Safari Diary Part 2: Amboseli + Masai Village
Amboseli National Park an awesome place to see huge herds of elephant families. They seem to be on the move a lot- one moment they're a distant silhouette on the horizon and the next moment they're thundering past you enveloped by a small dust storm.
Read Safari Diary Part 1 (Masai Mara) here.
We spent 2 days at Amboseli National Park during our 6 day Kenya Safari. It was awesome! Amboseli National Park is a great place to see huge herds of elephant families- it has a relatively large and stable elephant population (and for that reason there's a lot of research into elephant behaviour and conservation there).
I love watching elephant herds. They seem to be on the move a lot- one moment they're a distant silhouette on the horizon and the next moment they're thundering past you enveloped by a small dust storm.
Read Safari Diary Part 1 (Masai Mara) here.
Mount Kilimanjaro is elusive. It would peek out behind it's cloud only briefly.
Over the 2 days I was there I saw the peak of Kilimanjaro for about 1hr - if you are after the classic Kilimanjaro + elephant shot, I would recommend budgeting a few days.
When I look at a herd of elephants travelling and socialising, it really feels similar to watching a human family- I can't put my finger on what it is exactly. African elephants have a lifespan of approx 60-70 years, which means that they can have children AND grandchildren- unusual in the animal kingdom. Is that part of it? Not sure.
The first time I saw an animal giving birth was when we arrived at the Masai Village just outside Amboseli National Park. What a sight! A villager was pulling the calf out by it's hooves and the poor cow looked like she had seen better days. The calf came out looking like a limp bag- we thought the poor thing was dead, but apparently it was fine and we were told it would start walking around within a couple of hours. The chief told us that this was a sign of good luck for our marriage.
Masai houses are made by the women in the village with wood and cow dung. Each house is built by a Masai women and houses herself and her children. The Masai are polygamous so the men in the village move between houses.
Being a bit of a sh*it stirrer I asked the Masai man showing us around if his wives ever got jealous if he spent more time in one house - he laughed and said that his wives are friends with each other and there is no jealousy amongst the women.
Rain, fog, and waterfalls in Milford Sounds New Zealand
We spent 4 days in New Zealand last week- I don't normally go on such short overseas trips, but there was a 24hr Jetstar sale and we got flights from Sydney to Queenstown for $130 each way!
Milford Sounds has been on the travel bucket list for awhile, and it was absolutely SPECTACULAR. They say it's one of the wettest part of the world, which gives rise to lush rainforests, beautiful moss covered birch trees, and hundreds of waterfalls running off the sheer cliff faces after rain.
It was particularly wet on the 2 days that we were there, which made for dramatic waterfalls but also made it very difficult to take photos because the wild winds and sideways rain splattered my lens as soon as I got outside to take photos, even under cover. Lesson learnt- bring lens hood next trip!!
We spent 4 days in New Zealand last week- I don't normally go on such short overseas trips, but there was a 24hr Jetstar sale and we got flights from Sydney to Queenstown for $130 each way!
Milford Sounds has been on the travel bucket list for awhile, and it was absolutely SPECTACULAR. They say it's one of the wettest part of the world, which gives rise to lush rainforests, beautiful moss covered birch trees, and hundreds of waterfalls running off the sheer cliff faces after rain.
It was particularly wet on the 2 days that we were there, which made for dramatic waterfalls but also made it very difficult to take photos because the wild winds and sideways rain splattered my lens as soon as I got outside to take photos, even under cover. Lesson learnt- bring lens hood next trip!!
notes: shot on a Canon 6D, Tamron 24-70 2.8 VC. Processed with my Modern/Mellow Lightroom Preset
Bay of Fires mini-moon
The day after our wedding in Hobart, we drove up the east coast of Tasmania to the Bay of Fires lined with those famous red granite rocks. It felt like a dream.
We spent 2 nights in a beach shack in a secluded area near Binalong Bay, 20mins from the nearest town and 20mins from any phone reception. The shack overlooked the ocean and there was a window in the ceiling directly above the bed which revealed the multitude of the brightest stars you'll ever see.
The day after our wedding in Hobart, we drove up the east coast of Tasmania to the Bay of Fires lined with those famous red granite rocks. It felt like a dream.
We spent 2 nights in a beach shack in a secluded area near Binalong Bay, 20mins from the nearest town and 20mins from any phone reception. The shack overlooked the ocean and there was a window in the ceiling directly above the bed which revealed the multitude of the brightest stars you'll ever see.
There was no moon and very little light pollution so I managed to get a great view of the milky way on camera (although I had no proper tripod and only a 2.8 max aperture so I apologise for the noise from the high ISO I needed to use).
On the second day we happened across an oyster farm in between Binalong Bay and St Helens' selling freshly shucked oysters for $15 a dozen! They were the fattest, juiciest, freshiest oysters that I've ever had. Sadly I can't find it on google. I think they mainly supply commercial clients, and there is no actual food service or tables there (we took the oysters back to the shack with some lemons from IGA).
We left for Freycinet/Wineglass Bay on the 3rd day- that's the next blog post.
Notes: Shot with a Canon 6D, with Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art lens, Tamron 24-70mm 2.8, Canon 85mm 1.8. Processed with my VSCO inspired A6 Analogue/Aesthetic Preset, and my Mellow/Fade preset, both available at my Etsy Store.
Canberra Autumn
A Saturday afternoon some time a few months ago.
Canon 60D Sigma 30mm 1.4
A Saturday afternoon some time a few months ago.
Canon 60D Sigma 30mm 1.4 - shooting at mostly f11 or f 1.6