Easy Access to Doug's KT photos
Here's a new link to my KT photos if you're interested. It's kind of difficult to find them in the previous topic-- link was on page 2.
https://iluv2fly.smugmug.com/Tanzania-and-Kenya-2018/n-zX344G/
Doug
https://iluv2fly.smugmug.com/Tanzania-and-Kenya-2018/n-zX344G/
Doug
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Doug
http://botswanazambiasouthafrica2016.shutterfly.com/
Kind of amazes me how many paths are great as hobbies but really tough as a way to make a decent living -- e.g. cooking, photography . . . Great thing about retirement though is that you can be a jack-of-all-trades.
Best, and Happy Easter.
Doug
Don't know if you'd like some tips, but I'll take a chance and proffer some. Generally, you'd improve your picture taking if you 1) move in closer (e.g. #292, #213 go for head shot -- is great; even closer -- get the seal's eyes -- would even be better); and 2) take your pictures from a lower camera angle -- you seem to be pretty tall -- so carry a plastic bag and get on your knees -- e.g. #19. 3) watch your composition -- #163 nice pic, better if move subject to left -- see my tic-tac-toe suggestion in the previous thread, the compositio would be better. #157 hippo with circles of water are great -- would be a lot better if you were able to zoom in and get a few big circles and close-up of subject. #25 is the right Moment that you pressed the shutter, but get on knees and shoot up at the Big Cat.
There's always this conflict for me, when traveling: Should I grab shots that help me remember the vacation, or should I try for the artistic pics that have impact but often don't give a sense of place. The Nat Geo answer is usually take an artistic sense of place shot, then follow up with the detail, story-telling shots. And if you can, a end of story shot.
Doug
Yup. I was a Navy carrier pilot for a number of years before I persued the airlines. Worked for nine of them before I ended up at American Airlines, which was the first airline I had appllied to thirteen years earlier. I guess you call that persistent. I flew as Captain on six types before retiring with around 25,000 hours. I loved it as a job, but it was never a hobby ... before or after. (;-)
Happy Easter
Trivia ... Sealord was the last radio callsign of the USS Oriskany. Both my brother in law and I flew off of the Oriskany at different times. When he was there it was known as “School Boy”. That was when it caught on fire.
I know ... off topic. Sorry. I’m done.
Sealord, I am so glad you reposted your photos, I looked at them a couple of years ago just before we went on the Botswana tour and I just looked at them again now and of course recognize every location and of course Susan who was our tour director on the Tanzania Zanzibar tour. They brought back many memories of this great tour. I have to get out my photo book to look at mine. We have now been to Africa five times and we plan to go again soon. Enjoy your next tour!
Yes, I could see the animal pictures, great ones.
Thanks again for sharing.
Thanks British. Yes, we are going back for number three ... and we would be delighted if Susan was our tour director again. She is certainly one of the best. Certainly our favorite on our five past Tauck tours. We have two more scheduled and we are ready to ‘wish list’ one for 2020 when they start taking reservations. Saw someone here on the blog who has done 35 Tauck tours ... wow! We have probably done 50 cruises including two with Tauck, but 35 with Tauck is probably some kind of record. Looking at the Tauck history videos, I found it interesting that one of his first tours was a trip to the Mohawk Trail. I first went there when I was five or six years old ... beautiful. I can still remember the smell.
Angle of view and distance from the subject are two of the basic variables textbooks talk about in the photographer's creativity toolbox. On the K-T trip I didn't see anyone else get on their knees, so I probably looked like a nut, because I was doing that all the time -- and it's getting tough to do that. But the pics of the school kids were much more effective when eye-to-eye with them, and coming from a low angle with the Masai adults produces a view you aren't used to. British's elephant angle sounds like a novel angle that produced a great pic.
If you recall, Sealord had images of walking with the animals, holding their tails, etc. Just thought applying the principle of changing camera angle and getting at eye level with the animal might have added a little more punch to the image. But again, whatever appeals to you and works for you in each situation is the main thing.
Looking at Sealord's pictures makes me want to go touring again. Looks like a great trip, quite different than K-T.
Also bet Sealord is the hit of cocktail parties, at least with the guys interested in aircraft, especially fighter aircraft. One of my wife's friend's husband is an FBI agent, and that's a winner too. LOL. But I find one of the great aspects of the Tauck tours is that almost everyone has great stories to tell, even if they don't think so. On our Aus-New Zealand tour there were a bunch of veterinarians traveling together -- one had specialized in exotic animals . . . and it all started when a lady walked into his office with her monkey's broken leg . . .
Then there was the fellow who made fame and fortune renting commercial dishwashers to restaurants . . .
Doug
Yeah, it's that Richard Gere, "Officer and a Gentleman" and Tom Cruise, "Top Gun" kinda thing. I have some hours and carrier landings in the aircraft Sealord flew- given enough time to accelerate it could go pretty fast, but believe me it was no "fighter aircraft." Officially it was a "Douglas A-3D Skywarrior" but, truth be told, it was better known as the "Whale" and for good reason! : ) It was the largest aircraft to operate from aircraft carriers. Unlike the B-66 and all other Naval aircraft of its era and today, the A-3 did not have ejection seats causing Naval Aviators to morbidly claim the A-3D nomenclature stood for "all three dead."
The A-3 was a Naval derivative of the Air Force B-66 and started out as a nuclear capable strategic bomber, but soon was adapted to other missions. There were several variants, the two main being the EA-3B, ELINT (electronic reconnaissance and surveillance) aircraft and the EKA-3B, ECM (electronic countermeasures- radar and communications jamming) and aerial refueling aircraft.
But I was thinking more about flying a P-51. LOL
Doug
John
I’m quite sure I have flown the aircraft in your picture. I spent several years in that squadron flying from the USS Enterprise, Kitty Hawk, and Ranger. The airplane that actually had my name on the side is now sitting on the USS Yorktown museum ship near Charleston, SC. It was recovered from Rota, Spain where it was sitting on a pedastal in front of the Bachelor Officer’s Quarters. It was restored and then given to the Yorktown.
Here's some info from a previous thread:
"We just returned from K/T and had a fantastic trip. We had a great group of Tauck Guests, and we all enjoyed each others' company. There were 28 of us, and it looked like about 10% were fairly serious photographic aficionados -- those belonging to camera clubs, carrying big lenses and a satchel of equipment. But for the most part, most the guests were there to enjoy the experience, and brought binoculars, cell phones, point-and-shoots, and iPads.
So, for the small minority of avid photo buffs that are planning the trip, I'd like to proffer a few tips.
1. For really unique shots, bring the largest super-tele you can. I used, most often, a 840mm equivalent (actually a Olympus OMD-EM1 MKII with tele-converter). This allowed for capturing leopards high up in trees, that were barely visible to the naked eye. It allowed for head portraits of African Cranes, Chimps, lions, cheetahs, and their babies.
2. Bring two cameras. I had one mounted with a 80-300 equivalent, and the other with the 840mm prime. They hung from a Black Rapid Dual shoulder harness, and pretty much covered the spectrum for the shots you need. Yes, some animals were close, and crossed the vehicles' path, but usually the animals were at quite a distance.
3. Share your images. I allowed access to my best images to my Tauck friends for their personal use, and they reciprocated by offering me the best views from the safari vehicles. Actually, all the seats were good, but the back seats offered the most panoramic views. I took a lot of shots from the windows rather than standing up -- the angle of view of the animal was often better, e.g. rather getting the tops of Big Cats' heads, you can look into their eyes.
4. My best "accessory" was a microfiber jacket. The vehicles can travel 50+ mph on dirt roads (supposedly the speed ironing out the rut holes on the "African Massage", and generate plumes of dust up to 15-20 feet high at times. I used the microfiber jacket in my lap to cover and cushion the cameras from each other, on the bumpy ride, and to occasionally wipe the dust from them. It gets quite warm in the vehicles, so people have their windows partly open -- and -- dust. The dust can be choking and irritating over the course of the trip. We tried a Buff, which works, but what I found more breathable was a set of cheap surgical masks. The top of the mask can be bent to conform to your nose.
5. There is not a problem in changing lenses. I changed to a 24-200mm zoom for Masai village and Masai school children shots, landscapes, etc. But I changed lenses at bathroom stops or under the microfiber jacket when the vehicle was not moving, and, of course, at the hotels.
6. The tripod was not useful. I had planned to take Milky Way shots, but there was too much light pollution. But a flash was very useful for fill-in, to light up faces, especially in the classroom with Masai school children.
7. The TD said Tsetse flies were not a problem. And they were not for us. There was one area, a 15 minute drive, near the Four Seasons that was supposed to have the flies, but the drivers flew faster than the flies, I'm told. I am not aware of anyone getting mosquito bites on the trip.
8. Use of the infamous duffle bags. They are big, so we packed our clothes in one, and I packed a photo case with accessories in the other. However, cameras and lenses went with me into the cabin of the airplane, in the day bag, or slung from my shoulder. The TD was very gracious about photographic equipment -- he said to bring all you want -- it's a photographic safari. And the drivers were terrific -- they parked the vehicles, usually, for the best lighting and vantage points, they often tried to get ahead of the Big Cats so the Cats would come to you.
Hope this is helpful. You have an awesome opportunity to bring back some fantastic images."
John,
I felt that a small day backpack was all I could comfortably take both in some of the aircraft and into the Safari vehicles. There's not a lot of room between seats or in the aisle, though everyone was wonderful and forgiving for those of us with equipment. My solution was to get into the airplane or Safari vehicle wearing the equipment -- shoulder harness, etc. and a photo vest. Extra lenses and flash went into the small day backpack. I think a really big camera backpack is kind of difficult to manage, but some did it.
The night drive didn't produce usable images -- too rushed, too much movement for low light.
Feel free to ask any other questions -- you have a great experience ahead of you!
Doug
John,
If you're deep into this hobby, you might have camera bags like my wife has purses. LOL. But I found something I think is fantastic: The TravelKing IATA all-aluminum carry-on. At $240 on Amazon, it mimics the $950 high end all aluminum carry-on. You can line it with foam and get your gear in it -- for me, cameras and lenses on the non-handle side, accessories on the handle side. It has ball bearing wheels and glides through airports. And -- it fits into the Tauck Duffel Bag for the K-T trip, so it can go in the underbelly of those Caravans. You can pack your clothes and your companion's clothes in one duffel, and the aluminum carry-on in the other.
Doug
Thanks for the prompt reply and the repost from a previous thread. Great information that I'll certainly make reference to once we get more serious about this type of trip. I'm just an enthusiast when it comes to photography. Just enough to annoy my wife from time to time preparing my camera and composition for just the right shot.
Thanks again for posting the link to your images and your prompt replies.
John