I was so happy to see these little guys again. I’ve been working with them for several years and it has been so fun to see the family grow. Today we had perfect weather for our session, and mostly happy campers.
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What a fun family this was! Three generations: two moms, two dads, four cousins and a beautiful fall day. It was just heart-warming to see these families that have grown through adoption and how the extended family all came together for a fun photoshoot. I had such a hard time narrowing down their previews–there were so many great moments.
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What more pleasant way could there be for a photographer to end off the week than with a newborn in the studio? This sweet little one-week-old was enjoying some quality time with her parents while her big brother and sister were at school. She was such great little model for us, either observing us calmly or sleeping peacefully through most of the session.
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It’s been about a year since I have seen these adorable twins and it’s so fun to see how they have grown! I did a newborn session for them and now they were back to celebrate their first birthday. They had such adorable and unique personalities but clearly love each others’ company. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day for our time together. I’m so excited to head into the fall sessions in the next few weeks.
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It was a beautiful September morning for a photoshoot, and I was lucky to get two adorable little girls to work with. Big sis was a great help, taking some photos with her play camera and helping to get smiles out of her little sis with cute original songs. Both girls apparently are already learning how to be good football fans, and loved showing off their “touchdown” pose.
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These two little cuties were in town for a family wedding, and they had a small window of time that we could squeeze in their session. Luckily our raindate worked out after out first session was rained out, and I got to spend the morning playing and enjoying the outdoors with these kids, their mom, and grandmother. Everyone was in good spirits which made for a great session. It was a crazy coincidence that on my first session back after my trip to South Africa that the mom of these kids was from South Africa…small world!
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This summer I was lucky to have the opportunity to travel to South Africa and go on safari. It was an absolutely amazing trip, and a photographer’s dream to be surrounded by such amazing nature and have the opportunity to photograph animals in their natural habitats. Before I left for my trip I scoured the web for advice on what to pack and what gear to bring. So for the benefit of others who may have the chance to make that trip in the future I thought I would share what I found the real necessities for the trip and why.
First the gear:
F-Stop Stowe Backpack with ICU
My camera bodies, lenses, laptop, binoculars and other electronics traveled safely and subtly in a green F-Stop Stowe backpack with a large pro ICU. I probably could have even gotten away with a medium ICU. The bag is very flexible, you can use it with the ICU was luggage for your gear, and then after you arrive you can remove the ICU and use the bag as regular backpack. The green canvas is cute, and the compact, boxy design allowed me to disguise a heavy, packed-with-valuables bag as a lightweight backpack and get it through all of the approvals as cabin baggage. It even fit under the seat in front of me on a propeller flight.
In place of a purse I chose to bring a small sling bag. This option from Eddie Bauer was even big enough to carry my D700 with 80-400 lens. It has a front organizer pocket that was great for passports and boarding passes, and a larger main section where I kept things like a spare jacket and umbrella.
For the ride on the open air Landrover I found the cargo vest a great way to keep extra batteries, sunglasses, an iphone, and a point-and-shoot camera. The Eddie Bauer version has plenty of pockets to hold all of the gear and a great, stylish look.
Bugs can be a nuisance or even a health threat in most countries where you go on safari, and I decided to give these special Bugsaway pants a try. I can’t vouch for the insect repellant qualities because as it turned out there weren’t many bugs in South Africa in the winter, but nevertheless these pants were a great lightweight and comfortable addition to my wardrobe. They are also versatile, with snaps to roll them up and use them like capris.
And the photography equipment:
The D700 provided great low-light performance for both the early mornings and late evenings went spent on game drives. I chose the more compact D700 over the larger professional models so that it would be easier to shoot hand-held in a crowded vehicle. I also brought me older D300 as a backup, a travel battery charger, extra memory cards, and 3 spare batteries.
Probably the hardest decision for me to which lens to bring to be able to best capture the wildlife. I brought a wide angle lens, a mid-range lens and the 80-400. In the end I only needed the 80-400 for 99% of the shots, and used my point-and-shoot for the other shots. The 80-400 lens was a reasonable size for the bumpy open-air vehicle rides, but a long enough lens to be able to get close-ups of animals and even birds. The wider end of the range was nice to capture full shots of nearby giraffes and elephants. The F/4.5-5.6 was slower than I would have wanted at times, but I could usually compensate with higher ISOs.
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I hope this basic gear guide is helpful in your trip planning!
