I eventually began to fear that he was stuck, as he kept bumping the side of the ledge, but I later learned that they will rub up against the rocks to clean barnacles off their bodies. His paw kept sliding up in the air and then down, (ok…. I’m sure they don’t call them paws – I’ve never been very good with animals) and he was close enough that clearing his airhole would have drenched us. I literally could have stepped off the edge and pretty much fallen straight on top of him. Finally, clean and satisfied, and probably wondering what this “OH MY GOD”; that he kept hearing from the two morons on the cliff meant, he slowly turned north and swam in front of the cliffs before slipping into the comfortable depths of his home.

Billy Dodson (left) with David Muteti - "We are a team and he (David) is the most important part of it"

“I’m not a photographer who happened to visit Africa and fell in love with the land and the animals. I do what I do because of Africa … that is, the magic of the place turned me into a photographer.”

Upon returning home to Williamsburg, Virginia,  Dodson found that he “spent an excessive amount of time trying to figure out a way to return to Africa – often – and make the travel self-sustaining.” Since he enjoyed documenting the Kilimanjaro climb with the SLR he purchased for the trip, Dodson decided to pursue photography as his ticket back to Africa.

“I subscribed to a couple of the popular photo magazines and really learned the principles of light, exposure, metering, etc. from reading them,” says Dodson. “Composition seemed to come naturally. I live in a very photogenic town (Williamsburg, Virginia), so I did a lot of shooting around town and even landed some images on the cover of our local magazine …but a return trip to Africa was my real goal.”

His goal was realized in 2005 when he bought a used 500mm Sigma lens, a Nikon D70 and a plane ticket to Tanzania.

“The images I captured on that first trip began to sell immediately, and the cycle has continued in the years since,” Dodson says. “Wildlife photography is now both my means and my excuse to continue to visit Africa.”

Dodson’s love for the natural world wasn’t always such a strong pull for him. Born in the farmlands of Sikeston, Missouri, Dodson’s outdoor experience was confined to his work in the hayfields and watermelon patches. Then as an adult, his time was spent dedicated to his career as a Naval officer.

“It wasn’t until my wife [Cynthia] insisted on a hiking trip to Glacier National Park that I realized that I’d never really taken the time to appreciate the natural world,” Dodson says. “And then my first visit to Africa heightened that realization — it was truly a life-changing experience. Since that trip I’ve been trying to make up for all the wasted time and missed opportunities in the preceding years. Better to learn late than not at all.”

Since that first fateful trip in 2001, Dodson has returned to Africa seven times, and has a number of future trips in the works. Starting in 2011, he will begin leading photo trips to different destinations to share with other photographers his many African loves: elephants, zebras, the landscapes and light of the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti, as well as the great animal migrations.

Throughout his travels, Dodson has found himself face-to-face with a hungry giraffe and an agitated bull elephant, but like most nature photographers, he has a wishlist of shots he’s still waiting to get. And at the top of his list? Cheetah cubs. “That’s my holy grail, and I ain’t quitting until I photograph some!”

Dodson hopes to use his photography to help protect his incredible subjects. He donates his images to conservation organizations including The Nature Conservancy (TNC), African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and Kenya Land Conservation Trust.

“I want to do everything within my power to protect the vulnerable animal species of East Africa and to preserve their fragile environment.”

As a member of The Nature Conservancy, Dodson has found a “natural fit” for his conservation interests within the Conservancy’s work in Africa.

“These days I’m also acutely cognizant of the pressure on the game reserves and the fragility of so many of their species,” Dodson says. “It’s made me appreciate organizations like TNC and AWF because I’ve seen the positive impact of their efforts firsthand. Supporting what these organizations do is the best possible use of my images.”

Dodson’s love of photography grew out of his passion for African wildlife. Once you’ve learned the basic principles of photography and digital post-production, Dodson believes the key to being a successful nature photographer is having a subject that you’re passionate about.

“I think it actually helps if you love nature, or some aspect of it, to the point of obsession. I’m not recommending insanity, but in my case I think it’s helped make me successful,” Dodson says. “If you’re passionate about your subjects, I think it makes it much easier to capture their heart and essence.”

Dodson will return to Kenya (and the animals he loves so dearly) this October.

Billy noted that he was packed and ready to leave when he saw this young zebra foal. Clearly it was worth unpacking the gear for a few last shots. Another reminder to always be ready. Note also, that a centered composition is normally not suggested. Further, the landscape orientation is unusual for the vertical features of the zebra, but the background, out of focus zebra makes this composition work for Mr. Dodson.

Elephants in early morning light - Note how the early morning light allows a nice soft feel for the image and allows image separation of the young elephant from the other elephants.

The 'money shot' that won the contest. Billy noted that his plan was to shoot a griaffe in profile and that the appearance of the ox pecker created the unexpected bonus. Two editorial comments: 1) always be ready, as you cannot predict nature and 2) adding action to an image (bird wing flutter) will separate your image from those of most others.

To Learn More about the photo Contest, visit The Nature Conservancy

To see more of Billy Dodson’s work visit his site, Savanna Images or see his photos at Photo.net