From the Field: Essential Amboseli And Tsavo Day 1 & 2

Day two, and the first full day, of our Essential Amboseli & Tsavo Photographic Safari has come to an end and our group of guests have enjoyed some great sightings and photographic opportunities already.

The focus of this safari is undoubtedly elephants and yesterday afternoon we spent quite a bit of time with some of the herds and bulls as they foraged along the fringes of the marsh.

We have also been treated to a number of tender moments between mothers and calves, none better than this particular interaction as a young elephant calf grabs a hold of its mothers tusk.

This morning started of with some beautiful backlighting and some panning opportunities a s large herd of wildebeest welcomed in the new day.

Despite a thick blanket of cloud settling in for most of the morning, we were still able to get some great shots of two young elephant bulls who were intent on sizing one another up as well as a black headed heron who had found what looks like some sort of skink in the lush grasses around the fringe of the marsh.

As the morning progressed the clouds began to break up providing us with that all important key lighting. Typical of Amboseli, dust devils swirl and tower upwards into the sky as the mid day heat sets in and pockets of warm air rise sending towers of dust into the air.

Our afternoon drive could not have ended on a better note as we sat for more than an hour waiting for the sun to sink below a thick cloud bank to the north west. It was a long wait but by the time it sunk below the cloud and bathed Amboseli in a golden light we had moved into prime position and were able to get some fantastic images of the elephant herds that were making their way out from the swamp.

So, at the end of day one, not only had we captured and experienced all of this (and more) but I have been covering topics such as exposure compensation, composition, key-lighting, back button focus, animal behaviour and more.

I’ll be posting images and updates from the trip on Instagram under @AndrewBeckSA so feel free to check out the #WildEyeSA hash tag and pick up my feed from there – it will more than likely have elephants in the timeline!

Andrew

About the Author

Andrew Beck

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Very few people can tell you what their passion in life is. Even fewer will be able to tell you that what they do for a living is in fact their passion. My love for the bush and conservation took me on journey which would not only allow me to explore the continent which fascinates me so much, but to share my passion for photography and conservation with others. Be sure to check out my my website and instagram account.