A few from Kenya (56k Torture)

[MacX]

A few from Kenya (56k Torture) & added Mara

*Edit* Now with added Mara and plenty of Lions. Content does not include Tigers..... Or Norwegians
Thought I'd post a few shots from the 720 frames of 35mm I shot in Kenya end of February to March this year. This small batch is from Samburu. Although the country is suffering from a bad drought and famine in the north, there is still plenty of game to see.

All shot with a Canon Eos3 with a 100-400mm L zoom attached, then scanned with a Nikon Coolscan V ED.

If you guys are REALLY unlucky I'll post some from the Maasai Mara next week when I have them scanned in.

A Superb Starling apparently.

Three leopards spotted as well, rather than three spotted leopards.

 

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More.

 

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No more please!!

 

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My favourite would have to be the giraffe. I like giraffes

I have LOTS of Giraffes...

Reticulated this week, and Maasai to come next week, so watch this forum.

 

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Blimey! I go out for a couple of hours and find all these nice posts when I get back.

Thanks everyone for the positive comments!

Brilliant.. I bet it was breathtaking to be there.

Certainly was that. Made you feel good to be alive.

If/When I get married, my girlfriend said she wants to go to Kenya for our honeymoon (strange I know, but I'd rather that than some seedy spanish layabout holiday). I'll have to cut some wedding budget fomr some decent camera gear!

Thanks for sharing these pics. Great composition and you got some lucky shots with the stretching lioness(?) and the Zebra with the bird. Not your typical animal photography.

Do it. It's quite a popular honeymoon destination in reality. There was a couple sharing our Landrover who had just got married. Just make sure you do what they did and have more Safari than beach holiday.
As for the stretching lioness, we did in the end see quite a few yawning, stretching big cats. I think I have a very similar shot from the Mara. But TBH, the whole trip made me feel lucky.

Great shots!
What did you do about batteries?

Even with the image stabilisation a new 2CR5 managed 500 shots before I replaced it. EOS 3 is old tech in some ways, but the 45 point AF and rugged weather sealed build were priceless.

All great shots, were most of them taken at 400mm?

I used the full range of the 100-400mm. We could on many occasions get VERY close to the wildlife. Other times I would pull back for an environmental shot like the Somali Ostrich posted above.

Some really nice shots!
Post some more if you have any

LOL! Out of the 720 I do have a FEW more. The Mara will have to wait till next week when I have scanned them (one painful disadvantage of shooting film). Watch this space.

 

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A few more as requested.

Something I'm going to have to look up.

Just for hoodmeister who likes giraffes, this young one that was having a good look at us through the side of our Landrover.

 

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I never realised you were using a film camera. I'm more of an "idiot proof" setting person on my DSLR. I know bits and bats and use manual settings where possible, but my camera isn't the easiest to work with, esp in low light.

I'd be gutted to take 720 film shots, all of which to be of poor quality. I like a man who can trust his skills without having to have a double take on ye old LCD! Again, fantastic shot! (Teach me!! )

Low light was a bit of a problem for me as well. The 100-400mm is not a fast lens by any stretch of the imagination. I could do with supplementing it with a 2.8 300mm with IS but they cost a little too much. I usually use two bodies loaded with different film. Based on the experience gained on this trip, I'll probably shoot the 400 Kodak Elite I used this time as I was impressed with its low grain, and load some Fuji 800 Superia/Press in the other body for those early mornings and evenings.

As for trusting ye olde skills, I take the attititude that if I missed a shot, I've missed it, so I just concentrate on getting the next one. No 'chimping' for me.

O.T.
Hi to Spanker in Kettering!

 

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Don't bother, that is a a Grey Lourie (spelling) other known as the "Go Away" bird becuase it's call sounds like it is saying "Go Away". A very irritating bird to have in your back garden when your trying to sleep.

You also get the Purple Lourie (spelling again) which looks a lot nicer and doesn't have such an irritating call.

Cheers for that. I am still waiting for some more books to arrive to help with identifying some of the less well known creatures.

 

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Post them up, I will probably be able to ID most of them.

Cheers for the offer and you sound like you have some prior experience of Africa, but I'll have fun doing it myself. It's the birds that I'm short of knowledge on so it will be good practice for when I get out there again.

I'll shall no doubt post more when I have a selection from the Mara.

 

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Why? just go outside

Our bunch certainly did!

 

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How long did you go on Safari for and - dare I ask - was it expensive?

It was a nine day round trip.

As for the expense, well I'm glad you asked that. Didn't want to willy wave without prompting first.

But the cost of the trip minus spending money, clothes, film and other camera gear for the nine days including internal flights was a grand total of

NOTHING!

Yes that's right! Absolutely nothing. How come I was so lucky?

I have a really gullible, I mean lovely girlfriend who gave the trip to me for Christmas. I don't know what I did to deserve it as I'm a really horrible, evil, rotter of a boyfriend. So thanks to the good lady I have had the holiday of a lifetime and a few snaps to remember it by.

Unfortunately for her goodself she is now addicted to African Safaris.

Mara pics to come. I am scanning as fast as I can. Keep checking in folks!

 

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If there's anybody out there still interested in this thread, I have a few cats from the Mara ready.

 

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post the cutesy lion cub pics macx.

Oi! Just show some patience! Just coz you've seen the big fat album!

Warning
I'll have to balance ANY cuteness with a dead Zebra being pulled open by a hungry Hyaena. (And it will be done if there are no objections to dead animals)

 

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OMG, thats some Christmas present and some girlfriend you have. Best you keep hold of the good lady and keep her sweet if she looks after you that well!! Trust you showed your appreciation of the holiday in some suitable manner.

I'd post a picture of her all safari'd up but she'd kill me.

Good on you Puz for posting the first kill. Mine will be arriving soon. Mwah Har Har!

BeaumonT - Good job with the kit you had available. It's a good attitude to have to just go for the shot whatever's in your hand.

 

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I wouldnt mind taking one of them for a walk. Atleast all the Chav's on the street corners on a friday / saturday night will move right out of the way

When you going back?

I couldn't have that kind of cruelty inflicted on a big cat. Think of the indigestion or even the food poisoning if it ate one!

And if it's me you're asking, we plan a trip back end of this year.

 

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A few more to tickle you.

Black Backed Jackal

A vulture for Colin_da_Killer to id for me as the book hasn't arrived yet! But this also means I'm getting closer to the dead animal collection.

 

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Yea, was asking when your gunner go back. I would be thrilled if the father-in-law had a pad in the middle of africa, so I could just relax and watch the wildlife. Better than a British winter anyways.

Ah.. Hang on. That's BeaumonT with the father-in-law in Africa.

I was just a (ab)normal tourist in Kenya!

 

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great shots, absolutely outstanding, in fact, have some stars

Thanks! My first ever!

Now you got me started and reminded me of that option I'll just start getting greedy and want more.

 

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Amazing shots by the way, I can't add much more to that but they're a great subject to shoot.

They certainly are a great subject. Somethings are just easier to shoot than others. Now if only I could get up to the standard I've seen in some wildlife books.

And thanks Colin_da_Killer, knew you'd have some idea. Next time I'll have to ask our driver to follow those ambulance chasers.

 

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stop dude, you`re making me homesick.

When I've run out of film to scan I will! Anyway, I have requests for cute lion cubs and no objections to dead Zebra so there's a few miles left in this thread yet. I haven't even posted any elephants yet (too big for the letterbox).

So what's your connection with Africa?

would love the high res ones to print out. stick you name in the corner.

Even though I'm an amateur I'm still protective of originals and high res versions. That's why I use lower res (but still printable for some) versions and rarely bother with a visible copyright in the corner that can be easily cropped out, unless it's for self-promotion of course. For motorsports shots that I have previously done, I get enlargements done by a pro lab and send them on for suitable reimbursement.