I've just returned from Kenya, my fourth trip to that beautiful country. I split my time between Shompole to spend some time in their overnight hides and Mara North for a more traditional safari in one of the Mara conservancies. It was lots of travel and dust but well worth it. I had never done an overnight hide before and Shompole has built a reputation for the quality of its hide and I was really excited to give it a try. The lighting setup is remarkable and allows you to get really creative.
All images shot with the Canon R5 Mark II. Lenses were the RF 24-70 F2.8L, RF 100--300 F2.8L (with and without the 1.4x) and the RF 600 F/4L.
Blueridger wrote:
Outstanding images! Can you describe more about how the overnight hide works?
Steve
Shompole has two hides that are virtually identical. It's essentially a shipping container buried in the ground with a water hole set up in front. They have lighting on top of the structure as well as a pole on either side where your guide sets up additional lighting each day when you arrive. Finally, there's an LED strip light a few meters past the waterhole that allows for backlit shots. All of the lights are operated independently from inside the hide and typically the guide will take care of it while you're focused on photography. You can play with sidelight, or just backlight (which is especially moody when the animals kick up dust), whatever you like.
You arrive in the late afternoon and stay until morning, after sunrise. You sit at the waters edge and are set up on gimbals. There's no glass separating you from the wildlife which is really nice but also means you have to silent all night so as to not spook them. If you can't keep your eyes open there are bunks you can go rest on while others keep watch. It's a really fun experience. Hopefully that gives you a sense of it.
