Mara Mayhem

This photo was taken on a morning where we witnessed our first proper (and by that I mean sheer numbers) wildebeest crossing of the Mara river in Kenya. The herds were building on the Mara Triangle side and we knew that crossings were imminent. We had to drive around to the Masai Mara Reserve side to get them coming towards us, unfortunately. By the time we got to the opposite side one of the groups had already crossed halfway. Fortunately, we were in for 3 more crossings from these precarious banks.

Capturing this event on camera is nothing new. Many people have done so. We reminded our guests to also take in the scene without cameras - the sights, the smells, the sounds - so as not to get glued to the camera and miss the forest for the trees so to speak. Taking a "unique" photo of this dramatic event is hard, as so many great photographers have been here through the years. I merely tried to capture what I saw well. In this shot, I framed vertically to get the "lines" of wildebeest coming down to cross. I also used a very slow shutter speed to blur some of the movement and hopefully get other wildebeests still sharp enough. I think it worked - do you?

Techs:
Nikon D3s
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f16  |  1/80 SS  |  ISO-360

click on the photo to display properly

If you would like to join me in photographing this madness next year, you can check out our 2014 Wild Eye Migration packages HERE.

Thanks for viewing and reading! If you like my posts, please share my blog with your friends.

Morkel Erasmus

Mara Monster

I've seen many specimens of the famed Nile Crocodile in my life on various trips to various reserves and national parks. I've yet to encounter crocodiles as big as the ones I saw last month in the Mara river in Kenya.

They.
Are.
HUGE!

During the river crossings these massive Mara monsters have a field day among the wildebeest and zebra that cross the Mara and Talek rivers. This photo was captured during a relatively small crossing at a relatively "easy" crossing point in the Mara Triangle. It was quite an adrenaline rush watching the crocs hunt, and anticipating where they will strike next. Many a young animal was cheered on and applauded when it reached the other side without falling victim to these brutes.

Techs:
Nikon D3s
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f4.0  |  1/1000 SS  |  ISO-400

So that's another epic Mara moment shared! I've got many more photos to work through and not half the time that I need for that mammoth job - so please be patient. 

Cheers...

Morkel Erasmus

Jumpers

I suppose at some point it had to come...the obligatory photo of a wildebeest crossing, stock standard from every person who makes the pilgrimage to see this spectacle. I thought a lot about how to approach these scenes (from the comfort of my office chair) before the trip, but let me tell you - when the moment arrives, you just bore down to base photographic instinct and shoot. There's very little time to really think your composition through, very little time to compensate via settings for a specific mood and feel, and very little time for much more than just looking for an opportunity in this chaos to make an interesting image.

I hope this image is one you find interesting. This particular crossing had some precarious ledges and drops that the wildebeest had to negotiate. My guests and I played around with various shutter speed settings throughout the sighting to ensure good variety and a difference in how the chaos was portrayed. In this one I was using a faster shutter speed. Overcast conditions helped to tame the strong contrast and harsh shadows you normally see in these scenes.

Techs:
Nikon D3s
Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f11  |  1/1250 SS  |  ISO-2000

click on the photo to display properly

If you would like to join us in the Mara Triangle with Wild Eye next year, you can add your name to the waiting list for the dates that go live on 1 November 2013.


Cheers!


Morkel Erasmus