A few days ago my wife and I returned from a two-week safari in Africa. Traveling with another couple, we trekked through Kenya and Tanzania, in search of the Big Five, as well as other quadrupeds. We went on night drives for nocturnal creatures with the Samburu, played baseball with elephant bones in the middle of the Maasai Mara, and went on a hunt with the Hadzabe bush men (and shared in the spoils). We had the time of our lives. Though it is difficult to verbally express what it felt like to be in Africa, I can expose what I saw through the lens. My camera rarely left my hand, and I was fortunate enough to have my wife (an excellent shooter in her own right), and our friends Sanjog and Christie to assist me when they were not off shooting on their own. Sanjog can mount a small lightbox on a 580EX like nobody's business....and he's a doctor. Along with the resulting images, I will include a few behind-the-scenes images my wife captured while I frantically attempted to conduct mini impromptu shoots. My lighting was not complicated, but there was rarely any time to plan a "shoot" since it sometimes involved shepherds walking up to us in the middle of the African plains, and then finding themselves the subject of the shoot. This blog will be less about intricate lighting setups, and more about having a plan in mind, and then trying to implement it when the opportunity arises. For those curious, I was shooting with a Canon 5D Mark II, the Canon 24-105 for some portraits, and Tamron's 70-300 for most of the animals and the Maasai portraits. By the way, the fine people at Tamron were kind enough to lend me the lens for this odyssey, in exchange for collaboration on an upcoming article about our adventures. My thanks to them. My lighting was a 580EX or EX II through a Lumiquest softbox or a shoot-through umbrella. If I had it to do again, I would have used two strobes in tandem, and used the Pocket Wizards which I lugged around Africa, but never used. Beating back the African midday sun with a single 580EX is not exactly doable, when you are trying to create a large light source with an umbrella...even at full power.
So, our adventure began with the Samburu tribe in Northern Kenya. We stayed at the Saruni Samburu, a remarkable lodge. I only mention our accommodations because our tracker Sumoro works there, and it was he and Joseph that introduced us to their friends and the wildlife. Our first night there, I had mentioned that I'd like to get some sunset shots from the hill above the lodge. As we made our way up the hill (always accompanied by a warrior to protect us), we were greeted by our hosts and a table of edibles and drinks. After grabbing the typical sunset shots, I asked one of the Samburu if he would pose for me for a shot or two. That was how it all started. I would end up photographing all the tribesmen who worked at the lodge by our stay's end. They were all willing and active participants. I brought out my 580EX and shoot-through umbrella, and got to work. As I mentioned earlier, I had a game plan, and I now had a chance to implement it. I knew I would expose for a "proper" sky, and strobe my subject, thereby getting the best of both worlds. I must say that over the last few years, Mr. David Hobby (the Strobist), has been a great influence on my style of lighting. I respectfully stole ( I mean, employed, some of what I have gleaned from him). Now, any of you shooters out there know that one of the great rewards of shooting is seeing the reaction of your subjects. When I showed Sidai what I was working on, his reaction was priceless. He covers his mouth, smiles and shows the excitement of a kid opening presents on his birthday. I frequently stop shooting and show the subject what I'm trying to do. That way they are involved as well, and they enjoy seeing the project evolve. He started changing his pose, and got the spear to use as a prop. I was shooting ISO 200, at 40mm, at a 1/160th. The 580EX was attached via a shoe cord, as I never felt I had the time to attach the Pocket Wizards and go wireless. I regret it a bit, but my "assistants" had not been versed in PW work, and when you're hot and sweaty, you go for the most convenient route. Regardless, I like the slightly wide angle of the shots, as it allowed me to reveal Sidai and his outfit, as well as the beautiful scenery. This first shot shows us at a later shoot, but you can see the studio-like atmosphere we created above the Samburu Nationl Reserve. While I believe this was shot the next day, you can get the jist of the simple lighting setup involved. I do not claim to be a lighting expert by an means, but when you have a go-to lighting setup, willing participants, and an extraordinary setting, you can bet you'll end up with something special. That is Sanjog working the umbrella, and Christie shooting in the foreground.
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Sidai
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Our second model was Joseph. It was suggested by his friends that he demonstrate his jumping abilities. The Samburu are closely related to the Maasai, who are known for their high jumping dance, or adumu. For Joseph, I switched to a small lightbox, as it focused the light a bit more. This was useful because I had to back up a bit in order to capture the jumping, and needed all the power I could get. The drawback was of course that I could only cover a part of his body, forcing his lower torso to go a bit dark. The settings were a 1/125th at f/9, and I believe the strobe was at either half or full power from camera left. You can actually see the strobe's reflection in his eyes. It is a bit low, since our subject was jumping rather high, and I was shooting from a low angle. Joseph is facing the setting sun, so he is getting a decent amount of ambient light as well.
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| Joseph |
Our last subject for the evening was our tracker, Sumoro. Unlike Sidai and Joseph, Sumoro is a junior elder. That means that if his cell phone dies, and he is unable to make smoke signals for any reason, Joseph or Sidai will have to walk across the valley and over the mountain to communicate with their village. If you are ever in the area, and need anything found, Sumoro is the man for the job. He can track anything, and can even smell what animals are in the area. It is amazing what one can do when one focuses his/her senses. He promises me that the next time I come to Samburu, he will live with me in the bush for a week, and show me how to track. I just have to convince myself that I am NOT the lion's natural prey. They fear me as much as I fear them................?
In my upcoming blogs, I will touch on a couple of the other unexpected scenarios that arose while shooting on safari in Kenya and Tanzania.
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| Sumoro |
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