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Back from Safari with M Reichmann and A Biggs

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Erik Grossman

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Had a fantastic time in Tanzania with Michael and Andy and made a bunch of new friends. Took a long a 1D and 10D, together with 17-40L, 70-200L 2.8 IS, 300L/4 IS, 1.4X and 2X extenders.

My gallery from the trip is at http://photos.grossman.biz
 
Erik Grossman said:
Had a fantastic time in Tanzania with Michael and Andy and made a
bunch of new friends. Took a long a 1D and 10D, together with
17-40L, 70-200L 2.8 IS, 300L/4 IS, 1.4X and 2X extenders.

My gallery from the trip is at http://photos.grossman.biz
Click to expand...
So many great photos, but my Favourite ,I like the break of day over ther crater

Hate to be rude . How may days? Cost?
 
Thanks. The trip was 11 days and cost about $6500 + airfare ($1600). All high-end accommodation, food and beverage, guides, vehicles, park fees were included.
Stephen Jones said:
Erik Grossman said:
Had a fantastic time in Tanzania with Michael and Andy and made a
bunch of new friends. Took a long a 1D and 10D, together with
17-40L, 70-200L 2.8 IS, 300L/4 IS, 1.4X and 2X extenders.

My gallery from the trip is at http://photos.grossman.biz
Click to expand...
So many great photos, but my Favourite ,I like the break of day
over ther crater

Hate to be rude . How may days? Cost?
Click to expand...
--
More photos at http://photos.grossman.biz
 
Erik Grossman said:
Had a fantastic time in Tanzania with Michael and Andy and made a
bunch of new friends. Took a long a 1D and 10D, together with
17-40L, 70-200L 2.8 IS, 300L/4 IS, 1.4X and 2X extenders.

My gallery from the trip is at http://photos.grossman.biz
Click to expand...
These are wonderful images. With regard to the safari, how many people were on the trip, what was the ratio of guides/guards to guests and how many vehicles were used?

At what distance were the images of the large cats taken?

Your presentation format is very smooth. What slide show software do you use?

Frankly, these images and your brief comments concerning the trip will cause me to review and consider more closely Michael Reichmann's next photo safari.

Regards ...... Mike Webster
 
Mike

Thanks for the kind words. There were a total of 15 people (including Andy and Michael). We had 6 vehicles (1 guide per vehicle) and each person had a full row in the land rover (3 stretch with 3 rows and 3 regular with 2 rows) allowing for 1 seat to sit in and 1 for the equipment.. In Arusha, Manyara Park and NgoroNgoro crater I really needed to use the 1.4x and 2x extenders as the distance of the animals necessitated 500-1000mm lenses. In the Serengeti, I rarely used anything more than 300mm. In the case of the Cheetahs, the were as close as 1ft away!

The software on my website is Gallery PHP which is opensource and is available at http://gallery.menalto.com/
Mike Webster said:
These are wonderful images. With regard to the safari, how many
people were on the trip, what was the ratio of guides/guards to
guests and how many vehicles were used?

At what distance were the images of the large cats taken?

Your presentation format is very smooth. What slide show software
do you use?

Frankly, these images and your brief comments concerning the trip
will cause me to review and consider more closely Michael
Reichmann's next photo safari.

Regards ...... Mike Webster
Click to expand...
--
More photos at http://photos.grossman.biz
 
Erik some really nice shots there. I particularly like the one of the vultures being chased away and the lions mating..... An african safari is a dream of mine... So i need to find out how much such an adventure costs... time is also a factor-- since i travel alot for work -- spending more time away for taking photos... hmm
Erik Grossman said:
Had a fantastic time in Tanzania with Michael and Andy and made a
bunch of new friends. Took a long a 1D and 10D, together with
17-40L, 70-200L 2.8 IS, 300L/4 IS, 1.4X and 2X extenders.

My gallery from the trip is at http://photos.grossman.biz
Click to expand...
 
Just curious if anybody was able to use monopods or tripods?

What were the biggest lenses used?

Did any carry two bodies with a different lens one each one?

I think my favorite shots are of the lion cubs, of the lion "asserting his dominance" while mating, and of the wildebeast. That last one looks more like a painting, though.

--
http://www.outboundmusic.com
Your link to independent music!
 
How about this for close? (about 3ft)



On a serious note, they are not tame, just not scared of humans (they jumped onto the hood of one of the jeeps and peered throught the glass!). They pant like dogs. Apparently, the Egyptians domesticated them as pets.
 
DavidP said:
Just curious if anybody was able to use monopods or tripods?

What were the biggest lenses used?

Did any carry two bodies with a different lens one each one?

I think my favorite shots are of the lion cubs, of the lion
"asserting his dominance" while mating, and of the wildebeast.
That last one looks more like a painting, though.

--
http://www.outboundmusic.com
Your link to independent music!
Click to expand...
I've been lucky enough to go on two trips, 3 weeks each and have hit Kenya, SA, Tanzania and Botswana. In Kenya, you need sandbags (fill with beans); elsewhere a tripod bungee-corded to the side of the land rovers works great. But, those bean bags are really good, so even if you take the pod, take the bag - and make them about 5H"X12L"x6W".

Oh, the warning? It's true, if you ever get the dust of Africa in your blood, you'll never get it out.

Great pix, keep sharing!
 
I just wonder if these particular ones haven't become "accustomed" to humans because of all the tours and such.

If you were to be walking "in the wild" where VERY few humans had ever been, I wonder if they'd react the same?

They're just about my favorite animal.



Did you get any opportunities to try to get pictures of them while they were sprinting?
Erik Grossman said:
On a serious note, they are not tame, just not scared of humans
(they jumped onto the hood of one of the jeeps and peered throught
the glass!). They pant like dogs. Apparently, the Egyptians
domesticated them as pets.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.outboundmusic.com
Your link to independent music!
 
Michael and Perry both used 500/4 lenses, Andy a 300/2.8 IS (with extenders). A tripod really wasn't that useful (given the weight). A much more useful tool would be a window mount from Kirk (which is what Michael used).

The lion cubs was the most challenging shot... they weren't looking at me (even though it appears they are) but rather past me to another pride of 15 lions!

I shot with the 10D much of the time given the 1.6 crop factor and tended to use the 1D for action shots like the lions! Dust was not as much of a problem as I had expected (just used a blower). It may be because I shot wide open much of the time (rarely pas f8). Most of the time I used my 300/4 IS and 70-200L 2.8 IS on the 10D and 1D respectively. I like the 300/4 a lot, just not with extenders, quality suffers too much (even with a 1.4x), simply too much contrast lost.

The 10D (purchased for the trip) really impressed me but would hesitate to bring it along again because of the limited buffer size. I constantly found myself waiting for the buffer to clear to take more shots (up to 5 minutes, even with fast CF cards). The colors, however, were great. You can see which is which based on the title of each photo on my site, the 10D starts with CRW and the rest are 1D shots.

Most people shot with 2 10D bodies, or a 1D and 10D. Michael had a 1DS and 10D; by the end of the trip he was convinced the slow buffer of the 1DS had been a handicap to getting the best shots. Definitely bring at least a 1D.

The last shot looks like a painting because of the rain and mist.

My favorite shot is the 3 cheetahs on the termite mound and the lion cubs.
DavidP said:
Just curious if anybody was able to use monopods or tripods?

What were the biggest lenses used?

Did any carry two bodies with a different lens one each one?

I think my favorite shots are of the lion cubs, of the lion
"asserting his dominance" while mating, and of the wildebeast.
That last one looks more like a painting, though.

--
http://www.outboundmusic.com
Your link to independent music!
Click to expand...
--
More photos at http://photos.grossman.biz
 
Cheetahs are my favorite too. They were 3 brothers.

I really don't think the tours domesticated them (certainly wasn't the case with any other animal). In Tanzania you can't leave the road and you can't exit the vehicles.

I just think it happens to be the "nature of the beast"!
DavidP said:
If you were to be walking "in the wild" where VERY few humans had
ever been, I wonder if they'd react the same?

They're just about my favorite animal.



Did you get any opportunities to try to get pictures of them while
they were sprinting?
Erik Grossman said:
On a serious note, they are not tame, just not scared of humans
(they jumped onto the hood of one of the jeeps and peered throught
the glass!). They pant like dogs. Apparently, the Egyptians
domesticated them as pets.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.outboundmusic.com
Your link to independent music!
Click to expand...
--
More photos at http://photos.grossman.biz
 
Erik Grossman said:
Had a fantastic time in Tanzania with Michael and Andy and made a
bunch of new friends. Took a long a 1D and 10D, together with
17-40L, 70-200L 2.8 IS, 300L/4 IS, 1.4X and 2X extenders.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the report Erik. I'm sure you'll treasure not only the captures, but the associated memories as well.

Going on one of Andy's safari trips has been a dream of mine for sometime. I know that he runs a first class operation, and from his posts, seems to be quite a nice fellow. I've previously given the thought of going on one of his trips some serious consideration, and when I see a post like yours it sets me to thinking/dreaming all over again.

Thanks again for sharing the information and pictures,

-Taz

(BTW, Andy...if you read this...I'm curious to find out how your 300mm f/2.8L IS worked out for you. I came that close to purchasing that particular lens, but decided at the last minute to let it go. The seller later told me it went to you. -Thanks)
 
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