There are few places on earth that conjure up images the way Kenya does in the minds of photographers. I remember my first safari and how it changed me as a person and a photographer. The smell, the feel, the experience, the adventure will never be forgotten. This is one destination if you ever dreamed on visiting then now is the time. Africa is changing and so will the experience.

Wildebeest on the Run

There is much that can be written about Kenya but no words can replace the experience. After traveling to Kenya over the past 14 years I never return home disappointed. As much as I would like to write about my personal journey’s into this beautiful country I will hold back. Instead I will share with you the locations I believe consistently reward photographers with the best of photo opportunities and experiences.

Samburu National Reserve

The beautiful Verreaux.s Eagle Owl can be found perched in the trees of Samburu National Reserve.

Samburu lies in the north of Kenya. The park is made up of scrub desert, thornbush, riverine forest and swamps along the Ewaso Ngiro River. It was only a few short years ago getting this this park was an adventure in itself, but today much improvement is being done to the roads leading into the area. Once you enter the reserve you know you are about to experience something different. Samburu is home to several unique wildlife species, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and Grevy’s zebra. There is an abundance of lion and elephant within the reserve. I enjoy photographing elephant here more than in other parks in the country. The reddish colored earth give a unique color to the elephants as they cover themselves with the red dirt.

Samburu’s climate can be quite warm but the sights and excitement take your mind off of the hot and dusty environment. It doesn’t take long to find wildlife when you begin your morning drives. Obviously, it is unpredictable what you find and where you find it , but it is never long before something is being framed in your viewfinder. I have had some of my best elephant and giraffe photography in Samburu. These creatures are abundant and typically not hard to find. When all else fails, heading down to the river yields some activity. I have had the unusual opportunity to photograph a lion take down a baboon in the Ewaso Ngiro River. This was an awesome experience and one that I will probably never see again.

Lake Nakuru National Park

Lesser flamingos in flight over Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru National park is small in comparison to many of the parks and reserves throughout the country, but never a disappointment. Lake Nakuru lies in the lush Rift Valley where agriculture fields spread through out the valley. Lake Nakuru is a alkaline lake visited by hundreds of thousands of greater and lesser flamingos. The park has an abundant bird life reaching well over 400 species. Lake Nakuru is home to the endangered black rhino and several other unique species, Rothschild’s giraffe, waterbuck and reedbuck.

My favorite lodge to stay when visiting Lake Nakuru is Lion Hill Lodge. The lodge sits atop a hill surrounded by a beautiful lush forest made up mostly of the Yellow Fever Acacia tree. It is common to see black rhino taking refuge from the open environment under the forest canopy. Lake Nakuru National Park is a great stop over for a relaxing day or two of shooting before heading into the vast plains of the Masai Mara.

Masai Mara National Reserve

Male lion roaring in the pouring rain in the Masai Mara

Masai Mara is the northern most point of the Serengeti eco-system and also the Great Serengeti Migration route. This is the highlight of any photo safari in Kenya. There are many photographers who visit only the Mara when coming to Kenya. If there was only one park you visited while on safari it would certainly be this one but if you are on a 10 to 14 day safari I highly recommend taking in one or two others. The three parks I mention in this blog post are the three I recommend in the same order as written.

The migration takes place in the Masai Mara between mid July til mid September, but no one can predict with certainty the best time as this varies from year to year depending on the rains. There are some years when only small pockets of the migration make it through the Masai Mara and the northern tip of Serengeti National Park in Tanzania will be the farthest point for most of the migration route. This is not typical but even in the worst of years the photographer won’t be disappointed.

Leopard resting on tree branch in the mid afternoon in the Masai Mara

The Masai Mara and it’s open plains are home to a large variety of wildlife. elephant, giraffe, buffalo, antelope, lion, cheetah, leopard, rhino and many others, plus many incredible species of bird. The migration itself is made up of tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebras. The sight of these animals making their way across the landscape is an experience in itself but probably the most exciting event is the crossing of the Mara River. Watching from the banks high above the river give an incredible perspective of this movement. The animals hesitate for some time slowly moving towards the rivers edge and shy away. This back and forth event can last for an hour or more until the first animal braves the crossing to be followed by countless others. Very exciting indeed.

Travel in Kenya is safe. As always, I recommend using common sense when traveling abroad. Read travel advisories, and travel smart.

I will be leading my Kenya Wildlife Safari in August of 2011. If you haven’t made plans and hope to travel this year to Kenya check out information on my safari at http://williammanning.com/portfolios/eastafricatour.html

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Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay national parks compose one of the world’s largest-and arguably most beautiful-protected wilderness areas. Banff is the first and most famous of Canada’s thirty nine national parks. Yoho and Kootenay lie just west of Banff in British Columbia, with Jasper immediately to the north on the Alberta side. The parks offer access unmatched by others in the Rockies. Peaks rise suddenly from the valley floor, so you’ll experience gradual elevation gains on developed roads unlikely to induce vertigo.

Early morning from the valley floor offers many unique views of the towering peaks overhead.

Railroads brought wealthier visitors to this end of the Rockies in frontier days, and transportation lines still play an important commercial role today. The towns of Banff, Jasper and Field, in Yoho National park, still have railroad stations. In Yoho you can still see trains hard at work making their way through steep mountain passes, themselves engineering marvels. History likely will be as much a part of your visit as the wilderness. It is not impossible to experience these mountains as fur trappers and mountain men once did. The Canadian government has done a great job sharing this history with visitors. Road signs and literature are common throughout the park and visitors centers.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S VIEW

You can’t go wrong in these four parks (known collectively, along with Waterton National Park to the south, as the Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site) regardless of when you travel. Access in and around the parks is the best you will find anywhere-even the 130-mile-long Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper is open year-round. They also have the best winter landscapes for photographers anywhere in North America. Spring holds another fine, uncrowded opportunity. As the height of tourist season, summer is best for exploring beyond the roads and short trails, when wildflowers are at their peak. Wildlife is most visible in autumn, during mating season, and the aspens turn a beautiful gold. This is the best season for combining landscape and wildlife photography. Whenever you go, allow  time to gather last-minute information on the parks, and spend time collecting information and asking questions at the ranger station in Lake Louise Village.

Banff National Park

Banff National Park is the Canadian Rockies in most visitor’s minds, and for good reason. The region’s major landmarks are all in Banff: Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Payto Lake , Vermillion Lakes, Mt. Rundle, and much of the scenic Icefields Parkway. As with most parts of the Rocky Mountains, morning is the best time to shoot. No need to be on location before sunrise unless you want to shoot silhouettes against the sky. The sun typically doesn’t light up the peaks and valleys until it makes its way over distant mountains.

Moraine Lake is one of the most popular photography spots in Banff National Park. With the possibilities of HDR, late afternoon is a great time, often overlooked by photographers, for some great shooting opportunities.

Moraine Lake. Probably the most sought-after shot in Banff, this beautiful turquoise lake sits amidst a ring of mountains in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Climb atop a huge rock pile to the right of the parking lot, and take your pick of several great vantage points overlooking the lake. For shots from water level, a short hike to the east shore will yield still more opportunities. Mid to late morning is when most photographers visit this area but don’t overlook the late afternoon for something a little different.

Lake Louise. Banff’s most famous landmark has its share of challenges. Don’t ignore Lake Louise, but don’t expect it to be your most productive location. You will encounter a lot of people and  difficult lighting situations in morning and late afternoon. The mountains to the east are in dark shadow during good afternoon light. Beautiful Victoria Glacier, at the end of Lake Louise, is your best bet for morning reflection and good light. You’ll need a couple hours and plenty of patience, but with a little effort, you should walk away with some good shots.

Peyto Lake. Surrounded by forest and stunning mountain peaks in the beautiful Mistaya Velley, Peyto is one of the three most popular lakes for visitors and photographers. The easy quarter-mile hike to the viewpoint offers several perspectives from which to photograph the lake with Peyto Peak, Mt. Mistaya, Mt. Barbette and Mt. Patterson rising high above the long Mistaya Valley. The light is best in mid morning; it takes awhile for the sun to reach the entire valley. You’ll be hard pressed to find an original angle to shoot. Never the less, if you don’t already have a shot of Peyto, you’ll want one.

Winter is one of my favorite seasons in Banff National Park and arguably one of the best winter time photography locations in North America.

Vermillion Lakes. Vermillion lakes sits just off Trans Canada 1 at the Banff exit before you enter the town of Banff (signs will direct you) and represents your best chance to put your own stamp on Banff. The backdrop is not dramatic as at other lakes in the park, but with good light and an observant eye, you can walk away with some great photos. A couple small islands and grassy pockets break up the lakes and give them personalities all their own. Photographers most frequently shoot Vermillion  with Mt Rundle in the background, but I suggest exploring in other directions and looking for more intimate, generic scenes. This is a good location for both morning and afternoon.

Icefields Parkway. This could be the most beautiful road in North America, and maybe the world. The parkway presents endless subjects to work: little ponds, mountain peaks, meadows, flowers and on and on. This is a must see spectacle. You’ll need at least two mornings to work the road within the boundaries of Banff. As you get closer to Jasper, the scenery gets less dramatic, so you’ll have to work harder to find good shots.

I have mentioned only Banff’s most popular locations, and by all means if you have never been to the Canadian Rockies, you should see each of the above. Don’t fall for the old theory that if you haven’t seen pictures of it, it isn’t worth photographing. The Canadian Rockies are surely an exception.  Explore and exploit the endless opportunities beyond the beaten path. Hiking provides the best opportunities to create images that aren’t over done. Roadside photography is so good in Banff, also redundant, that trails are all too often overlooked, therefore many opportunities being passed over. Hiking doesn’t necessarily mean taking on a strenuous ten-mile trail, it can be a simple half mile nature hike or a short one or two mile hike, regardless you’ll end up in an environment many others never see. A little effort will separate your photos from many of the others taken in the Canadian Rockies. Create new tripod holes and let others try to find them.

Storm clearing inside Banff National Park, a common sight during the early morning hours in the midst of the winter season.

There are hundreds of trails of various lengths throughout the Canadian Rockies National Parks. The best book I have found describing these trails is the Canadian Rockies Access Guide, by John Dodd and Gail Helgason. Trails range from gradual inclines to steep climbs. You will want to inquire at the ranger station before making your way on any backcountry trail for bear warnings or other possible hazards. Trails are rated easy to difficult. When carrying a heavy camera bag you might want to take the liberty and upgrade the trail one step to give you a realistic idea of the physical challenge that awaits you. You might also want to lighten your load to a basic camera system before departing on even the easiest of trails. My experience is a tired body makes a lazy photographer, so why defeat the purpose of your hike.

Look for my Winter Workshop in Banff National Park

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Note: If you enjoy my posts and think your photo friends might find my blog of interest, please pass the link on to them. Any help you can provide feeding traffic to this blog is much appreciated. Always feel free to leave a comment.

© William Manning: all material on this blog is the copyright of William Manning. No reproduction on this material is allowed without written permission from the author/photographer.

Arizona’s canyon country is the geographic and emotional heart of the Colorado Plateau, and for that matter, the entire southwest. Teddy Roosevelt declared that the Grand Canyon is “the one great sight which every American should see,” and it still holds true. This post cover’s both the Grand Canyon National Park and another photographer’s favorite, Coyote Buttes, which is part of the Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area. While the geography of both entails canyons, rivers and lots of sun-baked rock, each is unique. Combined, the two locations complement the panoramic, alienlike landscape so abundant in Southern Utah.

Grand Canyon National Park

Being one of the seven wonders of the world is reason enough to photograph in Grand Canyon National park. The Colorado River flows 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California in Mexico and has carved three canyons along its route, Cataract Canyon, Glen Canyon and the Grand Canyon. The latter is the most famous and with good reason. The Grand Canyon is 1.904 square miles in size and the Colorado River flows 277 miles through its deep colorful ancient walls of rock and one of the most incredible examples of natures ability to carve and shape the earth through erosion.

Grand Canyon patterns created by early morning light.

The Grand Canyon was unknown by most before the Civil War. Major John Wesley Powell, a Civil War veteran, changed all this after his exploration of the Grand Canyon by wooden boat on the Colorado River. His exploration built curiosity among mining companies to further the canyon for mineral resources such as copper and asbestos. As settlements began to develop along the canyon rim, settlers realized tourism would be much more profitable than the expensive explorations of mining in such a rugged environment. The Grand Canyon received its first protection status as a forest reserve, then as a national monument and by 1919 became a national park, three years after the establishment of the National Park Service.

Grand Canyon National Park is divided into three regions, the Grand Canyon North Rim, The Grand Canyon South Rim and the Grand Canyon West Rim. The South Rim is the most visited (it receives 90 percent of all visitors) of the three regions and has been developed with roads running along the rim that offer spectacular views of the canyon. The north rim is two hundred miles away by road and attracts visitors for its remoteness and lack of development. The North Rim is closed during the winter. The entrance is typically closed from mid October to mid May, but much of it depends on the weather. The views on the North Rim are equally impressive. The West Rim is located on both the Hualapai Reservation and Havasupai Reservation. The West Rim is very much isolated from developed roads and requires an eight-mile hike on foot or horseback.

Photographer’s View

Grand Canyon National Park is incredibly huge and one can easily spend a week or two exploring grandeur and beauty of the canyon. After a couple of days photographing in Grand Canyon National Park, you might start to feel that many of your photos are  starting to look alike. For this reason, I really believe your visit will be better served if you combine it with other destinations in canyon country. The Grand Canyon speaks for itself, unless you decide to spend time hiking into the canyon or rafting the Colorado , you will pretty much be confined to the overlooks along the park road.

The Grand Canyon is well known for its heavy haze, which can spoil even the prettiest of photos. The Grand Canyon can be covered in haze anytime of year, but you can minimize your frustration if you are out well before sunrise and out after sunset. I find it very interesting how many people crowd the overlooks at sunrise but take off five minutes afterward. Don’t be discouraged when you see so many people out as early as you. The haze is much more workable when the sun is lower in the sky and therefore providing more opportunities to shoot on a day that will be much wasted after the sun is higher in the sky. The early and late light will also create nice shadows and patterns, which can be used effectively when you shoot for and apply the HDR technique in the processing stage.

The South Rim

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon offers the best opportunities to maximize your photography time. There are many overlooks along two roads, Dsert View Road and Hermit Road (formally know as East and West Rim roads, respectively). These overlooks will provide plenty of photo opportunities and should satisfy your shutter finger. Look for more than just an overall view of the canyon, as there are many possibilities beyond the grand vista. I suggest using the good morning and evening light to photograph patterns, shapes and more intimate views of the canyon. Look at your compositions both vertically and horizontally. If you vary your lenses and use every focal length you have, you’ll be sure to find an image hidden within the maze of canyon walls. Exploit every avenue, and you’ll walk away happy.

Constant crowds at the South Rim make shuttle service a must. Visitors, including photographers, are confined to using this bus transport from overlook to overlook. This complicates the photography when you hope to reach several overlooks during the good light. To learn more about shuttle services in the park visit the park service web site.

The North Rim

There is good news and bad news about the North Rim. The good news is you can avoid public transportation and the crowds, and the vistas are equally impressive. The bad news is the elevation gain of one thousand feet brings colder temperatures and heavy snowfall. To get to the North Rim, follow Highway 89A or State Route 389 to Jacob Lake, then take Highway 67. The road to the North Rim is typically closed from mid October to mid May, but much of it depends on the weather. This time frame doesn’t coincide with the window I am suggestion for Coyote Buttes, which I will discuss shortly in this post.

The West Rim

The West Rim of the Grand Canyon is isolated with no easy access to other vistas or major features. You can travel to Havasu Canyon by paved road but will encounter some hiking. The main reason most photographers venture into the western region of Grand Canyon National Park is to photograph Havasu Falls and its blue-green pools. To reach the waterfall you’ll hike eight miles in on foot or horseback. This area is managed by the Havasupi Indian Reservation.

When To Go

The early spring and late autumn months are much cooler and provide the best opportunity for clear skies. March to mid May should allow you to enjoy these clear skies, but you might encounter snow cover on the South Rim in early March and , rarely, into early April. The further you get into May, the better your chances of getting hazy skies.

Coyote Buttes

The Wave, with surrounding landscape of the Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness area.

Photographers use so many names for Coyote Buttes – Paria Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, Vermillion Cliffs national Monument, the Wave and others – that it’s easy to get confused. All of the names are correct, but the specific location most photographers speak of is Coyote Buttes North, which is located in the Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness Area, part of the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. This rugged preserve consists of 90,000acres shared with Utah (20,000 acres) and Arizona (70,000 acres). The Arizona portion of this wilderness is part of a larger 293,000 acre Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, comprising the Paria Plateau, the colorful Vermillion Cliffs and Paria River Canyon with elevations ranging from thirty-one hundred feet to seventy-one hundred feet. Although there are many photographic opportunities within the national monument and wilderness area, I will focus on Coyote Buttes.

Photographer’s View

The main attraction here is the wave, a geological formation that has made the area well known in the photo community: a landscape of swirling yellow, pink, orange and red sandstone formations caused by climate changes (not the fictional Al Gore type of climate change). This fragile environment looks much like a candy maker’s shop of taffy-shaped cones and colorful swirls twisted into beautiful shapes. Coyote Buttes consists of two regions, Coyote Buttes North and Coyote Buttes South. Coyote Buttes South is only accessible by four wheel drive vehicles.

Beautiful patterns run throughout the Coyote Buttes Landscape

Coyote Buttes and the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in general are fragile environments that need to remain controlled to some degree in order to protect this fascinating landscape. The Bureau of Land Management has limited the number of people allowed in the Coyote Buttes North area to twenty people per day, ten through a lottery system and ten for walk up registration. The lottery system is your best bet, you can apply for permit by visiting the BLM website http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/arolrsmain/paria/coyote_buttes/permits.html and follow their online directions. If the lottery system is not your preference you can take a chance and apply for a permit the same day at the BLM office, but you’re taking a big chance and may be competing against many others who are walk-ups as well. When you apply you will have to indicate the date you wish to hike into the area, and unfortunately you can’t predict the weather four months out as is their policy. If you plan your visit for the spring or autumn, your chances for a clear sky are pretty good.

Getting into Coyote Buttes requires a three mile hike with no clear trail. A worn path over the soft sandstone is becoming visible, but there is no developed trail. You can get a map from the BLM offices in St. George or Kanab, Utah. Bring plenty of water and food to help maintain your energy for the day. There are no waste facilities, so you’ll need to pack out what you pack in.

Don’t complicate your hike with a lot of unnecessary equipment. One or two lenses and a camera body is all you really need. Any wide angle lens of at least 28mm will work, but a 28-70 or wider zoom lens is ideal. A polarizer will also be helpful but with the digital age you can get away without it you choose. A mid range tele photo lense is also helpful to isolate formations and distant patterns.

Most photographers’ goal is to make it to the Wave, but there’s much more to the area. After crossing the sandy wash about three quarters of a mile into your hike, you’ll start to see swirled and sculpted sandstone. Every direction holds a photo opportunity. Since you’ll want to be at the Wave in early morning or late afternoon and have a three mile return hike, you have less -than-ideal options: 1. begin you hike in the morning darkness. 2. Return to your car in the darkness of night. If you’re not familiar with the area, I don’t recommend returning in the dark.

Patterns constantly change with the sands swirling in the wind.

To maximize opportunities without jeopardizing your safety, I recommend beginning your hike just before first light. The first three quarters of a mile is on a well defined, sandy path. The going is slow, and once you cross over the wash, you will use a firm sandstone surface the remainder of your hike, but the trail disappears. By the time you hit sandstone, you should have enough light to walk confidently. If you hike directly to the Wave, you’ll have plenty of good morning light left to work the area.

Consider taking a break to wait out the harsh midday light before you shoot on the return trip. Begin at least three or four hours before sunset, and you’ll get several hours of good late afternoon light and still arrive before dark.

When to Go

Spring and Fall are best. As with other Southwest locations, summers are hot, and Coyote Buttes is too dangerous to attempt if you’re not accustomed to hiking in this kind of climate and terrain. Try to time your trip in Coyote Buttes with the Grand Canyon.

Need to Know

Page, Arizona, is the best location for lodging when planning a trip to Coyote Buttes. Allow at least forty five minutes to get to the trail head – eight miles of the drive is on a dirt road. I suggest driving to the trailhead the day before to familiarize you with the road and make finding the trailhead in the dark easier. If you’re combining a Coyote Buttes photo shoot with the slot canyons, Page is an ideal location.

New 2010 – 2011 Workshop Page is now On-Line

Kenya Wildlife Photo Tour Information is now OnLine

Note: If you enjoy my posts and think your photo friends might find my blog of interest, please pass the link on to them. Any help you can provide feeding traffic to this blog is much appreciated. Always feel free to leave a comment.

© William Manning: all material on this blog is the copyright of William Manning. No reproduction on this material is allowed without written permission from the author/photographer.