Kenya – The Craddle of Life, Part 1
October 26, 2016 • Photography & Travel
It’s been a really long time since I’ve blogged about photography. I haven’t because I haven’t been photographing. Not good since it’s one of my passions. The honest truth is I have not been investing my time in it as much as I should. And I need to make some adjustments to my life to ensure that I do all the things that I love.
In September I was invited to speak in Nairobi, Kenya. After the event, I decided to extend my stay and head out to the Naboisho Conservancy for 3-nights. It was my first trip to Africa and to experience a safari was something I had wanted to do forever. I headed to Wilson airport after my talk and boarded a small propeller aircraft taxi with 8 passengers onboard that headed out to various locations. The ride was smooth, thank goodness, and 45 minutes later we landed on a gravel runway in the middle of nowhere. I was warmly greeted by Sammy, my guide. Little did I know that Sammy and I would spend almost every hour of daylight over the next three and a half days together in a jeep looking for wildlife.
I stayed in a small camp that only had about 10 tents. Fortunately for me, everyone that was visiting were all couples so they paired up and headed out on safaris together leaving me behind alone. Which was perfect because then I got the luxury of having my own driver and vehicle, and could plan the day according to my photography needs.
Most days we headed out at about 5am. We packed breakfast with us and didn’t come back till about 11am or so. We drove all over the place and I saw an amazing array of wildlife. At about 9am or so we’d park under a tree and layout breakfast on the bonnet (hood) of the Jeep. Having breakfast out in the wild while watching giraffes, zebras and other wildlife nearby was an experience I’ll remember for a long time to come. Lunch was back at the camp. In the afternoon we’d head back out again around 4pm in search of more animals. I was in heaven. Just Sammy, me and my camera, and nature all around me. I was blown away by the amount and variety of wildlife that was there. This is truly the craddle of life.
By the end of the trip I saw lions, cheetah, elephants, hippo, zebras, giraffes, baboons, crocodiles and whole bunch of other stuff.
Here’s part 1 of a series of photos I took. These photos were shot with my Nikon D600 using a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Sport lens that I rented before leaving New York. I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much I enjoyed taking them.
My guide Sammy told me this baby giraffe was about a day or two old. You could still see the umbilical cord.
Jackal
Ostrich
We usually parked the jeep under a shady tree for breakfast and lunch. What an experience to have a meal with wildlife all around you.
So grateful to this man, Sammy, who ensured I had a trip of a lifetime. I so enjoyed getting to know him on long drives, over a meal in the savanna or just sitting and watching a cheetah for an hour.
So glad I rented a 600mm lens.
This male adult baboon was sitting on the ground when this young baboon came up to him and gave him a big hug. I just happened to be perfectly placed to capture the moment.
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