Since 2009 Pepe and I have put on 7 photographic safaris. The only year we missed was 2011, which for some reason we couldn't find any takers for the 4 different trips we had planned that year. Probably had something to do with the hangover from the 2010 Soccer World Cup [...]
When there's nothing to shoot, there's nothing to shoot. But sometimes nothing can make a far greater statement than anything. This desert seems to roll on without end. It's like one very long and undulating beach. Wherever you look there's only sand and more sand. It's nothing and everything all [...]
Somebody somewhere recommended this bag to me as a good option for a small mirrorless system. Our local pro shop had one in stock and I mulled over it for days. Eventually the GAS was too much to bear and I went down there yesterday, credit card in tow. An hour or so later and my entire m43 system was snuggled up inside it. That’s the OM-D E-M5, the Panasonic Lumix GF1, four lenses, the baby flash for the Oly, plus there’s room for at least 1 more lens, or perhaps a proper Olympus flash should I ever need one. Or maybe another OM-D in the future. You never know. […]
On the back of our successful, but gruelling 2009 safari, I decided to do something different for our Nikongear.com safari in 2010. Together with Pepe Jones’ expert help we booked out an entire camp at the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands. We had 9 people join us on that initial foray into the very different world of private game reserves and the positive outcome of that trip solidified in my mind the vision of my personal future; namely to produce the best photo safaris that any photographer could hope to make. This past October we returned to Little Bush Camp at Sabi Sabi to enjoy 7 more days of enchanting game drives, with our focus being Africa’s Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo). This series of posts serves as an account of that time, as well as hopefully a reminder to those of you reading them that life is too short to put trips like these on hold indefinitely. I hope you enjoy the story of the 2012 Nikongear.com safari. Preparations Getting to Sabi Sands from Johannesburg is a 45-minute flight to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) and then a further 2 hours by predominantly tarred road to get to Shaw’s Gate, which is the main entrance to most of the private lodges on the Southern part of the Sabi Sands reserve. Along the way you drive through towns such as White River and Hazyview, which don’t particularly stand out as attractions on their own, but do give you the sense of being close to a much bigger attraction, namely the world famous Kruger National Park. You’ll see lots of local arts and crafts, such as stone sculptures of the Big 5 being sold by the roadside and plenty of signs advertising independent safari accommodation or game drives for day trips to the park. Apart from farming and forestry it’s the main lifeblood of the region. […]
As a ranger at Sabi Sabi and aspiring photographer, there is one thing I look forward to in the year and that is the Nikongear photo safari visit. Six days of pure photography and all in the comfort of Little Bush Camp. With two exclusive landrovers to take you around [...]