p.1 #1 · Leopards of Laikipia and Elephants of Amboseli (Kenya)
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Hi all.
I returned to Kenya for the third time, my tenth safari overall. Having been to East and Southern Africa so many times, I've found myself taking bigger risks, looking for specific experiences that I haven't had and hoping to make images that are new to me. For this trip, I visited Laikipia, made famous recently by Giza, the melanistic leopard, and Amboseli, famous for its large herds of elephant. I was hoping to see Giza as well as other leopards known to the area, and in Amboseli my goal was to see the herds move their way across the dry lake bed. Seeing Kilimanjaro would be wonderful too if the weather cooperated.
Gear wise, I took two R5 Mark IIs. For lenses, I took the RF 100-300 f/2.8, RF 600, and RF 24-70. The 1.4X teleconverter was used often on the 100-300 in Laikipia.
4. I was fortunate enough to see Giza on two occasions, both after dark. She has been nursing her cubs during the day on a neighbouring property that we could not visit, and returning to this area to hunt in the evening.
9. This is Craig, certainly the most famous elephant in Amboseli. He in one of the last super tuskers and is incredibly calm. I was fortunate to spend an hour alone with him, walking alongside.
10. As mentioned, my primary goal in Amboseli was to spend time with the elephants as they walked together across the plains and the dry lake bed. I was lucky enough to have some good sightings.
p.1 #4 · Leopards of Laikipia and Elephants of Amboseli (Kenya)
Congrats on seeing both the male leopard and Giza, we only saw her and of course didn't see the striped hyena! Did you learn if her cubs are melanistic as well?
p.1 #8 · Leopards of Laikipia and Elephants of Amboseli (Kenya)
What a great trip and beautiful shots - what a lovely shot of Craig. If possible, can you share FL and other setting? I am headed that way tomorrow, the first time and I am super excited. Any tips you can share on Amboseli & Mara would be appreciated. I am doing Amboseli by myself, hiring a van in Nairobi for 4 days and then off to Mara with a group.
VKM2F wrote:
1
Hi all.
I returned to Kenya for the third time, my tenth safari overall. Having been to East and Southern Africa so many times, I've found myself taking bigger risks, looking for specific experiences that I haven't had and hoping to make images that are new to me. For this trip, I visited Laikipia, made famous recently by Giza, the melanistic leopard, and Amboseli, famous for its large herds of elephant. I was hoping to see Giza as well as other leopards known to the area, and in Amboseli my goal was to see the herds move their way across the dry lake bed. Seeing Kilimanjaro would be wonderful too if the weather cooperated.
Gear wise, I took two R5 Mark IIs. For lenses, I took the RF 100-300 f/2.8, RF 600, and RF 24-70. The 1.4X teleconverter was used often on the 100-300 in Laikipia.
4. I was fortunate enough to see Giza on two occasions, both after dark. She has been nursing her cubs during the day on a neighbouring property that we could not visit, and returning to this area to hunt in the evening.
9. This is Craig, certainly the most famous elephant in Amboseli. He in one of the last super tuskers and is incredibly calm. I was fortunate to spend an hour alone with him, walking alongside.
10. As mentioned, my primary goal in Amboseli was to spend time with the elephants as they walked together across the plains and the dry lake bed. I was lucky enough to have some good sightings.
Abuttolph wrote:
Really nice set! I love the leopards!
Thank you! Leopards are my favourite of the big cats. I can't get enough.
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Bobg657 wrote:
Congrats on seeing both the male leopard and Giza, we only saw her and of course didn't see the striped hyena! Did you learn if her cubs are melanistic as well?
Beautiful set of images!
Bob
Thanks, Bob. Giza's cubs are both spotted. It would have been amazing to see a little melanistic cub running around in a few months!
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Jeffrey wrote:
The black and whites are the winners here for me. Still, the leopards are great. Glad you were able to meet your goals.
Thank you, Jeffrey. I agree, I think the black and whites are the most interesting. I've always thought elephants take especially well to the format.
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p.1 #10 · Leopards of Laikipia and Elephants of Amboseli (Kenya)
thedutt wrote:
What a great trip and beautiful shots - what a lovely shot of Craig. If possible, can you share FL and other setting? I am headed that way tomorrow, the first time and I am super excited. Any tips you can share on Amboseli & Mara would be appreciated. I am doing Amboseli by myself, hiring a van in Nairobi for 4 days and then off to Mara with a group.
Sure. Most of the leopard shots are wide open or slightly stopped down. Most elephant shots are f/8 or so.
If it's your first time, try to make sure you're out just before sunrise as it's when wildlife is typically most active and hopefully you can find something when the light is best. Talk to your guide about what your goals are and trust them, they know the parks better than we do. Don't count on Kilimanjaro being clear, so if it is, take all the shots you can because it likely won't last!
Make sure you have a set of binoculars with you. A lot of my success in Amboseli was driving to a high point and scanning to find the elephants. You're going to have a great time!
p.1 #15 · Leopards of Laikipia and Elephants of Amboseli (Kenya)
Thank you very much for your help- just spotted Craig a good 200 meters away in the bush , light is getting worse and it’s a cloudy day. Unlikely to be a productive day, but you never know.
But boy am I happy! Such an incredible experience to be in the park , just us and the big tusker. I have decided to focus the trip entirely on Craig, some will be focus today, tomorrow and the last morning. Wildlife is so incredible and experience, even with a high fail rate, even the days when i don’t get a single shot are far more fullfing than sit at home and doomscrolling.
VKM2F wrote:
Sure. Most of the leopard shots are wide open or slightly stopped down. Most elephant shots are f/8 or so.
If it's your first time, try to make sure you're out just before sunrise as it's when wildlife is typically most active and hopefully you can find something when the light is best. Talk to your guide about what your goals are and trust them, they know the parks better than we do. Don't count on Kilimanjaro being clear, so if it is, take all the shots you can because it likely won't last!
Make sure you have a set of binoculars with you. A lot of my success in Amboseli was driving to a high point and scanning to find the elephants. You're going to have a great time!...Show more →
p.1 #16 · Leopards of Laikipia and Elephants of Amboseli (Kenya)
thedutt wrote:
Thank you very much for your help- just spotted Craig a good 200 meters away in the bush , light is getting worse and it’s a cloudy day. Unlikely to be a productive day, but you never know.
But boy am I happy! Such an incredible experience to be in the park , just us and the big tusker. I have decided to focus the trip entirely on Craig, some will be focus today, tomorrow and the last morning. Wildlife is so incredible and experience, even with a high fail rate, even the days when i don’t get a single shot are far more fullfing than sit at home and doomscrolling.
This is great news! I'm glad you found Craig and are able to spend time with him, he's a very special elephant. I agree, even if the photography isn't great, the experience is well worth it. Have a wonderful time....Show more →
