Peter Blahut

Masai Mara Wildlife
2011/11/21

To anyone who's been to the Masai Mara, they will know what I mean when I say that the numbers and diversity of wildlife that can be seen every day in the Mara is absolutely amazing! Besides seeing the BIG 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino), we also saw hippos, wildebeests, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, impalas, elands, crocodiles, baboons, wild boars, hyenas, and many different bird varieties. I'm sure there are many more I've missed. And they don't run away! Its like they are paid to pose! For me, this was really amazing as I can go for days in our parks without seeing a large mammal and if I do, it's usually there rear end :) If you enjoy wildlife and wildlife photography, then I'm sure the Masai Mara in Kenya will meet or exceed your expectations as it did mine!

Wildlife Photography
2011/10/25

Initially I thought I could handle wildlife photography on safari. I figured it shouldn't be a problem, after all I had taken many photos of polar bears from a Tundra Buggy before and didn't recall having problems. So after my first download of approximately 1000 images on the Masai Mara trip, I was horrified that so many images were not sharp! This was very concerning and humbling! What was I doing wrong? With Marsel's help, we determined that the main problem was motion blur caused mainly by inadequate shutter speed and maybe shooting technique. Marsel indicated that f11 at 1/80th second with a 400mm lens was not a good choice. He suggested that minimum shutter speed should be at least equivalent to 1/focal length of the lens used. I should have known that but I was still thinking as a landscape photographer and thought I could hold the camera steady enough at those lower shutter speeds with the help of VR and a bean bag. Obviously that wasn't the case! So for the remainder of the tour, I opened up to maximum aperture (or close to it) and increased ISO as necessary to get an appropriate shutter speed for the focal length of lens being used. That wasn't the end of shooting problems though. I was having auto focus issues also, especially when things were happening quickly! I found it very difficult to pick and change auto focus points on the fly and staying consious of my composition! The other thing I discouvered about auto focus is that the camera loves to focus on grass either in front or behind my subject! I was definately having a few shooting challenges on this trip :-) So now I know that to be a good wildlife photographer requires anticipation, patience, readiness, lots and lots of practise, being there, and a bit of luck doesn't hurt. And I was there, had a great time, and got a quite a few images that I'm happy with.

Karibu Kenya
2011/10/12

Karibu in Swahili means "welcome".
Recently I went on a photo safari to the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. It was an absolutely amazing trip in terms of the experience, the photo opportunities and the people I met on safari.
The tour was booked through Squiver led by Marsel van Oosten and Daniella Sibbing. Marsel is a photographer who's passion is for wildlife. He has won numerous international awards for his stunning images and has been published in magazines like National Geographic and Science Illustrated.  Daniella is the producer and videographer for Squiver. She takes care of all the organizational aspects of the tours and also co-hosts with Marsel on most tours. Together they make an awesome team and run an wonderful tour!
There were seven participants on the safari: Chris, Daryl, Geoff and myself from Winnipeg, and Herbert, Martin and Astrid from the Netherlands. Our driver/guides were Andrew, Joseph and John from Kenya. They were very knowledgeable and friendly!
We stayed at the Hammerkop Camp alongside the Olare Orok River where we slept in tents; it was common to wake up at night to the noise of lions and hippos just outside the camp.  The food was great but I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to taste hippo roast or crocodile steak...just kidding. We started out intending to return to camp for lunch each day but that happened only once, on the first day! Not wanting to miss any of the action by returning to camp, we started having breakfast and lunch out on the Mara, sometimes out in the open plain under the shade of a an acacia tree or sometimes along the banks of the Mara River viewing hippos and crocodiles while enjoying a Tusker (beer). A typical day started by getting up at 5:30am so that we were out for sunrise, returning to camp after sunset, usually around 7:15pm, downloading the days shoot, showering, followed by dinner and all the while enjoying more Tuskers and/or wine. Bed time usually came around 11:00pm.