In my prior two trips into the bush, I went to Chobe, with it’s wide open pans.  Further, I went in late July, the dead of Winter when brush is extremely sparse.  On that last trip, the two bodies I used were a Canon 7D and a Canon 30D.  Lens selection was a 500mm f/4 with and without teleconverters on one body and a Canon 100-400  on the second body.

On this trip, I will be headed to a camp in Timbavati, adjacent to Kruger in South Africa.  The trip will be May which is basically late fall.  I expect more brush and tracking off road where we will truly be in the bush on game drives.  For this trip, I will be taking along my newest body, a full frame 5d MkIII.  I think the new focusing system will be matched nicely for the setting.  My back-up body will be the Canon 7D, a solid, fast frame per second 1.6 crop body.  Considering the setting and season, I plan to mount the 5D with a light and portable Canon 400mm DO f/4 and will also expect to use the 1.4x teleconverter.  On my 7D body, I will use the trusty 100-400 zoom as you never know what the shooting distances will be.

Equipment selection is very important, but that’s not really the point of this article.  The point is that with each trip, you have to pack a camera bag and with each changing trip you will need to align equipment in the bag in different ways.  Perhaps even more importantly, you need to pack the bag one way to travel on planes/auto/etc. to get to the bush, but you will probably want the equipment laid out in the back a totally different way to use once in the bush.  Regardless of these constant changes, good photos may depend on you quickly knowing where things are in the bag and accessing them.

In this article, I’m going to show some of the basic features of four camera backpacks.  I will also be pointing out how I hope to lay out my bag for easy use in the field.

I essentially have 4 bags to select from.  I have two LowePro bags (the Vertex 200 AW and the older version of the Photo Trekker).  I have Two Gura Gear Kiboko bags (the 30L and the 22L+).  All four are very good bags and have their place.  As you can see from the photos, that makes 2 larger bags and two smaller bags.  Also note that all 4 bags are similarly deep.  I’m not going to get into a detailed review here as simple web search will provide that info, but do want to note that the Vertex 200 and the Kiboko 22L+ also have storage compartments for a laptop.

Four Bag options

For international travel, the Gura Gear bags have a few advantages.  Both sizes way less than 4 pounds while the LowePro bags weight about 8 pounds.  Considering I’m adding 20+ pounds of gear to a bag, every pound you save is valuable, especially with airlines tightening down on weight limits.  Additionally, the Gura Gear back stores the harness system more elegantly for putting into the overhead.  I’ve included a rear view with straps stored for my LowePro Photo Trekker and the Kiboko 30L.

Side View of 4 Choices: Note all have simlar depth

The Gura Gear bags also have an advantage on safari if you are sharing seating rows with other passengers.  I packed the LowePro Photo Trekker with my bigger lens choices to show that they will easily fit, but also to show that to access these lenses, you have to flop down the entire cover.  This takes up some serious seat real estate.  I similarly packed the 30L.  The Gura Gear bags have a distinct “butterfly” opening style (i.e. you open the left side or the right side).  This distinction means that the bag can more easily be accessed on a shared safari bench row.

For the reasons stated above, I’ve chosen to take the Kiboko 30L on this particular safari trip to Timbavati.

There is no perfect camera bag for travel and use on safari and probably never will be.  I know this statement will bug some of my friends, but it’s just not going to happen.  In the field, you are going to want your camera body or bodies mounted to the most likely lens they will be used with and with the lens hoods on.  This orientation wastes a lot of space and just isn’t practical for air travel or throwing your bags in a trunk/boot of a vehicle.

Once one picks the bag for the trip, the real challenge begins: the decision of how to pack the bag.  I haven’t found anywhere on the web where good advice is given on this subject.  I know from experience, I need the bag and it’s compartments arranged very differently in the field vs. when carrying the gear to the airport.    In the field, you are going to want to have your camera body attached to your primary lens choice.  I highly recommend taking a back-up body.  I also recommend attaching that back-up body to the most likely alternate lens you will use.  I’ve found that a little practice with field arrangement will decrease stress in the field.  With the Kiboko, I’ll be able to attach the 400 DO (with or without the 1.4 teleconverter) to my 5D MkIII body with hood attached and have this on one side of the bag.  I plan to attach my 7D body to the 100-400 lens with hood attached and have this ready on the other side of the body.  I have sandwiched two images to show the basic ‘ready to shoot’ layout.  As you can see, I’ve had to leave a few items back at the lodge for the field trip.  Every packing job has it’s compromises.

Bag Layout "Ready for the Bush"

I hope this short article has given you some ideas on thinking about bag packing for travel and bag packing for shooting as two separate layout decisions.  More importantly, I hope following this advice will lead to you getting that ‘winner shot’ we all want on each bush drive.

Giraffe Pair edited with Fractalius

Tiger edited with Fractalius

A year plus ago, I tried the free trial download of Fractalius plug-in by Redfield Plugins.  The plug in creates some very interesting and strong effects on your images and I saw enough potential to purchase the plug in back then.  In particular, I found that pans of animals worked well with the tool and it also could give an abstract feel to landscapes with distant horizons.  That said, like many of my toys, it got a little forgotten.  I think it was primarily because I generally felt that the tool was just a little too powerful for the look I generally go for in my images.

A few facts and qualifiers:  The trial is a free download, but leaves little ‘demo’ stamps all over your imaging.  Perhaps one could use the trial and clone out the stamps, but the software isn’t that expensive.  If you like the trial, buy the product!  The plug-in will only work on a PC platform – no Mac support at this time.  To use the plugin, you must convert your image to 8 bit ( image>mode>8 bit ).  The tool does not come with instructions.  Fractalius is easy to use as there are numerous pre-sets and sliders.  You can also create and save recipes.  That said, each slider is not that intuitive, so if you find an effect you like, make sure you write down the settings or save the recipe.

Now, back to the story on why I am a re-born fan of Fractalius.  Our local camera club, the Lehigh Valley Photography Club, recently had a guest speaker – Denise Ippolito.  I know Denise as a renown bird photographer who is active in bird photography forums and in conducting workshops.  I wasn’t aware that she’s spent a lot of time developing a strong understanding of texture overlays and various ‘digital art’ type plug ins and effects.  During her presentation, she showed numerous really high impact images of birds and other subject using Fractalius.  Among these were several cases of using the tool on realitive close-up examples of the animals.  Hmmm …. Didn’t try the plug-in on that type image.

I’m still playing with this toy.  I surly haven’t mastered Fractalius, but have seen enough to recommend this product for your consideration.  I hope the images embedded in this article are enough of a tease to get you involved.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4mt5axFzo0&feature=player_embedded#at=32[/youtube]

• the 100-400 f4.5-5.6, which is compact relative to the other options, but known for some dust problems and does not take a tele-converter well.
• The 400 f4 DO, which is light and compact, but a little pricey and a fixed focal length
• the 300 f2.8 which is quite fast, but is a ‘tweener’ with not enough range for most safari shots.

I am excited about the new lens, but I must warn that I think it will be rather expensive (as is the Nikon 200-400), at a price north of $6000 and also quite heavy, so make sure you bring along the bean bag.  One cool feature of the new lens will be the incorporated 1.4x teleconverter (extender) built into the design.  This feature will decrease lens changes and thereby lower dust on the sensor.  Time will tell if this lens is loved as we currently have no info on sharpness, speed of focusing, etc.  but, it’s here! I would love to own this new lens, but see that as a supplement to my existing 100-400 rather than a replacement due to weight/size considerations.

Here is the press release for the new Canon offering:

New Canon 200-400 f4

London, UK, 7th February 2011 – Canon today announces the development of a telephoto zoom lens featuring an integrated focal length extender – the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXTENDER 1.4x. The lens will be displayed for the first time during CP+, held in Yokohama, Japan.

Designed for Canon’s leading range of EOS Digital SLR cameras, the new lens will be an ideal addition for sports and wildlife photographers, offering exceptional flexibility with a built-in 1.4x extender that creates an increased focal range of 280 – 560mm.

Perfect for photographers who require high performance, fast aperture and a flexible telephoto range, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXTENDER 1.4× will enable photographers to shoot a greater breadth of subjects using a single lens, delivering the best possible image quality at all focal lengths.

Developed as a new addition to Canon’s acclaimed L-series of professional lenses, the new lens will offer an unsurpassed combination of versatility, first-class optical performance and an enhanced weather-proof construction. The model will be released as part of Canon’s continued development of its EF lens line-up, offering enhanced performance and improved functions that cater for the needs of photographers from beginners through to professionals.

The EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXTENDER 1.4x is scheduled for launch during 2011.

• 

  National Geographic's Great Migrations

  Great Migrations, National Geographic DVD (in Blu Ray if possible – $60) – While one can get a book and DVD combo, the DVD set is the big winner in the package.  Three years in the making, and from award-winning National Geographic cinematographers, Great Migrations takes viewers around the world on the arduous journeys millions of animals undertake to ensure the survival of their species.Shot from land and air, in trees and cliff-blinds, on ice floes and underwater, Great Migrations tells the formidable, powerful stories of many of the planet’s species and their movements, while revealing new scientific insights with breathtaking high-definition clarity. Narrated by Alec Baldwin with lots of footage from Botswana as well as eastern Africa.

• HDR Software – I am a big fan of the Photomatix product, but NIK Software has a new product out getting great press.  I predict that this will become a favorite tool in your photographers photography workflow.  If you don’t know what HDR is the simple answer is High Dynamic Range.  The more complex answer is that this tool will allow the photographer to recreate what the eye actually saw versus what the limits of the camera sensor recorded.  Depending on your choice, prices run from $100 to $150.

• Apple iPad – I really struggled adding this one to the list.  Not that it isn’t a great product for the photographer, it’s just that it seems like a cliché on every site to recommend it.  Great for viewing images and simple internet surfing, but don’t confuse it with the need for a travel laptop.  A little pricey at $400 and up, but I haven’t found an owner that doesn’t love theirs.
• 

  A Lens? No, it's a coffee mug

  Canon or Nikon Lens Mug – You may say “what?” but trust me, this one is a winner and won’t cost you much.  I have only seen this on eBay, so the link I provide may become obsolete; however, if you search Canon (or Nikon), lens and Mug you will certainly get current links.  At less than $20 shipped, this will be one of your cheapest safari photographer options.

• BIG, fast Memory Cards for the camera – There is never enough.  I typically buy Sandisk or Kingston, but there are other brands that you may wish to consider.  The devil is in the details.  Don’t buy small.  My recommendation is specifically for 16GB or larger.  The link is for a 600x speed CF card for under $100.  There are a lot of sales this time of year, so make sure you shop around.
• Hoodman Hood Loupe – It may be a little overpriced at $80, but I’m willing to pay the price.  After all, I paid
  

  Hoodman - simple but very useful

  thousands to be on safari.  If one can’t see the image histogram due to the bright sunlight, images can be wasted … and what’s the cost of that?

• Infrared camera conversion – Maybe I am approaching true luxury item here, but most photographers have an extra camera body they never use.  For about $400, that camera can be converted to capture infrared images.  This, my friend, will have you shooting outside of your comfort zone … which means the thrill is there like when you got that first dSLR.  LifePixel is well known for doing quality work, so I can highly recommend this one.  For illistration, I am borrowing an image from Andy Biggs.  See more of his IR and other wildlife images at AndyBiggs.com.

An example of Infrared on Safari. Image copyright Andy Biggs

• 

  Shona artwork of an Elephant

  Zimbabwe Shona Art – You probably have enough African wildlife photos from your trip.  Now it is time to add a little art to the mantel piece.  There are numerous places to buy these stone sculputures on the internet, but my preference is one of the not-for-profit organizations.  Prices range from $50 to as much as you are willing to spend.  Shona sculpture in essence has been a fusion of African folklore with European influences. World renowned Zimbabwean sculptors include Nicholas, Nesbert and Anderson Mukomberanwa, Tapfuma Gutsa, Henry Munyaradzi and Locardia Ndandarika.

So that’s our list for this year.  We would love to hear additional ideas you may have discovered.

So you don’t think lighting is pertinent to what you do? Just ask Art Wolfe or Frans Lanting about the importance of understanding lighting. These top professionals, like many other outdoor photographers, understand that augmenting ambient light with flash and reflectors can be the key to make a fine photo into something spectacular. The same principles that apply to lighting a product apply when photographing a flower, just like the same lighting principles that help a subject stand out from a studio background can help you identify, and modify, lighting in the landscape. All photographers, regardless of subject, work with light.

Whether Frans Lanting’s perched precariously in the treetops or half-submerged in a swamp, many regard Lanting as the world’s foremost nature photographer. He has been named the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and won the Sierra Club’s prestigious Ansel Adams Award for conservation-oriented photography. He is one of the most published shooters in the esteemed pages of National Geographic, where he is considered by editors to be “a singular extraordinary talent.” He has even been knighted by his native Holland for “his contribution to raise awareness for the beauty of nature and the necessity to protect it.” … and he also uses flash at a tool in wildlife photography.

The following article is reprinted from a long past article on Outdoor Photography.

Carmine Bee Eaters with a little fill lighting - - copyright Frans Lanting

Interview by Rob Sheppard

Flash has become an important tool for the well-rounded nature photographer, as master photographer Frans Lanting explains.

National Geographic photographer and Outdoor Photographer columnist Frans Lanting is world-renowned for his stunning nature photography. He has even received a knighthood from his native Netherlands for his work in world conservation through his photography.

Of course, we know his nature work is unparalleled. I can count on a submission of images from Frans to be both inspirational and frustrating—frustrating because it’s so difficult to narrow down the choices to the pages we have available in an issue!

So what’s a nature guy like Frans doing taking a mini-studio’s worth of flash equipment into the field? And we’re not talking easy-to-reach locations like Yellowstone or other American parks. Frans’ National Geographic assignments take him to some of the most remote places in the world.

Frans has been talking to me about his flash work over the past couple of years. I had noticed that his Geographic work was increasingly using flash in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways for some excellent results. I learned that flash has become an extremely important part of his photography now, for everything from wildlife to landscapes. Realizing that his experiences could be extremely valuable and even inspirational to our readers, we decided we needed to talk.

Outdoor Photographer: Alright, Frans, what’s the deal with this flash business? Sure, wildlife photographers have used it for a long time, but you seem to be using it in all sorts of nature work.

Frans Lanting: Actually, when I started my photographic career in the late ’70s, flash wasn’t commonly used in nature photography. You did see it in some very traditional ways, such as flash only, overpowering all ambient light, or with controlled wildlife situations. In the present day, however, flash is very important for many reasons, including extending our working time in the field, helping to get enough light on subjects that aren’t in good light, improving dull light situations and making our photographs communicate more effectively. I can’t imagine going into the field without strobes today. Modern equipment makes this very easy. It wasn’t always that way.

Outdoor Photographer: One way you use flash is to emphasize elements in a photograph to better control what the viewer sees and how he or she reacts to the image. Can you elaborate on this a bit?

Lanting: For me, it’s important that I can communicate something special about the subject through my photography. With flash, I can literally spotlight a part of the scene so the viewer knows exactly what’s essential to the image. The flash lets me highlight elements of the composition, isolate key subjects or give a special importance to something. I can use different types of flash light to do this, from harsh, dramatic light to soft, gentle and diffused illumination. I can change the color of the flash for effect as well as the direction the flash comes from. I can even make a murky day give me an image that’s quite effective through the use of flash.

Cayman eyes glow with the aid of flash - - copyright Frans Lanting

Outdoor Photographer: You’ve told me that early on you had to do a lot of experimenting with small flash units in order to learn to do these things. The big strobes that wildlife photographers had been using didn’t fit into your way of shooting. What did you do to develop your use of flash in the field?

Lanting: There was consistently a challenge from photographing wildlife in that you couldn’t always get ideal light on the subject. I saw what flash could do and began experimenting with the old Vivitar 283 and 285 flash units. Metz also had some small, but powerful units that could be used in the field. Several of us were doing this at National Geographic, including my colleagues, “Nick” Nichols and Peter Menzel. We all experimented and compared notes, which led us to new applications.
At first, it was difficult to blend flash with ambient light. We had to do quite a bit of testing and use manual exposure. But a real breakthrough for me came when I saw how LIFE photographer Gregory Heisler used strobes in an outdoor setting, photographing souped-up cars in Los Angeles at dusk. It was a real eye-opener to see how one could overcome the limitations of flash outdoors. I’ve also learned a lot from the ways photographers have used flash in everything from studio to sports settings. Then I’ve worked to find a way to use those ideas outdoors.

Outdoor Photographer: Obviously, you’ve come a long way from the manual-flash experiments. Is flash today easy enough that any outdoor photographer can benefit from it?

Lanting: The technology of flash now is amazing. Rear-curtain sync in cameras opened up huge creative possibilities. TTL flash exposure was an enormous step forward. It now frees us of elaborate testing, metering and lots of Polaroids. Auto-flash bracketing increases our opportunities to get perfect exposures. With modern equipment like my Nikon Speedlights, we have a remarkable set of tools in terms of power and control in very compact, easy-to-transport packages.

Baobab trees in Madegascar are emphasized via lighting which was hidden behind other tree trunks and fired via radio control - - copyright Frans Lanting

Flash can now be used to both fix technical limitations of photography, such as too-low light levels, as well as to offer extremely creative possibilities from subtle to “hot” flash effects. This technology has strongly contributed to stylistic changes in studio, sports and fashion photography. This then trickled into photojournalism and now into outdoor photography.

Now I literally can take a “studio in a box” with me into the field. I’m able to pack a half-dozen Speedlights, battery packs and accessories (such as softboxes) into a Pelican case. I’ll take along some lightweight stands, but you can always use tripods or even get someone to hold a light. I try to keep it compact.

Outdoor Photographer: With all that flash power and even some softboxes, you’ve got a pretty sophisticated system.

Lanting: You can actually see the increasing sophistication in the development of field use of flash over the years that span my own career. Back in the ’70s, very little flash was used at all in field conditions. Next came the on-camera flash for fill and just getting enough illumination on dark subjects. Long cords and slaves allowed flash to be taken off-camera for new effects.

Then softboxes got smaller and left the studio for the field in the early ’80s. Commercial photographers have long known the value of these light modifiers, but they were cumbersome for field use. When small softboxes came out, we were able to gain whole new levels of control.

At the other extreme, Fresnel lens attachments increased the intensity of flash light and concentrated it for use at a distance. Metz was the first to offer this with its portable flash units, but then Tory Lepp came out with the Project-A-Flash that could be used on most small flash units. This helped telephoto wildlife photography tremendously.

Now we have complete systems of multiple flash that work together in a TTL network. This is an incredible sophistication for small, portable strobes.

Outdoor Photographer: This certainly gives you a lot of options.

Lanting: I believe that the more options I have in which to render my subject, the more effective I can be as a photographer. I especially like being able to mix artificial and ambient light, and having many options allows me to do this better. Modern flash systems allow me so much control in this area.

For example, I can underexpose ambient light and keep the flash “hot” or bright for a very dramatic effect. For something completely different in its impact, I can overexpose background ambient light with a standard or underexposed flash for a brighter feel to the image. All of this will affect the cognitive impression anyone gets from a photo.

Outdoor Photographer: Let’s look at some specific ways you’d apply all of your flash options to the outdoor subject. Landscapes often aren’t thought of when considering flash, yet you use flash quite well there. Give us an idea of how you work.

Lanting: Stylistically, flash gives some remarkable creative possibilities for landscape work. Frequently, the landscape doesn’t have quite the right light to make an interesting photo using all the elements of the landscape that I might find important to a composition. Sometimes, flash can be used to brighten a dark foreground at sunrise or sunset. But often, it can be used to enliven a landscape on a murky day and create some contrast that isn’t possible any other way. With flash, I can make an interesting image that, without flash, would be nothing. I’ve used everything from softboxes over nearby objects in a big landscape to a Project-A-Flash to highlight a specific part of a scene that’s away from the camera.

Outdoor Photographer: Obviously, you do a lot of wildlife work with flash. That was one place you started experimenting with flash outdoors. What are some key elements of wildlife and flash that are important for you?

Lanting: First, flash can allow us to freeze action that might not be seen otherwise. I’ve set up flash to stop flying birds or bats so that you can see every feather. On the other hand, you can also mix ambient light and flash together, especially when using rear-curtain sync, to create a strong feeling of movement. The flash stops the action, but a slow shutter speed captures some blur from the ambient light movement. Rear-curtain sync then makes that movement appear behind the subject, which is a real contrast to the old days of standard sync, where the movement actually appeared in front of the subject in
the photograph.

Black Rhino - copyright Frans Lanting

Of course, flash is also important to throw light into dark areas, or even to fill the dark shadows of a backlit animal, so you can see the animal at all. In addition, I enjoy photographing when the light is low and the flash reflects from the back of the wildlife’s eyes. At one time, photographers only thought of this eyeshine as a mistake, yet it has tremendous creative possibilities.

Sometimes, flash just gives some creative options from the way you mix flash and ambient light. For example, think of photographing an animal at sunset. The sky is dramatic in color, but the animal, a mere silhouette. With flash, both the subject and the background color can be varied, depending on how the two lights, flash and ambient, are balanced. Auto-flash exposure bracketing can be very helpful in these conditions.

Outdoor Photographer: You do a lot of portraits of wildlife as well as people, from scientists to native folk. What are you trying to do with flash in those situations?

Lioness and Cub - copyright Frans Lanting

Lanting: Portraiture, whether of people or animals, is really quite a lot like studio work. I try to light subjects in a way to emphasize their personalities. I want to create an environment of light, using both flash and ambient light, that can give you a feeling of who this creature is, plus sometimes a bit of the setting. I like the stylistic options possible from the choices of direct to soft light, as well as how the flash is mixed with the ambient light.

Outdoor Photographer: I have to tell you that I’m impressed with the work. It brings a new drama and edge to all sorts of subjects, plus I can see how you can create some strong images that communicate quite powerfully. Where do you see this going?

Lanting: I think there’s still much potential cross-pollination from the flash work in sports and fashion, for example. There’s some wonderful stylistic work being done that will find its way into nature photography as outdoor photographers push the limits of their own work with flash.
It used to be hard, for example, to use multiple lights in the field, yet that’s very common in a studio environment. Now, the possibilities are great, especially with the latest flash systems. Flash does take a little more work, and it does require taking along more equipment, but the creative and communicative potential is huge for the photographer willing to make the effort.

Reprinted courtesy of Outdoor Photographer.

View Frans’ fine prints at his web site at this link.

here is the link: Chobe Wildlife Rescue

And here is the back story of Dr. Clay Wilson:

Dr. Clay Wilson

There is nothing more satisfying than darting a magnificent animal like an elephant that is ill in most instances its a snare around their legs. Treating it and waking it up so that it will live to see another wonderful day in the paradise of Chobe.

I traded the high pace Ratrace of private veterinary practice in Florida 3 years ago for the peace and tranquility of the african bush. I volounter my services to the national parks and have healed and alleviated pain and suffering in hundreds of different wild animlas in the last 3 years. Recently myself and my girlfriend singlehandedly vaccinated 650 domesticated dogs in this small community in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus into the wildlife predator population. We have been sucesfull. Every day is a new adventure never a dull moment.

Conservation, preservation and mercy is our passion

I’m Dr Clay Wilson. I was born in South Africa and at 2 years old we immigrated to Mexico was I spent the next 12 years. I spoke Spanish as a first language. We returned to RSA at 13 and later graduated from Sandton High School. After a short military stint, I was accepted in college in USA and I graduated from University of Florida with a BSC in Zoology in 1979. After a year’s break was I worked as a game warden In Sabi Sabi, I went to veterinary school at Onderstepoort Pretoria graduating in 1987. I married an Afrikaans girl and we moved to USA were I established and owned a large veterinary clinic in Cortez Florida for 17 years. I managed 20 staff members and volunteered my services to local wildlife rescue organizations. I was considered a specialist in Orthopedics, small animal medicine and exotics. I reached the top of my field and had no longer a challenge and got bored, so I  sold the practice after one day on the market, moved to Chobe and it has take me 4 years to get in with Department of Wildlife and Parks on a volunteer basis. I have an official contract with them and they made me and Honourary Game Warden. The head of the department complimented me a few days ago saying” I was the most active warden in the park.” I speak with an American accent but I am as African as the soil. I taught myself to dart and treat wildlife and have saved hundreds of wounded or sick animals. I’m passionate about wildlife. I have expended most of my life’s savings into wildlife treatment… I have no regrets about depleting my recourses because I feel like I used that money to give me the opportunity to learn a rare calling and can now truly call myself a Wildlife Veterinarian. I love the challenge of working on these magnificent animals and consider it a privilege and honor to be able to do so. I have many visions……. of …….opening a research center and consolidating information past and present, finding a cure for Giraffe Papilloma virus, boosting and preserving the population of Sable and Roan antelope using embryo transfers, repopulating Zimbabwe’s depleted wildlife population, introducing modern technology to monitor and eradicate poaching using UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles), finding out what has happened to the depleted Lion population, reintroducing and monitoring Rhinoceros…… among a few.

But for now it’s day by day, animal to animal, drama to drama. Africa is harsh and at the same time beautiful. My heart soars at the healing of an elephant and can just as easily sink when I can’t treat and have to curtail suffering. Just another day in paradise.

Your help and donations will go directly into purchasing supplies to continue my daily healing. Tranquilized Darts, anesthetic agents. Antibiotics and pain medication, cardiac monitors, syringes and needles, fuel, maintenance of vehicles cost big money here I the isolation of Kasane Botswana

Chobe is in my opinion  the most important ecosystem in the world. It is unique in that we have half the population of elephants of the entire world. That is over 160 000 individuals. It is also the highest concentration of varied wildlife in the world. Because 0f its biodiversity it need special attention and protection which I have pledged the rest of my life to pursue.

Unfortunately this is a small town and there are not enough privately owned pets to support me as a veterinarian. The government does not seem to have funds to assist me. Local societies just don’t seem to care. The only source of income would be in tourism but I am unlicensed at the moment to be able to take tours. In any case I should be out in the bush healing animals and doing research instead of spending hours on the internet seeking funding

At 50 years old I changed the direction of my life to pursue a new passion for wildlife conservation here in Chobe. I was making a million dollars in small animal practice a year and sold out to realize my dream. That money went very quickly and I would never think I would be in a situation that I had to ask for donations to keep going. It’s quite a humbling experience.

I am attempting to get a sponsor to fund my larger projects but this is very difficult and time consuming.

My Girlfriend Laura is always next to me with a smile and a loving helping hand.

As individuals we have and will continue to make a difference in wildlife conservation and hope to leave a legacy behind for future generations to be able to enjoy this magnificent ecosystem.

We urge you to MAKE A DONATION AT THIS LINK

Many of you are aware … and many of you are not, but ChobeSafari and team had a serious electrical fire at out house last week.  This is why articles are a little slow at the moment.  No one was hurt.  The big issue is serious smoke damage to the house.   For this reason, articles will be a little stretched out for the next few weeks.  In the meantime, I ran across this article by the folks at Red River Paper (they have really good paper for the money) and decided to re-post as many wonder about dye versus pigment ink when selecting an inkjet system.  By the way, my printer and primary computer were destroyed in the fire, so I will be buying knew ‘stuff’ and will report back on my printer selection.

Buddy (the editor)

Many articles have been written about ink and paper, especially now that inkjet printing is becoming a dominant technology from the pro level down to the basic consumer. It seems that the articles we read are good, but usually leave out some important details. What follows is our knowledge on the differences between dye and pigment ink beyond the tehnical details – into what you need to know when deciding on a printer platform.

Decades

The first question to ask is do you need the prints to last decades? Put another way, do you want the prints to last as long as a lab print? If the answer is yes, then you need pigment inks. They are designed to resist fading and will work on a wide variety of inkjet papers. Important note: The big secret in the paper business is that print life from pigment inks is more dependent on the ink than the paper! Despite what you may have heard, pigment inks have fade resistance as a base line characteristic. They don’t magically become fade resistance by being sprayed on the right paper. We would be remiss if we dismissed paper completely. You certainly need to use a high quality sheet of coated inkjet paper for maximum print quality and detail. This paper should be certified to work with pigments and hopefully has an acid free base stock. Examples of pigment printers are the Epson R2880 and Canon Pro9500 MkII.

Seeking for Functionality and Good Looks?

Don’t need fade resistant prints? How about simply great color and detail? Dye inks are for you. They are designed for maximum brightness and color saturation. They will fade much faster than pigment inks. You might use dye inks to print portfolios, graphic design work, greeting cards, and business materials. Generally, you will pay less for a printer that uses dye inks. Some examples are the Canon Pro9000 MkII and the Epson 1400.

A Twist

So that would be the end of the story but for some recent marketing efforts by HP and Canon. HP’s Vivera ink dye system has been evaluated by Wilhelm Imaging Research and these tests indicate print life of over 100 years! Keep in mind that these are dye inks. So what is going on here? Its the paper. Forget what we said about paper in the pigment ink paragraph above. Paper is intimately tied to print life when using dye inks.

The performance of the HP system is anchored to swellable polymer papers such as HP Premium Photo Gloss Plus. This media actually traps and swells around dye inks, insulating them from harmful atmospheric gasses – hence the protection against fade. If you use an HP with Vivera ink and choose not to use their very specific papers you should expect fade in a rather short period of time.

The Canon ChromaPLUS system is the same basic story. You will have to actively seek out and use swellable polymer paper in order to resist fading if you require more than 20 years fade resistance.

To conclude, Red River Paper still recommends pigment inks if you need prints that last decades. Our independent fade testing, and the testing done by manufacturers, shows pigment inks to resist fade on many different types of media.

The Art of Safari Seduction

By Drew Prineas

Giraffe - © Drew Prineas

There is something about the Giraffe that is a must see. When you come to Africa they are like the centrefold in a magazine. You go through the normal poses before you get to what you really want. They have the long neck, their tongue licking around their lips as they chomp on the leaves; they are wearing the giraffe pattern designer clothing. They even do a running shoot, which is in slow motion. All this is captured plus the giraffe centrefold spread with a trip to Botswana and the Chobe National Park.

Chobe is in the north east of the country close to the borders of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We did an overnight trip there from Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). Basically no matter whoever you book with (unless its with the 5 star hotel) you go with the same company. Minus some little confusion at the beginning and the end I thought the tour was run brilliantly. Border crossings were not an issue either (get a double entry in ‘Zim’ or ‘Zam’ if planning to go back.)

The tour starts off at the Chobe Game Lodge where you hop on a boat and sail on a small boat along Chobe River. Botswana park officials have taken a liking to seeing passport numbers being written down on random pieces of paper. And that needs to be done on the boat too. The start of the boat ride didn’t really produce that much, a bit of bird life, which at the beginning seemed disappointing. But it turned out to be an added bonus as there are over 450 species of bird all varying in colour, sizes and beak design.

Game Viewing is suppose to be all about the Big 5 (being – Lion, buffalo, Rhino, leopard and elephant.) and there seems to be a bit of bragging rights if you get to see them all. It is based on the difficulty humans have in hunting the animal. This can only be outdone if you can see a live kill, something sadly on this occasion was not realised. But that is not to say that Chobe is no good. We ended up with the tally of no killings, 3 out of the Big 5 and then some.

Buffalo are the easiest of the bunch to see, they were drinking along the river but that didn’t interest us after a while. We wanted to see a hippo. Patience is the key in game viewing and eventually we were able to see them pop their beady eyes out of the water.

Elephants crossing the Chobe - © Drew Prineas

As the boat ride dragged on with no real action, just animals standing around, along came a herd (is that what you call a group of) elephants. About 5 tourist boats are around the area waiting for a potential crossing. Patience is again needed as we wait for a good 15 minutes for the brave adult male to test the cross over through the water. Step by step the elephant slowly makes his crossing. The water is deep so deep that it covers his eyes. To breath – out he pops his trunk beyond the surface until he gets to the other side saturated creating a dark blue shine to his skin.

Whilst this is happening some young adults are playing back over the other side communicating through touching their trunks and tusks. Than a look down and there is this baby elephant. “How on earth is that thing going to get over?” I thought. There are about 10 left to go and they form a line on the shore and follow the same path. It doesn’t take long for the baby to go fully under water. They don’t have much control of their trunks at this age and it flings around somewhat hopelessly.
If it weren’t for the thought that surely over the generations they would have figured a way to do this. You’d think you are about to witness an elephant suicide. But alas its fellow elephants used their trunks to help it come up to the surface and take a valuable breath as it took a good 5 minutes to cross.

Bull elephant 'dusting' - © Drew Prineas

Where they crossed was a tiny island where they spent the next moments drying themselves off with the sand. They would do this by using their front foot and kick it into the nostrils of the trunk that was used as a scooper and swing it back to various points of the body. The elephants seems to really like this as their were many appearances of what seemed to be a 5th leg. A closer inspection with the squint of the eyes would confirm that it was in fact a bunch of giant elephant phalluses. I will never forget one of the elephant’s efforts to get ‘it’ down. No, no it was no cold spoon but putting his middle stump between his two back legs and squeeze… numerous times (don’t be bashful)… problem solved!

Lunch was back at the Lodge and from there we joined the open-air safari vehicle. From here the difference from doing an overnight to a one-day Chobe trip was realised. The one-day has a few hours (during the hottest part of the day) than goes back. The main action is in the early morning and towards sunset.

Typical game drive vehicle (and waterbuck) © Drew Prineas

Sable - © Drew Prineas

The beginning of the safari was through bare forest destroyed like Apocalypse had hit courtesy of some hungry elephants. (Chobe’s elephant population is amongst the highest in the world. An estimated 154 000 savannah elephants.) The elephants had moved on but it doesn’t take too long to witness the darling of African wildlife – the giraffe.

As we drove passed warthog, impala and eagles we eventually headed back towards the river. Along the shoreline there are the occasional puddles hanging around. Standing in front of one was this elegant looking giraffe – these lovely long legs, which have the inability to bend properly. (It must be torture just knowing that the water is so close to the lips but it takes such an effort to get there.)

Zebra - © Drew Prineas

It’s not easy as it is forced to spread its two front legs, present its buttocks and lean forward with its long neck. It’s a safari’s equivalent of the female model having their legs spread from the knee down whilst sitting down on a chair… That pose is everywhere in magazines now. It’s become so common that it is as if it’s a necessity in everyday living… It’s uncoordinated just like a giraffe trying to have a drink. The only difference is that on this occasion it really is necessary

But that was sort of it after that for the giraffe – You know once you’ve had your way with the centrefold spread – it’s a bit like yeah well I’ve seen it already haven’t I. I’ve seen your goodies so all this other posing is like ‘ah.’

Lion doing what lions do most of the day - © Drew Prineas

Maybe the tour guide thought that too because soon after we went more inland. Passing baboons and eventually to some lions. Man lions are overrated. They literally do nothing all day minus probably half an hour. They really are the kings of the jungle. Some of the guides are aggressive with their driving and once we were blocked off by one from the 5 star hotel vehicles – the driver was obviously looking for a big tip. One even drove into the bushes. But we didn’t really miss out on much as they just lay there until sunsets.

Lion at the edge of night - © Drew Prineas

We managed to see a classic sunset with dominant yellows and orange with thick black trees in the foreground. That was a nice break before heading back to the lions. We managed to see 3 lionesses after sunset hovering around a pack of impala (they are small deer like animals). They didn’t attack but its interesting seeing the other animals freak out with panic written all over their faces. The eyes light up with the head slightly raised. But again nothing beats the giraffe.
I nice sleep in quality camping facilities and food refreshed the mind for more giraffe action. The lions are doing nothing just laying down in the shade under a tree. About 200m away are 3 giraffe’s saying, “I see you.” Giraffe’s can see up to 2km away according to the guide so why on earth they were getting closer was beyond me. We were told that the giraffe wanted to make sure that the lions knew that they know that they were there. It was classic they were shitting bricks and still getting closer, 30cm at a time. “Yes hello! Yeah you… I see you. Under that tree… right there! Did you hear me? Shit I gotta get closer… Yes Hello! Yeeess that’s right I see you!”

Classic African Sunset - © Drew Prineas

In the end I was pretty satisfied despite not seeing a leopard. One day would have been too short whilst overnight was just right. It cost about another $100 for the overnight tour but when you add up drinks, food and the nights accommodation if you did the one day when you got back to the hotel you are probably only going to spend another $60 at the most. This will not be the last safari I will do but for the first it provided some memorable moments. The elephant crossing, the giraffe’s saying, “I see you” to the lions and that slow seductive bend over and spread legs of the giraffe trying to have a drink. I give Chobe the thumbs up.

Lilac Breasted Roller - © Drew Prineas

Hippos along the Chobe - © Drew Prineas

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