On Safari with the Canon 5D Mark III. Day 5: The Main Event

September 22, 2014

Today is the last day in my photo safari series here on my blog. Scroll down to see earlier posts.

All the photographs were taken while we were on a photo safari with our good friends Jonathan and Angela Scott – known and respected around the world as "The Big Cat People."

Today is Day 5: The Main Event

The main event during our stay on the Masai Mara was photographing the migration of the zebra and wildebeest. One morning we saw more than 5,000 animals on the move. The animals follow the rain so they always have something to eat.

In this post I'll share some, only some, my favorite migration photographs, along with some photo tips. I'll be sharing all my Masai Mara photographs at my upcoming seminars.

The photographs were taken on three different days at three different locations.

Opening Image: Compose carefully. Notice the nice "S" curve in this photography. Learn more about composition in my KelbyOne class: Composition - the strongest way of seeing. Lens: Canon 24-105mm IS.

Above: Check your aperture to make sure you have the desired depth of field. Lens: Canon 24-105mm IS.

Above: Use foreground elements to add a sense of scale and depth to a photograph. Lens: Canon 70-300mm IS.

Above: Use slow shutter speeds to add a sense of movement to fast-moving subjects. Another tip: Use plug-ins to remove some of the reality from a scene. Lens: Canon 70-300mm IS.

Above: Take close-ups to tell the whole story. The story here: two crocks are eating a wildebeest that did not make it across the water. We talk about storytelling on my workshops. Lens: Canon 200-400mm IS.

Above: Wildlife photography requires patience. One morning we waited more than three hours for the animals to cross the Mara River. Here I am deep in thought - planning the next trip! :-) Lens: Canon 15mm, but I recommend the Canon 8-15mm lens. Oh yeah, they never crossed.

Above: The team that made my photographs possible.

I'm feeling a bit sad as this series comes to a close. I miss the Mara and my friends Jonathan and Angela Scott, as well as our guide Simon Sitienei. I also miss our home away from home for the safari, Governors' Camp.

The good news is that we'll be back!

Shoot me an email if you are interested in a small group or private African photo safari. Jonathan and I are making some cool plans!

Until then, check out the videos we made in the Masai Mara.

Thank you all for following along.

Rick Sammon,
Canon Explorer of Light

On Safari with the Canon 5D Mark III. Day 4: Memories from a Maasai Village

September 21, 2014

I'm running a series of posts here on my blog: On a Photo Safari with the Canon 5D Mark III.

Today is Day 4: Memories from a Maasai Village. Tomorrow is the final day in this series.

One of the highlights of our September 2014 Kenya photo safari – with our good friends Jonathan and Angela Scott (known as "The Big Cat People") – was a visit to Willima Pere's Village.

Below: That's Jonathan and Angie (on the left) photographing with me (on the right). Jonathan and Angie are Canon Ambassadors, like Canon Explorers of the Light here in the America.

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In this post we'll share a few of our favorite photographs, along with some photo tips.

Lens for opening image: Canon 8-15mm fisheye lens. Tip: Use your camera like a spaceship. In other words, photograph from all angles, directions and levels.

Lens for above image: Canon 17-40mm lens. Tips: When you think you are close, get closer. The closer you are to a subject, the more intimate the photograph becomes. When you are shooting close, check your aperture and make sure you get the desired depth-of-field.

Shortly after our arrival, we were met my a group of singers who welcomed us to the village. The singing was memorizing. Talk about feeling welcome!

Lens for above image: Canon 17-40mm lens. Tip: Watch the background. I got down low to help isolated the jumpers from the background.

Visitors to Maasai villages often get to see and photograph the traditional adume, or jumping dance. If you go on a photo safari, don't miss the opportunity to visit a village and photograph a jumping dance. Lots of fun and excitement.

Lens for above image: Canon 17-40mm lens. Tip: Join in the fun, and make it fun for everyone. Hey, I think photography and traveling keeps one young. Never thought I'd be doing this at 64!

Lens for this portrait of a Maasai woman: Canon 24-105mm IS.

Tips:
• First and foremost, respect the subject. If you respect the subject, the subject will respect you.
• Shoot at the subject's level, so the person looking at your portrait can relate to the subject.
• Make pictures. In this case I used the doorway to the woman's hut as my black studio background.
• Focus on the eyes. If the eyes are not well lit and in focus, you've missed the shot - unless you are looking for a specific mood for feeling.
• Visualize the end-result. Know how your camera settings and the light will affect your photograph.
• Strive for a personality portrait. Try to capture the personality of the subject, which was very joyful in this case.
• Keep in mind that for a successful portrait, the subject does not always need to be looking at you/the camera.

If you like on-location portraiture, don't miss my previous post (with the above pair of images) in this series.

Once again, I'd like to thank Jonathan and Angie for inviting us to go on a photo safari with them. Truly an awesome experience. Check out some of the movies Jonathan and I made on my YouTube channel.

Scroll down, or return to my blog, for previous posts in this series.

I will be returning to Kenya for some projects in the future. Stay tuned.

Going on a photo safari? Want to learn about composition and exposure? I have several on-line classes just for you.

In closing, above is another photograph by Susan. She follows the tips (photo and processing) that I share on my workshops. :-)

Explore the light,
Rick
Canon Explorer of Light

P.S. A special "thank you" goes to Governors' Camp for making our stay on the Mara, well, perfect.

Immerse Yourself This Weekend in Creating Impressionistic-like Images - and save 25% off Topaz Impressions until September 30

September 19, 2014

Topaz Impression - from Topaz Labs - is a new addition to the set of plug-ins I use and recommend to my workshops students.

Save 25% off until September 30 on Total Impression using this code: SEPIMPRESSION. Here's the link.

Totally originally impressionist-like images are possible when you combine a few clicks of a mouse (on a preset) with dozens of slider adjustments.

Great fun. Cool creativity.

Plug-in help us awaken the artist within.

All the plug-ins I use are listed on my Play & Save on Plug-ins page.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. These Saturday and Sunday Savings are still in effect. Click here or the image below.

On Safari with the Canon 5D Mark III. Day 3: Serious About Portraiture? Get Series About Controlling The Light

September 18, 2014

We've been back a week (almost to the hour) from our awesome adventure to Kenya's magical Masai Mara with our good friends Jonathan and Angela Scott - known and respected around the world as "The Big Cat People."

One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Willima Pere's Village , where I took this portrait of Alex, who, to me, looked like the coolest dude in the village.

Portraiture is all about light and shadows - because light illuminates and shadow define, topics I talk about in my KelbyOne class on lighting.

The light in the portrait on the right is flat, so I think the portrait falls flat.

The portrait on the left has, to me, not only more light, but more life.

I added the light (brightness, color and contrast) by having our guide/driver/new friend, Simon Sitienie, hold the Sunlight side (as opposed to the Gold side) of the reflector in my Rick Sammon's On-location Lighting Kit and Tote so that the sunlight bounced beautifully onto Alex's face. The kit also contains a diffuser and speedlight diffuser.

Readers of my blog know that my favorite lens for on-location portraiture is the Canon 24-105mm IS lens.

I like the flexibility that this lens offers when it comes to composing a portrait, as well as its sharpness.

Stay tuned for more images from our visit to this village, and scroll down for more posts in this series.

Here's a fun shot of Simon checking out Jonathan's Canon 200-400mm IS lens. I used my 200-400 for most of my wildlife photographs on the trip.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. A special "thank you" goes to Governors' Camp for making our stay on the Mara, well, perfect.

Get My HDR Book For Free - and Get a Discount on Photomatix

September 18, 2014

Much to my surprise, and talk about big surprises, one of my 36 books, Rick Sammon's HDR Photography Secrets for Digital Photographers is free on this site.

Be that as it may . . . if you are new to HDR photography, or if you are looking for an awesome HDR image processing program, you can get a 15% discount on Photomatix, the HDR program I used to process almost all of the images in my book, including the cover, on my Play & Save on Plug-ins page.