The Photographic World Cup
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The Photographic World Cup

So excited to have been Selected to be on the USA team for the photographic World Cup. This will be my second time to be selected for this honor.

LEighteen photographers will represent the United States in the 2021 World Photographic Cup. Founded in 2013, WPC is run by the Federation of European Photographers and Professional Photographers of America, with support from additional international photographic organizations. Its goal is to unite photographers globally in a spirit of friendship and cooperation via a one-of-a-kind international photographic competition in which teams of photographers battle for the cup.

The 2021 competition winners will be announced in Rome, Italy, on April 19, 2021. Teams enter up to three images in each of six categories: Commercial, Illustrative, Nature, Portrait, Reportage, and Wedding.

 

TEAM USA 2021

Commercial
David Foltz
John Gladman, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr.
Ben Shirk, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr.

Illustrative
Dana Rose
Ben Shirk, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr.
Eich Caparas, M.Photog.M.Artist.

Nature
Steven Barger
Steven Blandin, M.Photog.
Hendro Soetrisno, M.Photog.

Portrait 
Rosalind Guder
Kathy Wierda, M.Photog.Cr.
Erich Caparas, M.Photog.M.Artist.

Reportage 
Kevin Dooley, M.Photog.
Gail Nogle, M.Photog.Cr., F-ASP
Sandra Pearce, M.Photog.MEI.Cr., CPP

Wedding 
Andrew Joseph
Jackie Kramer
Armando Munoz, M.Photog.

Photographic World Cup
Remembering Cheetahs
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Remembering Cheetahs

The story behind my image in the incredible book Remembering Cheetahs is certainly a day in Africa that I will never forget.


Remembering Cheetahs
Remembering Cheetahs

  When I was notified that one of my Cheetah photographs was selected to be among the top cheetah images in the world, I was incredibly happy. Along with other top cheetah images, my photograph is now part of a book. This same image took me to the selection of being one of Africa’s wildlife photographers of the year. What an honor to be chosen to help the cheetah remain and grow stronger. Remembering Cheetahs is both a book go stunning cheetah photographs and a strong step in saving these stunning wild cats.  https://rememberingwildlife.com/remembering-cheetah

 

The soothing coolness of the morning was a much appreciated relief to the relentless Namibian heat. A glance at my phone reminds me of a new day. In the feint light I spot an empty water bottle, sheets on the floor and a rotating fan. All reminders of the desert heat that makes Namibia what it is. Four twenty one AM, I lay in bed knowing that in nine minutes my phone will sing good morning.  Tricia is sound asleep and I am concerned that my movement will steal away her last few moments of rest.  Yet my excitement is running deep. Between a last moment cheetah sighting and a night of photographic dreams, I am wanting this day to begin.  

With six minutes to go, I just can’t take it any longer. My feet slowly reach for the floor as I slide so gently out of the bed. I try my very best to keep the noise to a minimum. Last night, the French press coffee pot was my last visit before my head hit the pillow. Two packets of fine African dark roast coffee, rest easy in the guts of a stainless steel plunger. A kettle holding pure water awaits the on switch. I know it will take at least four minutes to fill the room with the roaring sounds of boiling water. That should mean the alarm and the kettle should sing together and I shall remain in perfect harmony with Tricia’s wake up call. 

A quick glance across camp as I scan the guest rooms and the main lodge for any sign of life. My eyes make a quick stop at the water hole in front of my cabin. A lone Jackal is also feeling the effects of the desert. A long drink of water and a shady spot under a lone Umbrella Thorn tree will carry him through the day.  Another Beautiful day at Onguma Game reserve in Namibia is about to begin. 

This is no ordinary morning, my blood is running wild with the thoughts of last nights Cheetah sighting.  With years of being a Safari Guide under my belt, I have seen some amazing things in the wild places of Africa. However, every once in a while a blessing will come that simply sticks with you for life. 

Yesterday at the edge of darkness, as we traveled the dusty road back to safari camp, we spotted a female cheetah. I do believe the folks in my vehicle were a bit tired and ready for dinner, I know I was.  It had been a full day in the bush, We had some incredible elephant encounters, a lone leopard on a downed tree limb, and some stunning lion sightings.  This last bit of nature would bring us all back to the reality that we were still on a game drive and even at the last minute something amazing can happen. 

In all our days success we had no idea that we were about to end our adventure with such a special treat.  This last bit of nature would bring us all back to the reality that we were still on a game drive and even at the last minute something amazing can happen. We spot a cheetah within a mile  from camp. However, this was not just a cheetah sighting, this was the ultimate cheetah sighting. A mother cheetah with five cubs in the range of six weeks of age. Gathered at a carcass of a downed Impala, both the mother and the cubs ate as quickly as they could. The cubs were snarling at each other as they fought over the best pieces of meat. Darkness was quickly approaching and my knowledge of cheetahs told me that they would leave the carcass within a few minutes.  Cheetahs are fast, but they are very agile and remain at the bottom of the hierarchy among the big predators. The smell of blood was in the air and lions and hyenas were most likely en route to take over the kill.  

The cheetah mom and her cubs soon left the carcass and headed into the thick brush. I knew the cheetahs would remain hidden throughout the night. Thirst would set in and by morning the cats would be desperate for water. We searched around for the closest water source and made a plan to return before daylight.

Remembering Cheetahs Cubs
Cheetah Cub

The one sure thing is that dinner in safari camp never disappoints. That was certainly the case this evening, a beautiful three course meal , talk of cheetahs, eyes growing heavy, all followed up by ice cream and the soothing sounds of Africa at night.  A short walk to my comfy cabin would take me past the camp water hole. Two giraffes greet me, our eyes meet, they continue to drink. I enjoy the perfect vision of Africa for a moment, the southern cross stands proudly behind them. It shall be a good night indeed.

As the days add up, I can get tired, my body is fighting the excitement, my eyes want darkness. The hum of the safari vehicle is like a lullaby, the road a rocking chair, the fight is overwhelming. Yet I know I have a shot at this years best image, so I best get myself firing on all cylinders.  It’s just a short fifteen minutes or so to our early morning destination. The sense of wonder is dominating my mind.  Is this the day?

Remembering Cheetahs
Baby Cheetahs

The thick bushes surround the small water hole. The wind is almost quiet, but with some effort I pick up a slight movement in the air from the southeast. This tells me approximately where the cheetahs will approach from. The mother cheetah will want every advantage to spot any danger, she will use the wind to increase her odds of a safe and uneventful visit to the water source. We have mentally pinpointed where we think the cheetah will appear.  We have positioned ourselves for the best opportunity to photograph this new family. The cheetah is endangered, this is not an everyday opportunity, we will wait it out and between an ounce of hope and a pound of prayer it just might all come together.  

Daylight to our human eyes will still seem to dim and impossible to create images however, it is a very usable light for the cheetahs. We must hope that she will wait long enough to get enough light for photography. I pump up my ISO, select a usable yet very wide lens opening, and a shutter speed that will be on the edge of stopping the movement of quick kittens. Difficult decisions that will be changing rapidly as the light comes alive. Now to just wait it out. 

The feeling of just not knowing if your plan will come to light, lives with an intensity like no other. Any time now the sun and the moon will shake hands and a new day will come. I must admit that some of my best thoughts have come during these times in wait. I love a few moments to drift, to dream, to plan my life, and to celebrate the days gone by. I must remind myself to not let my mind get to far away, any moment could be  the creation of a new memory that will stand tall and stay with me for life. Indeed today will be one of those days where a true gift will come, I simply feel it deep down inside.  

Baby Cheetahs

A simple readjustment on camera settings and a test exposure share some good news. I have managed to gain a stop of ISO, digital noise is starting to become a non issue. I pick up a bit of movement to my left, the a slight sway in the Buffalo thorn is a clear indication of something beyond the wind. A nose, eyes, ears, pop out and scan the area for any danger. I whisper a shush to my companions, be ready I say as quietly as possible.  The alert and beautiful cheetah begins her slow and steady way to the edge of the dark green water. The babies pop out one at a time, mimicking moms every step. Stop , scan, move forward, all in unison. Six beautiful cheetahs. I began to steady my camera and get ready to photograph this once in a lifetime wildlife event. I managed to get two images of the cheetahs en route. I had concerns that the sounds of our shutters would alert the cheetahs before they reached the water. I signaled for everyone to hold off till the cheetahs reached the water hole.  We need to first be sure they get the much needed water, that would be our main goal, followed up by photographs.  

The mother cheetah stopped at the edge of the water and scanned thoroughly for any danger. A lion, leopard, or hyaena, could be the end for this new family.  Her nose was high in the air sniffing for any sign of danger, her eyes and ears were in top form. Once the mom was satisfied she let her babies know all was 0k. The cubs ran to the water and began to drink. Mom dropped her head over the cubs and protected them as they fulfilled their thirst.  A few test images told me that the cheetahs could not hear our cameras, we began to photograph one of the most amazing events I have witnessed in nature.  The mother cheetah would also drink, however with every couple of licks, she would rescan the area and continue to make sure her cubs were safe.  

After a few minutes, the mom gave the signal and led the babies back to the safety of the thick bushes. The silence in our safari vehicle was soon replaced with a celebration of seeing a once in a lifetime wildlife sighting.  We were all in awe of what nature had just shared with us.  

Remembering Cheetahs
Kevin Dooley Cheetahs

Remembering Cheetahs is  available at Amazon Books and at  https://rememberingwildlife.com/remembering-cheetah

Photographing Coastal Brown Bears
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Photographing Coastal Brown Bears

It is difficult to express the excitement that one experiences on a bear photography trip to Alaska. Just the scenery alone is worth the adventure to this wild and remote land. Photographing coastal Brown Bears is an experience like no other .

 

Brown Bear photography

Photographing Brown Bears in Alaska

It is difficult to express the deep feelings of photographing Brown bears in Alaska.

 A once in a lifetime opportunity to photograph a brown bear from a very low camera angle. I had to hold tight as this bear ran past me to my complete surprise. I held very still and maintained the  low to the ground camera angle.It is difficult to express the excitement that one experiences on a bear photography trip to Alaska. Just the scenery alone is worth the adventure to this wild and remote land. Photographing coastal Brown Bears is an experience like no other. The adventure of bush planes flying over the tundra and landing on beaches. The feelings of the changing of seasons and beautiful fall colors. The amazing food and wonderful cabins all add up to an experience that will always be at the top of my best of memories. However there is one thing that truly stands out to me when photographing bears. The very deep down feeling and experience of watching bears in motion, as they display the fast and well coordinated look of a perfect athlete . When experiencing the true power and determination of these massively strong mammals, it is a perfect example of nature at it’s very best. The brown bear is a very strong yet agile animal that uses all its strength to survive. The intense sounds and feelings of feet thumping on the sandy coastline, the deep breaths and growls that fill the air,  and the small brown eyes that scan the river for salmon,  all this adds up to a level of excitement and joy that is beyond explanation.

Brown Bear Photos

A once in a lifetime opportunity to photograph a brown bear from a very low camera angle. I had to hold tight as this bear ran past me to my complete surprise. I held very still and maintained the  low to the ground camera angle. I remained calm and took my lens to as wide as it would go. At 60 mm I was still able to compress the background and give the bear a larger than life appearance. I will probably never have this opportunity again, fortunately my exposure was preset and I was in manual camera settings.

 

Brown Bear Cup Photos

We were blessed with many cubs this year. It was so reassuring to see more cubs than on any previous visit to Alaska. This is a great indication of a very positive future for the Coastal Brown Bears. Do to the outstanding job of the researchers, the funding from adventure and photographic tourism and well maintained natural habitat, the wild bears are doing very well

Photographing brown bears in Alaska

The salmon were running strong over the first five days of our bear safari. We were able to witness the bears fishing and establishing  dominance over their favorite fishing places. Often fish would be taken from cubs or a less dominant bears. 

Brown Bear photography Alaska
Fighting brown Bears
Fighting Brown Bears

The salmon play a very vital role in providing the pounds of fat to the bears that is needed to survive the winter. It is said that fishing bears can put on three to nine pounds of fat per day. This is one of the main reasons why the coastal brown bear is among the biggest of the grizzly bears  

Alaska Fox photos

We were blessed with several good fox sightings. These siblings were seen on several occasions. They gave us some nice opportunities to enjoy and experience their behavior as well as photograph them. 

Wild foxes in Alaska
Jumping Fox photograph

We had the pleasure of watching this fox jump the creek and gather an old salmon carcass. I managed to photograph him as he jumped back across the creek and returned to his den. 

Alaska Brown Bear tour

Although it was a bit chilly in the morning, the sunrise opportunities were amazing. photographing the brown bears against the beautiful morning backdrop was a very special experience. We had great sunrises on five of our seven days. I managed to get several beautiful images. 

Brown bears at sunrise
Bears at Sunrise
Photographing Brown Bears
Photographing Walrus in wild Alaska
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Photographing Walrus in wild Alaska

Photographing Walrus  in wild Alaska. 

Join wildlife photographer Kevin Dooley on this exciting adventure. 

I have always had a hankering to photograph the wild Pacific Walrus. Walrus Photography offers so many opportunities in the world of wildlife photography. These marine mammals are plumb full of life and character. Wrapped in skin of many colors, textures, and shades of lights and darks are just part of the attraction. Huge tusks covered in stains and crevices that look completely out of place, massive broad lips that support long thick whiskers and flat wide noses. All this wonderful temptation of wildlife photography is highlighted by one heck of an adventure just to locate them on the cold wind blown beaches of the Great Bering Sea. Does it get much better than that?


Brown Bear Photography Alaska

A successful day of bear photography.

 Our day of Bear photography was highly successful, and we even landed a few sockeye salmon to add to our fist day on the Alagnak River in South Western Alaska. Nothing like a comfortable bed, a few episodes of the original Star Trek series, and a mind full of the days memories to drift off to sleep with. I have always been one to hit the hay early and wake up early. With a belly truly satisfied after a gourmet dinner of Smoked Salmon Canapé, Mandarin Salad, Bristol Bay Halibut Curry, and Wild Berry Shortcake. Sleep and relaxation was on my list of priorities. Soon after I shut the curtains and shuttered the long Alaskan days that filled my cabin with a warm golden light, I drifted off to sleep. However, it was not long before a knock woke me and I realized my name was being called. My watch told me that it was just after ten pm, “One Moment”, I answered, Wayne, the lodge owner was at my cabin door. Before I could even get the door open, he was telling me with great enthusiasm, about an incredible opportunity that had presented itself.  A bush pilot friend had contacted him with a last minute opportunity to join a few folks who were flying down the coastline to look for the wild Pacific Walrus. There was word of their location and it was just under a hundred miles down the cost line of the Great Bering sea. After a few moments of contemplation, I was in. 

ATA Lodge Alaska

Home Sweet Home at ATA Lodge

After a huge breakfast of Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hot coffee, we boarded one of the lodges jet boats for a forty five minute river journey that would take us to a point in the river where a float plane would collect us. I have always had a love for float planes, they seem to symbolize everything adventure. Just the thought of flying in Alaska on a float plane brings on goose bumps and an elevated heart rate. Our float plane flight would take us to King Salmon Alaska where we would transfer over to one of my other favorite airplanes, the Havilland Beaver, another bush plane that has certainly treated me to some of my best of life’s adventures. I can not express the feeling of flying over the Alaskan Tundra, the landscape is littered with clear glacier fed lakes, winding fast flowing rivers filled with Wild Salmon, and stubby often crooked fur trees trying their very best just to survive. Every direction is vast and untouched, with game trails winding over hills and through valleys where moose, caribou, wolves, and bears have left their prints in the permafrosted ground. 


Engine and Prop of our Havilland Beaver Bush Plane

As my mind drifted from the landscape to the thought of photographing wild Walrus, I took note that a thick fog was rolling in off the Great Bering Sea. Visibility was closing in, the fog was rolling over the wings of our bush plane and I knew we would have to find a spot to land the Beaver and wait it out. A quick bank to the left and the Beaver was dropping to the beach with a rapid pace, the tires kissed the sand, the cold ocean waves rolling in on my right and a wall of gravel and rocks to my left. We came to a stop and let the engine wind down to a gradual rest. Our pilot suggested we have our lunch and just relax in hopes that the weather would clear up enough for us to continue on to the Walrus. Our time on the beach was well spent, we found wolf tracks, bear tracks, and seals swam close to us as we enjoyed a lunch of sandwiches, chips, snacks, and ice cold water. We also enjoyed the beautiful bird life. 


Flying Eagle Alaska

Alaska has amazing Eagle sightings

With only approximately sixteen miles still to travel to the last known location of a huge herd of Walrus, this opportunity seemed so close, yet the fog was heavy, leaving me with the feeling of uncertainty. The area was a perfect paradise for the Walrus. Long sandy beaches with protective cliffs on one side and at low tide, miles of Razor Clam beds. Walrus love to eat clams and until they have made the best of of all the fresh food, the Walrus would stay in the area. Soon a cold wind picked up and the thick fog began to disappear, I knew it was going happen, I knew I was about to set my tripod on a wind blown Alaskan beach, with one of the most character filled animals in the world. The pilot announced to get aboard, the engine began to purr, back in the air and underway. A beautiful coastline gently accompanied by a bright green tundra lay just below me, we were on our way.  

From the small window in the plane I could see the thousands of walrus covering every inch of the available beach as we searched for a good landing spot. We would need to land well over a mile away from the Walrus, so as not to disturb them. There is a certain feeling of excitement, happiness, nervousness, and accomplishment when a much desired species comes within camera range. A feeling that is almost indescribable, a feeling that only happens every once in a while, a feeling that wildlife photographers live for. Upon landing I began to gather up my gear and prepare for the long walk ahead. 


Herd of Walrus Alaska

Too many Walrus to count

 I had packed two cameras, a Canon 1dxmk3 and a Canon 5dmk4, two lenses, a Sigma 60-600 sport, a Sigma 500 prime with a sigma 1.4 converter, and a Sigma FP still and video camera for video coverage. All nicely packed in my MindShift camera pack along with a ProMediaGear carbon fiber tripod and a ProMediaGear Katana jr gimbal head. After close consideration of the walk and the weather, I decided to place my Canon 1dxmk3 with the Sigma 60-600 lens on my tripod and put my video camera in my smaller MindShift sling carry bag. I would leave the rest of the gear in the plane, just too much to carry, especially considering the walking would be in very soft sand. The sky was filled with mixed gray clouds and did not present the look of rain, so I would also leave my rain gear for both my camera and myself in the plane.  

 

 
Wild Alaska Walrus

Walrus are fun to photograph in Black and White

As we walked towards the walrus I thought over my camera settings, and began to plan out a few of the images I wanted to try and get. I knew we would not be able to get too close to the walrus, cropping would definitely be needed in some of my images. Especially  for the portrait type Images I wanted to get. Therefore as low an ISO as possible would be needed to prevent excessive digital noise. Walrus are not fast moving animals and with a very sturdy tripod, super fast shutter speeds would not have to be a strong consideration. I did notice that when the walrus argued among one another they did move their heads relatively fast, so I would need a shutter speed fast enough to stop that movement. Because the walrus are clumped together and the long white tusks could become a distraction with in the photographs background, I would select an f-stop with a  minimal amount of depth of field. The air was filled with both blowing wind and sea mist, this would present a challenge in both exposure and in keeping my lens clean and dry. The light was very consistent, with some spots of gray clouds and mostly a grayish haze. The sun was not clearly visible and I knew the exposure would be fairly consistent.  With all that being said I decide to start out with this exposure set up.  1/800th of a second, a shutter speed fast enough to stop the movement of the walrus as they head butt each other. Will also take me one setting past my maximum lens focal length of 600mm, preventing my images from becoming blurry from camera movement. My f stop of 7.1 will give me enough depth of field to hold the walruses heads and tusks in focus, still putting my background and foreground out of focus. This depth will keep the viewers attention just where I want it to be. My ISO of 800 is high enough to give me the shutter speed options that I require, yet keep the digital noise to a minimum.  I will be using all my camera settings in the manual mode, allowing me the complete control of my cameras performance. 


Walrus photography Kevin Dooley

Our visit with the Walrus seemed to fly by, we had a long journey back to the lodge, and we did not want to stress the Walrus by spending too much time with them. I created a few more images and we began our hike back to the bush plane. Wayne and I talked of just how amazing the experience was,  we enjoyed our walk along the wild bering sea knowing we would never be the same again. With the understanding of just how fortunate it is to live this opportunity of seeing the Walrus in the wild. To put a few more stories in our memories that we can share with the world, a few stories of both the importance of living life as it was intended to live , as well as the importance of keeping our wild places wild and taking care of our wild species. This would be a day to remember, with a beautiful bush plane flight with just enough time to relive the entire experience in my mind. 

Dinner would be good, sleep will come easy, today was a day that only dreams are made of. 

 

Join us in Alaska

Photographing in the Pantanal
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Photographing in the Pantanal

I’ll never forget the day I created this image of a Black Vulture. We were headed up river just as the light was starting to peak over the thick canopy of the wild and stunning Pantanal region of Brazil. A place that I have learned to love and admire, a place of great opportunities to photograph wildlife. I was feeling a bit full from the huge breakfast of fried eggs over easy, crispy bacon, and an assortment of fresh fruits and home baked breads. I had slept so well the evening before. After all the excitement of some incredible Jaguar sightings, a beautiful day on the river, and enjoying my friends, I was ready for a restful night of sleep and dreams of the new day ahead. The sounds of the river and surrounding jungle are such a melody to fall asleep with.


All Photographs by Kevin Dooley and Jeff Morrison


Bird Photography

 

     The fires were heavy in the Amazon and spreading, although the fires were several hundred miles away, the sky was filled with a thick smoke. Fortunately most days we were able to escape the over hanging cloud of smoke, however this was a morning where the winds had pushed the haze straight towards us. 

We were headed to a Jaguar sighting that we had located the evening before, a large female Jaguar had taken down a Caiman and was feeding on it. The spray of the cool river water was refreshing and invigorating. My body and mind were filled with the normal excitement I get when we head out on a new and exciting morning of adventure, I get this massive amount of excitement no matter where I am in the world. Something about being out in the wild with my favorite camera gear, great friends, and a sense of discovery that just gets my blood flowing. I simply love it.

The Jaguar was hidden deep in the bushes and we could only make out a few of its spots, however the black vultures were waiting for a chance  to feed on the remains of the caiman. As the Sun rose the smoky sky filled the morning with incredible color. I moved our boat and lined it up with the vulture. As the vulture opened its wings, the feeling was overwhelming. A burning Amazon, a jaguar on a caiman kill, a vulture in his paradise. 

 

The Black Vulture is a stunning bird to photograph. These scavengers reside in the southern parts of the United States as well as Central America and South America. They are a bit smaller than their red headed relatives, the Turkey Vulture. The Black Vultures are not as adept in the art of smell, however, they do have an incredible sense of vision. They use their vision to spot other birds of prey and then zero in on the kill. They can live for approximately 20 years, and are very strong flyers. Like other vultures they will wait for the air to warm up before taking to flight. 

I like to say that the bird photography in the Pantanal is second to none, but I am still there for the Jaguars. The birds, caiman, and other species are amazing to photograph, but I am a huge lover of photographing the wild cats, and this is the place to find the Jaguar.  The Jaguar in my opinion is one of the most elusive and cunning of all the big cats. Only the tiger in India pulls the kind of overwhelming feelings of intensity that the Jaguar gives me. In fact, I still have moments where I get so caught up in the moment that I forget to raise my camera. 


 

One of the best things about being a wildlife photographer and guide is getting to experience the joy of the photographers that accompany me on my safaris. To witness the expressions, the holy moly moments, the excitement in their voices, when an image and or a sighting is beyond expectations. This brings a kind of joy to me that is hard to explain, a sense of being part of fulfilling a persons dream.  To know that one of my guests just got an image of a lifetime, is to know true happiness and satisfaction. I often travel with my buddy Jeff and he always comes home with some truly prize winning images. What an honor it is to say I was there when he got that image, I saw his smile when it happend, I simply love it when a guest or travel companion gets an image of a lifetime.

A few of my buddy Jeff Morrison’s Images from the Pantanal.

Our last safari to the Pantanal was very successful, averaging six to eight Jaguar sightings a day. We would head out just at day break and return to our floatel for a wonderful lunch and maybe a short nap or some photography workshop time. Mid afternoon we would head back out and stay on the river till dark. Often getting to enjoy a beautiful sunset as we headed back to the floating lodge for an incredible dinner and a restful nights sleep. 

The techniques of photographing Jaguars are quite different than just about any other species I have photographed. Because of their very reclusive nature they are often located in the shade and require higher ISO’s and some compensation in shutter speeds and f-stops. However, the biggest challenge can be photographing these cats from a moving boat. When you combine a telephoto lens and almost constant movement from a rocking vessel , it can create some very unique challenges. It is mandatory to work with fast shutter speeds, at least faster than the focal length you are shooting at. In addition you will need to pre determine your shutter release time. On a moving boat, by the time your brain and your finger on the shutter release button connect the position of the image may change. This takes a little practice, another way to deal with this is to shoot a little loose, giving yourself some cropping space. 


Jaguars are similar to tigers in the sense that they have a very vivid and busy pattern that provides very good camouflage for them. This type of marking is designed to confuse the viewer and to make it more difficult to be seen. This is a great asset for the animal, however,  it makes our job as photographers a lot more difficult. Being presented with photographing an animal that is designed to blend into its environment through a series of busy patterns adds a touch of difficulty in creating great images. The lighting on both the subject and on the background play a huge role in the success of this challenge. The more light on the subject and the less light on the background will increase your odds of success. Both drawing your eyes straight to the subject, and blocking off unpleasant distractions within the environment of the photograph. The Pantanal is basically a jungle, finding and photographing Jaguars in clear areas is not an everyday encounter, when it happens it is certainly a blessing. Its important to use your skills as a photographer to give yourself the best advantage of a great image no matter where you may encounter the Jaguar. This is where your choice of depth of field will come in handy. Taking into consideration that Jaguars have very large heads, much larger than leopards as an example. The distance between the tip of the nose and the eyes can be upwards of eight inches. If a Jaguar is looking straight at you, depending on the focal length and angle, an f-stop of 7.1 or maybe 8 might be needed to hold the focus on both the eyes and the nose. However, you want your background to fall out of focus as much as possible. Therefore shooting in anything past f8 could lead to a confusing image with too much going on in the background. When the subject is in a profile position I often drop my f-stop down to 5.6 or 6.3. The other advantage to these lower f-stops is that it will allow you to maintain a fast shutter speed. This is very important considering the movement of the boat and the long focal lengths that are normally used with wildlife. 


https://idubephotosafaris.com/the-jaguars-of-pantanal/

Our next photography tour/workshop to the Pantanal will be August of 2020. Fallowed up with another tour in August of 2021. Join us on this stunning wildlife experience where the adventure of photographing the wild Jaguar of South America becomes a reality. 

The Jaguars of Pantanal

Enjoy our youtube video from our 2019 Pantanal safari.

The Omo Valley, My gear.
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The Omo Valley, My gear.

The Omo Valley
Ethiopia Tribes

My gear.

The light is beautiful, yet difficult for image creating. It’s soft and golden, it’s moody and full of emotion. It’s technically challenging and my camera and my abilities are challenged. I had decided to use my Canon 5ds this morning, a camera loaded with image quality, yet a camera that hates high ISO settings. So I would proceed in making sacrifices in shutter speeds and apertures to keep my ISO settings as low as possible. Fortunately my sigma 14-24 lens has the ability to let a lot of light in. 

I have decided to travel with two camera bodies and three lenses. 

aI was able to secure the new Canon 1dxmk3 just one day before my departure for Ethiopia. When I heard that the release date for this beauty had been published, to be released two days prior to my departure for Africa, I was on the phone and ordering it in a flash. However I would be challenged by a freak accident with the delivery truck while on its way to the camera store I had purchased the camera from. The cameras were not actually harmed, however the truck was deemed undrivable. This would delay the shipment just enough to prevent an overnight shipment to me. I immediately got on the phone and started calling camera stores, however I was presented with the same old story time and time again. The same old story was growing both old and discouraging, ”Sorry sir but we did not receive enough cameras to even fulfill the orders we already have.” After a small prayer and a deep breath, I decided at that point to take a different approach, my thought was the small camera stores might give me a better chance at success. I recalled that just the week before well speaking at the West Texas photographers Convention, I had met the owner of Arlington Camera. He was a very nice gentleman and I had nothing to loose by calling him. An associate answered the phone and I asked the magic question and his answer was more then music to my ears. His reply of, ”Yes sir, we received one this morning, would you like it?”  Yes indeed I responded. I received my new dream camera the next morning by ten am, just 19 hours before my flight to Africa. 

In addition to the new version of Canons flagship digital camera, I would take my Canon 5ds. A powerhouse of image quality strutting over 50 megapixels of image perfection. I needed both cameras for this journey, the 1 dxmk3 would be my camera of choice for most of my candid images, some portraits,  and for the wildlife images in both Ethiopia and Southern Africa. The canon 5ds would be my choice on many of the portraits and some of the candids. The huge file size comes in handy when an image might need to be cropped, or when I am wanting that detail that only the larger sensor would provide. 

My lens choices we’re actually quite easy to make, I would need a telephoto, a wide angle, and a portrait lens. Through the years I have owned many telephoto lenses, both prime and zoom. As the technology has improved, I have replaced most of my prime lenses with zoom lenses. Because most of my photography requires travel, in some cases with small planes, I have had to find ways to keep my gear to the minimum.  Weight and space restrictions are often in place, and good zoom lenses have often been my answer to this situation. 

When Sigma announced the 60-600 zoom lens, I was beyond excited. A lens with that kind of focal latitude was a dream come true. I had used the sigma 150-600 sport for several years, and have been very impressed with both the image quality and the build quality. In fact a large percentage of my award winning images had come from the 150-600 sport. I could not imagine a 60-600 with matching or better image quality as the 150-600, however I certainly was hopeful.  The 60-600 was released to the United States during a time when I was in South Africa leading photo safaris. Fortunately I had a friend who was to join me in Ethiopia on a safari to photograph the Bleeding Heart Monkeys. Sigma sent a 60-600 with him and I was able to start using it within days of its release. 

To say I was impressed would be such an understatement, I fell in love with this lens immediately  and managed to secure two winning images in Nature’s Best Photography contest in my first week of using this lens. It has become my very favorite lens to date, and I use it for both wildlife and portrait photography.  

My second lens of choice for this tribal adventure would be a wide angle lens. I knew I would have opportunities to create candid images of the villagers carrying out their daily activities. I wanted a lens that would give me some wide angle focal options as well as the ability to shoot at wide open apertures. Sigma recently released the 14-24 f2.8 Art lens. However it was on back order for quite some time and was not available.  Once again Sigma and timing would come to my rescue, I managed to secure the lens just a few days before departing for Ethiopia.  This lens has proven to be an incredible addition to my kit and I find myself asking how I ever got along without it.   

My final lens choice was the Sigma 105mm 1.4 portrait lens.  I have used an 85mm 1.2 lens previously on many wedding and portrait jobs, I absolutely love the effect of the focal length and the wide open aperture. The Bokah and the shallow depth of field produce an image style and quality that stands on it own. I decided to trade my 85 for a 105 as it gives me just a touch more space between my subject and myself, this is particularly important when trying to creat real and candid expression within your subject. In addition to the distance between the lens and the subject, you gain a touch more distance from the background.  This increases the over all effect of the telephoto and wide open aperture combination. In my opinion this is a very specialized type of image that can have a huge impact to the viewer. 

Matching up my lenses with my cameras was also quite an easy choice, between having over 39 years as a professional portrait photographer and the high quality of today’s lenses, I had a good idea of the types of images I wanted. My goal was to change lenses as infrequently as possible. Every lens change is another opportunity to collect dust on the camera sensor. I also prefer to not interrupt my flow of photography with having to make lens changes. Changing lenses can both interfere with ones own flow of interaction with the subject as well as distract and interfere with your subjects connection to you.  When I find a feeling and a connection with my subject, I don’t want to loose the energy by breaking the flow of communication with some sort of technical activity such as changing lenses.  

With my Canon 5ds performing better at lower ISO’s and the image quality being of such high quality, I decided to make the Sigma 105mm 1.4 lens and the Sigma 14-24 2.8 lens the main lenses for this camera. The 60-600 mm 6.3 lens would mostly find its home on my Canon 1dxmk3. The 1dxmk3 is a high performing camera with much better higher ISO range and high ISO image quality. It is also one of the most color accurate cameras I have ever owned. The high rate of shutter releases per second is also a huge advantage for me.  

Most people would never consider using a high frame rate on portraits, however I am looking for just the right expression, eye set, character lines, held tilt, and feeling with in the image, just one shutter release can make the difference in getting all of these facial characteristics to come together at the same time. I am searching for a certain feeling within my image and I have no issues with taking several images in succession when it leads me to just the right image I am searching for.  Fortunately the new 1dxmk3 is much quieter then it’s predecessor so the camera sound is not overly intrusive. 

I would also pack two reflectors and a small LED light. My reflectors are a combination of gold and silver which gives me a beautiful and natural light source. A gold and silver reflector is basically a reflective fabric with both gold and silver combined together. The silver within the reflector provides the punch and levels out a little bit of the warmth of the golden hue that is crisscrossed with the silver in the fabric of the reflector. The gold helps me to maintain the beautiful skin tones of the people I am photographing.  In this photographic situation I find that the solid gold is simply overkill and can creat images that are much too warm and look very unrealistic. On the other hand the solid silver is too cool and takes away the beautiful skin tones. A combination of silver and gold works best for me. The larger reflector provides a softer and wider light source, with a fast fall off of light. In most cases I prefer my backgrounds to be at least a stop darker then the subject. The smaller reflector provides a more intense light and I normally use it as a secondary light source. The secondary light source is good for a hair light, a separation light from a back angle to give separation on the shoulders.  Another good use for the smaller reflector is to light specific objects in the background. With a narrower beam of light, it’s possible to light a second subject such as another person, or maybe a village hut or some cattle. The secondary light must be done sparingly, it can become very distracting and will often pull my attention away from my interaction with the subject. I will use it on the rare occasion, however I often avoid it all together.  There is a big difference between using reflectors on your standard photo sessions, weddings, and family portraits, and using them on indigenous people. It’s vital that you have an interpreter explain what the reflector does. I once had a tribe convinced the reflector was going to harm them and therefore did I not use it. When it is in use, I suggest using a trained Assistent that knows how to feather the light and how to remain very unobtrusive. It’s important they maintain their distance and do not become a distraction for you or the subject. I try to maintain the basic rules of light, however by pushing these rules to the edge or even breaking them, you can create both unique and unusual lighting on your subject.  

My led light is just a small hand held light that is easy to travel with and can mount on the hot shoe of my camera. It comes in handy when the sun is just rising or setting. Also great for shooting indoors. Again not a piece of gear that I use a lot but certainly worth having.  

Tribal
Omo Valley
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