Gentle giants

Once of my most memorable animal encounters was a morning stop watching a herd of elephants. These aristocratic animals have a dignity and intelligence that soon becomes obvious when spending just a short time with them. To learn more about them I would suggest watching Bob Poole Films on Vimeo. It is also intimidating to have one check you out in an open Range Rover.

Remembering Rain

Tucked inside a warm house with a blizzard raging outside is a good time to look back at some of last year's footage and try something new.  I did my first Instagram story, nothing fancy, and also found this wet cheetah from Kenya. Hope you are enjoying a real winter storm, the real fun begins tomorrow after I get the snowblower started.

Who is a giraffe?

Each of these views tells a different story about giraffes. Do you like the inquisitive giraffe, best buddies, or the video of them satisfying an itch? (View at full screen to clearly see the itch.)

Technical: Adjusted for contrast in Lightroom. Sony a7r2 and canon 100-400 mm lens for all images

Cheetah and Gazelle on the Move

We were encouraged to do some panning and slow shutter speeds shots by our guide. It's hard to shoot images in a new place and know that at least 95% will not turn out. This cheetah had multiple stalks on a herd of gazelle so I could do play with some settings. As you can tell from the ISO it was very late in the afternoon.

Technical: cheetah 1/8 sec @ISO1600, gazelle 1/50 @ISO6400

Hyena Cuties

There is something cute and lovable about hyena cubs, perhaps its their eyes and intense curiosity. I love their playfulness as they explore every aspect of their world, including the truck tires. 

Wherever they roam they are under the watchful eye of mom who may nurse them for up to two years.

Cheetah in the Rain

 This cheetah was making the most of a miserable afternoon in the rain while we were dry, protected on three sides by canvas and plastic.

 We watched her endure through the afternoon capturing her misery as best we could.  Finally she had had enough and our wait was rewarded.

Hyena Cubs

We spent about an hour watching this den and second one later in the day. The cubs playing and their interaction was fascinating! It changed all my impressions of hyenas which had been formed by watching nature shows on TV. As you can hear Angela had a blast doing still photography while I was recording.

Following Mom

Elephant babies are completely dependent on their mother for months after birth. This young one is about a week old. It takes 6 months to learn to use their trunk and begin to explore with it. With a life expectancy of several decades they continue to learn for several years, much like human children. Sometimes life is not so kind to a young elephant. For one such story read: The Story of Pili

Early morning elephant

Each morning we left camp before sunrise to arrive at a location for shooting it or early morning carcass activity. Lions hunt at night and the hope was getting them on a carcass before hyenas had claimed it. On the way out one morning I had to stop for a minute to shoot this elephant browsing. It was also a great opportunity to push the limits of Sony technology.

Technical: Sony a7r2, Canon 100-400 lens @1/160, f5.0, ISO 102400

Safari Adventure

I am returning to Minnesota time, jet lag doesn't get easier, and sorting through a week of images and video clips from the Masai Mara. It was the trip of a lifetime courtesy of Angela. It was her prize for winning the Comedy Wildlife Photography Contest (http://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/) was a week safari in the Masai Mara, Kenya. It was a special time for both of us, more so I think for a proud father. Two nights on a plane, with a layover in London, is a long way from the Midwest. Our final deplaning was at this airstrip. Lots of images to share in the next few weeks.