Three generations on an African Photographic Safari
My first trip to Chobe was a photo safari as part of a graduation present for my son. My surprise on that trip was how the safari acted as such a bonding event for my son and me. Not only must you deal with events that are so uncommon to your everyday life, but you are also away from TV, radio and general text messaging, etc. For today’s feature, I am pleased to post a narrative by Ilan Hirschwitz on his safari with his father and son during July of 2009. I am sure this first hand account will further inspire you to get out into the bush – so enjoy.
‘Three generations on an African Photographic Safari’
by Ilan Hirschowitz October 2009
Chobe – the name has a magical, mysterious sound to it which could be a mantra chanted during an ancient fire ceremony.
Being our first time in the Chobe National Park , Botswana, Grandpa, Dad and Grandson did not really know what to expect. We joined an exciting photographers expedition under the tutelage of Paul Salvado, the group of 23 keen photographers were eager to start shooting their cameras out in the bush. However, first came a tough 15 hour drive from Johannesburg with a stopover at a magical waterhole called Elephant Sands. The drive next day seemed more like a moon expedition with massive craters in the ‘road’ allowing an average speed of 10km/h.
Finally we arrived at the peaceful Kubu Lodge blissfully nestled on the banks of the Chobe river where we bedded down in thatched bungalows on stilts . We were soon to adjust to the rigorous early morning regime of rising at 5am, hitting the park before sunrise, spending the morning photographing, rushing back to process the photos & repeating the same regime in the afternoon. A restful vacation it was not, but the excitement & magnetic pull of the bush made for an addictive week , one you could not get enough of. Evenings were spent drink in hand around the bar for a crit & judging session of the day’s best shots with one winner honored each night.
About Chobe, Botswana
The Chobe National Park, is the second largest national park in Botswana and covers around 10,000 square kilometers. Botswana is located north of South Africa & is land locked between Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia & Zambia. Chobe is way up in the north & borders on Zambia. It has one of the greatest concentrations of game found on the African continent.
Botswana’s population is around 2 million people & its capital is Gabarone. The climate is semi-arid, with the rainy season being from October until April. The main ethnic groups are the Batswana who were hunter gatherers.
Chobe has approximately 60 thousand elephants. There is nothing as magnificent as being on the Chobe River for the evening sunset watching from close proximity, a group of elephants drinking & playing in the water. It is truly an inspiring experience.
As far as a family vacation there is no better place to experience wild Africa.
From amateur to accomplished photographer in two weeks.
Grandpa had been struggling to capture a hovering Giant Kingfisher & after several attempts was quite frustrated. Grandson had no such problems. Grandpa is a seasoned photographer, with every award under his belt, has passed his love of photography on to his son who was nipping at his heels as far as an eye for a shot but when Grandson overtook both, no one expected it.
Lapet-faced Vultures Landing - copyright 2009 Sid Hirschowitz
Grandson, being an easy going teenager snapped up the chance to tag along on a photographers safari but had never even held a simple camera never mind a sophisticated digital SLR with a 170-500mm zoom lens. Today’s teenagers have grown up with technology; Face book ; Messenger; cell phones; MP3 players & everything digital & have no problem with picking up a device & mastering it after five minutes.
Thanks to intense coaching on the theory of photography, first from Dad , then Grandpa & Paul , Grandson made leaps & bounds in understanding the equipment, putting it into practice at lightning speed & even came close to winning some challenges. The desire to win was possibly the driving force behind his fiercely competitive nature & he came away despondent from every failed attempt at a prize. But as experience and coaching taught him, you need to get out there, use the knowledge you have gained and strive to do better.
Young Baboon - photographer (the rookie) Adi makes a great connection with the subject in an interesting pose
Wildlife photography is all about speed. Things happen awfully fast out in the wild & good reflexes, luck and 20 20 vision certainly help to react and shoot quickly.
Great shot by a beginner: Adi captures the fast action of a Fisheagle grabbing breakfast of tigerfish
Composition is also a key element. When faced with hundreds of elephants all mulling around drinking at the river’s edge, it takes time for one to register what will be the best composed image – which may be a single elephant or a cropped picture of a small group through several shots joined together at a later stage in a wide panorama.
Catching Ellies at the Chobe Riverfront - Photo by Ilan Hirschowitz
Technical details
Our equipment consisted a variety of Nikon cameras & lenses including 2 D90 bodys & thre D80’s .Grandson used a Sigma 170-500mm exclusively. Dad had a Nikor 70-200 F2.8 & a 16-85mm . Grandpa used a Nikor 70-300 & an F4 200-400mm lens. It is difficult to remember every shutter press after taking thousands of shots ,some underexposed some overexposed & some just blurry. Invariably the best shots must be absolutely pin sharp. Basically after a couple of days in the bush your technical knowhow is pushed into the background &your instinct takes over. Some of our best images were of the least expected scenes ones that invariably evoke a feeling of awe from the viewer & clearly separate the subject from the background.
An animal in action always adds to the shot since static poses are mundane. Always keeping the light on your back is another good tip, except when doing striking silhouettes directly into the sun which can produce some awesome shots.
At the Kill - excellent backlight control - photo by the 'old pro' Sid Hirschowitz
To avid landscape or studio photographers I recommend you to dabble in wildlife photography. I am convinced it will help you grow to become a more rounded expert photographer. This type of action photography certainly adds another dimension of added difficulty, it is truly difficult to capture the perfect shot & requires hours of perseverance patience & luck, so when you compare yours to those taken by amateurs you can certainly pat yourself on the back after getting the important fundamentals right : No clutter; whole subject standing out; showing action ;good detail in the darks, highlights not burnt out and above all sharp focus. Of note is that there are some awesome landscapes to be seen.
As a reminder of our wonderful experience we created a photographic book called “Born In Africa”
In short an African Photographic Safari adventure is an ideal way of bonding. That is if you don’t get stampeded by an angry elephant, but in all likelihood the stress of wakening at 5am every day & getting the winning shot will kill you first!
'the Nikon crew' - A group of photographers on a guide boat position to compose elephants - Copyright 2009: Ilan Hirschowitz