Kenyan Safari
126 posts
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Posted 16/08/2013 - 04:45
Number 2 is the winner in my books.
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Posted 16/08/2013 - 10:29
for me it's number 1
Oh! by the way, welcome back
Barrie
Too Old To Die Young
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/barrieforbes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189482630@N03/
Oh! by the way, welcome back
Barrie
Too Old To Die Young
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/barrieforbes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189482630@N03/
Last Edited by bforbes on 16/08/2013 - 10:31
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Posted 16/08/2013 - 16:13
#1 is good - but taken with the lens at 300mm! On my last trip to Africa, in a open sided landrover, the lioness and a "teenager" came within 500mm of me! I would have needed a 10mm lens to capture her!.
#2 - so iconic. Had you crouched a little you could have moved the body into the centre of the sun - but it is one of those opportunities that presents itself and you have very little time to react. I would certainly hang a copy on my wall here.
#4 - it has that yellow tinge to the grass, one of the problems of shooting in Africa. Yes it can be adjusted out but then for next picture it is totally different.
#2 - so iconic. Had you crouched a little you could have moved the body into the centre of the sun - but it is one of those opportunities that presents itself and you have very little time to react. I would certainly hang a copy on my wall here.
#4 - it has that yellow tinge to the grass, one of the problems of shooting in Africa. Yes it can be adjusted out but then for next picture it is totally different.
Link
Posted 16/08/2013 - 19:37
Thanks for the kind comments everyone, I'm glad you like them.
#2 is my favourite shot of the entire holiday, made all the more satisfying because I saw the Giraffe walking along the ridge, realised it was going to pass right in front of the sun and for once actually managed to get the crucial frame right.
Gamka, I couldn't believe how close we got to some of the animals, as you've spotted the Lion cub in #1 is a little way away so needed 300mm and a slight crop, but on occasions we got close enough that if I had opened the door I could have reached out and touched them. I'm not sure I'd have wanted to do it in an open sided Land Rover, ours was enclosed with a pop-top which gave a nice balance of the feeling of security and the ability to get an unobstructed view. Before I left I was concerned that 300mm might not be enough, but in the event I only wanted more once, and on that day even if I'd had a Bigma I still wouldn't have got the shot I wanted.
#1 is one of those shots which disappoints you to begin with, then you come back to months later to realise actually it's ok. The shot I really wanted was the next in the sequence where the little guy yawned and looked like Simba working on his roar, but my AF let me down at a crucial moment and that shot is sadly out of focus. This one was a consolation prize at the time but now I really like it.
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#2 is my favourite shot of the entire holiday, made all the more satisfying because I saw the Giraffe walking along the ridge, realised it was going to pass right in front of the sun and for once actually managed to get the crucial frame right.
Gamka, I couldn't believe how close we got to some of the animals, as you've spotted the Lion cub in #1 is a little way away so needed 300mm and a slight crop, but on occasions we got close enough that if I had opened the door I could have reached out and touched them. I'm not sure I'd have wanted to do it in an open sided Land Rover, ours was enclosed with a pop-top which gave a nice balance of the feeling of security and the ability to get an unobstructed view. Before I left I was concerned that 300mm might not be enough, but in the event I only wanted more once, and on that day even if I'd had a Bigma I still wouldn't have got the shot I wanted.
#1 is one of those shots which disappoints you to begin with, then you come back to months later to realise actually it's ok. The shot I really wanted was the next in the sequence where the little guy yawned and looked like Simba working on his roar, but my AF let me down at a crucial moment and that shot is sadly out of focus. This one was a consolation prize at the time but now I really like it.
you don't have to be mad to post here
but it does help
Link
Posted 17/08/2013 - 17:33
A lovely set, and #2 is just brilliant. I guess that #5 is a fairly recently born giraffe, judging by the dried up navel cord !
I know what you mean about the AF letting you down - I have found that the Kx + DA 55-300 can be slow in focussing, and sometimes it hunts. It can be infuriating when you miss the shot you want or it's out of focus.
I know what you mean about the AF letting you down - I have found that the Kx + DA 55-300 can be slow in focussing, and sometimes it hunts. It can be infuriating when you miss the shot you want or it's out of focus.
Link
Posted 17/08/2013 - 20:18
Mongoose wrote:
Gamka, I couldn't believe how close we got to some of the animals, as you've spotted the Lion cub in #1 is a little way away so needed 300mm and a slight crop, but on occasions we got close enough that if I had opened the door I could have reached out and touched them. I'm not sure I'd have wanted to do it in an open sided Land Rover, ours was enclosed with a pop-top which gave a nice balance of the feeling of security and the ability to get an unobstructed view. Before I left I was concerned that 300mm might not be enough, but in the event I only wanted more once, and on that day even if I'd had a Bigma I still wouldn't have got the shot I wanted.
Gamka, I couldn't believe how close we got to some of the animals, as you've spotted the Lion cub in #1 is a little way away so needed 300mm and a slight crop, but on occasions we got close enough that if I had opened the door I could have reached out and touched them. I'm not sure I'd have wanted to do it in an open sided Land Rover, ours was enclosed with a pop-top which gave a nice balance of the feeling of security and the ability to get an unobstructed view. Before I left I was concerned that 300mm might not be enough, but in the event I only wanted more once, and on that day even if I'd had a Bigma I still wouldn't have got the shot I wanted.
Have been on a Kenyan Safari with those "Pop-Tops" - courtesy of my employer! We flew to Nairobi and had to stay 3 extra days because of flights so spent our time "wisely".
I tend to find 300mm is often enough, and sometimes my 50-135 will do at night with the flash and some cropping to follow. Rarely do I move to anything larger or add the 2x teleconverter.
Link
Posted 17/08/2013 - 20:37
Number 2 is just wow!!!!! AMAZING.
Pentax K5ii / Tammy 17-50 / Pentax-F 50 1.7 / Siggy 70-300 / Siggy 150-500 / and my favourite Pentax-A 70-210.
Pentax K5ii / Tammy 17-50 / Pentax-F 50 1.7 / Siggy 70-300 / Siggy 150-500 / and my favourite Pentax-A 70-210.
Link
Posted 20/08/2013 - 13:17
Gamka wrote:
Have been on a Kenyan Safari with those "Pop-Tops" - courtesy of my employer! We flew to Nairobi and had to stay 3 extra days because of flights so spent our time "wisely".
I tend to find 300mm is often enough, and sometimes my 50-135 will do at night with the flash and some cropping to follow. Rarely do I move to anything larger or add the 2x teleconverter.
Mongoose wrote:
Gamka, I couldn't believe how close we got to some of the animals, as you've spotted the Lion cub in #1 is a little way away so needed 300mm and a slight crop, but on occasions we got close enough that if I had opened the door I could have reached out and touched them. I'm not sure I'd have wanted to do it in an open sided Land Rover, ours was enclosed with a pop-top which gave a nice balance of the feeling of security and the ability to get an unobstructed view. Before I left I was concerned that 300mm might not be enough, but in the event I only wanted more once, and on that day even if I'd had a Bigma I still wouldn't have got the shot I wanted.
Gamka, I couldn't believe how close we got to some of the animals, as you've spotted the Lion cub in #1 is a little way away so needed 300mm and a slight crop, but on occasions we got close enough that if I had opened the door I could have reached out and touched them. I'm not sure I'd have wanted to do it in an open sided Land Rover, ours was enclosed with a pop-top which gave a nice balance of the feeling of security and the ability to get an unobstructed view. Before I left I was concerned that 300mm might not be enough, but in the event I only wanted more once, and on that day even if I'd had a Bigma I still wouldn't have got the shot I wanted.
Have been on a Kenyan Safari with those "Pop-Tops" - courtesy of my employer! We flew to Nairobi and had to stay 3 extra days because of flights so spent our time "wisely".
I tend to find 300mm is often enough, and sometimes my 50-135 will do at night with the flash and some cropping to follow. Rarely do I move to anything larger or add the 2x teleconverter.
deffinitely a good choice of a way to spend your time, we spent very little time in Nairobi but I deffinitley felt safer with the lions on the Mara! I have one piece of advice for anyone thinking about going though:
Make sure you get taken out in a proper 4x4, ie either a Land Rover Defender or a Toyota Land Cruiser. They are capable of handling the terrain and a competant driver can put you anywhere on the Mara you want to go (and are allowed to go/can get away with going). A lot of the smaller safari outfits just have Toyota minibus things. Sure they're 4 wheel drive, but their wheels are tiny and they get stuck very easily.
We actually pulled one of these guys out while we were out looking for animals, then having pulled him out our Land Rover plowed right through the mud which had stopped the Toyota without even slowing down.
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Mongoose
Member
Wiltshire, England
It occurs to me that I never shared any of the results, so better late than never:
After much deliberation and some useful advice from this forum, I elected to take the K10D with as many batteries and memory cards as I could carry, plus my 16-45, a DA 55-300, 90mm Macro and 50mm f/1.4 (I never leave home without it).
In the event, about 90% of the photography was done with the 55-300.
Here are a few of my favourites from the trip:
you don't have to be mad to post here
but it does help