When I’m doing nature photography, I feel like I can completely let go of all my worries and immerse myself in what I’m doing. A few days ago, while I sat at the edge of a small puddle, a beautiful dragonfly was chasing insects around the water and I was chasing it in return. An hour flew by like the water in a nearby stream. What about you, is nature photography a source of calming meditation as well?
Photography Life
The high resolution of today’s cameras, coupled with their ability to capture high FPS photos and up to 8K video, places huge demands on the speed of memory cards. If you’ve ever had to wait dozens of painful seconds for the buffer to empty, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Photography Life
While not being known as a wildlife photographer, I do know how to work a camera and point it at something beautiful, and Africa is replete with beauty. Along with my wonderful friend and fellow Nikon Ambassador Tamara Lackey, we recently taught two photo safaris in Kenya and Uganda. Given Tamara and I, they were not utterly orchestrated to the tune of wildlife photography, though there was that in abundance. We also did portraits, lighting, and PhotoShop instruction, along with general camera skills, and critique sessions. It was a very exciting and full couple of weeks!
Posted some pics on social media and had some questions on the equipment so wanted to share some of the technical notes of the gear I used.
Cameras: Nikon Z 9 or Nikon Z 8
Lenses: Nikkor 800mm f/6.3, Nikkor 100-400 f/4.5-5.6, Nikkor Z 24-120 f/4 S
Flash Portraits were taken with the Profoto A2, and the Clic Softbox Octa with a Soft Grid
Memory Cards: OWC Atlas Ultra, 650GB, 325GB
I put the gear through hell, with dust and knocking about, and it stayed the course. I used the Z 9/Z 8 sensor cleaning function, which I’ve never really used much before (Thank you, Tamara!) and it works. I’ve also started using the OWC cards, and very happy I did. I shot a ton in Africa (Z 9, raw at 20fps) and these cards were super dependable, and fast. Coupled with the OWC reader, with its built in USB-C cord, downloading was like lightning.
Our arranging in Africa was directed by Maurice Oketch of Simba Marara Tours, whose contacts on the ground worked extremely well. The guides in particular, were keen eyed to the point of having radar. I was sitting next to Matthew, a very experienced game spotter, so Mr. City Kid thought he’d chip in. It was dusk and I saw something moving, quickly, and low to the ground, in the distance. “Matthew,” I said, “Is that a warthog?” He smiled indulgently. “No, Joe, that’s a motorcycle. I can tell because it’s running without its tail up, like a warthog would.”
Beautiful people.
Beautiful scenes.
I’ve been to Africa numerous times, but this was the first time, really, I was able to simply dwell in the magnificence of the place. It won’t be the last.
And…home now, but another adventure in the wild looms in a few months with the intrepid Tamara Lackey that will feature birds, wildlife, rain forests, scenics, portraiture – Costa Rica – The Coast to the Clouds. We only have one spot left now and it’s definitely a trip not to miss!
More tk…
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Wildlife photography has taken me to many places around the world, both exotic and familiar. In the realm of the familiar, I have one vivid memory from last year, from back in my home town Ottawa. I remember lying in the snow and holding my D500, just waiting for a Common Goldeneye to be in exactly the right position. Usually, it doesn’t happen.
Photography Life
How does print size affect the emotional feel of a photo? It may seem like an image that works at one size will be equally good at any size – but in practice, I don’t find that to be true. Instead, the best print size changes from photo to photo. It’s all about what you want to say.
Photography Life