Sunset photography

Taking photographs of the sunset doesn't necessarily require a ton of specialized gear... but it might require some finesse and knowing what camera settings to use to match the photo to the beautiful scene you see before you. 

Regardless of your skill level or how fancy your camera gear is, there are some basic sunset photography tips that anyone can benefit from.

When it comes to sunset photography, the settings and technique you use are more important than the camera & lens you use. And... this is where you switch your camera setting into manual shooting mode.

I'll talk about some basic settings you will need to adjust on your camera to get a stunning sunset photo. Lets start with the aperture settings. To get a large depth of field you will need to increase your aperture to a high number (f/11 to f/16). You will also need to keep your ISO as low as possible in order to avoid the 'grains' in your photo. You need to remember that the higher the ISO the brighter you image will be. You can also change the cameras white balance setting from auto to cloudy - this will help you get yellow, purple or red sunset pictures.  

Another trick is to get low while taking sunset photos 😎 Find a good spot and make sure you are on a lower ground and looking up into the direction of the sunset. 

Wildebeests. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Wildebeest. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Zebras. Maasai Mara, Kenya 

As the year comes to an end, I wish you all happy holidays and a prosperous new year! Keep well and take care of yourselves... ciao! 

A Safari with children

 Traveling with children (of any age 😊 ) is not always an easy task, especially if its a Safari...

Going on safari with kids is not a new thing, however its always a challenge for the parents from the planing stage of the safari to the safari itself. Kids can easily loose concentration and interest in activities that they are doing. Game drives are a fun activity but while on safari kids need to be engaged and kept interested in other activities as well.

Having a six year old child my own, I always look at all activities a camp or lodge has to offer for kids before making my booking. From short nature walks or nature trails for kids to tree planting sessions to having a swimming pool or other activities such as horse riding or archery. I don't always look for camps or lodges with a swimming pool though. There are many camps and lodges that have kids games in their lounge areas. 

There comes a time where you have to disconnect your child from technology - tabs, iPads, phones and the internet. Being on safari, you are at one with nature, and this is the best time to bond as a family, create memories and gain knowledge. 

Having been on many safaris in the African bush and beaches with my child, I know what to look for before booking a safari. Get in touch with me and I will happily put together a safari for you.

I offer much more than just a safari - I offer an experience! ❤

Maasai tales at sun downer 

Please feel free to have a look at our website - www.safariwithmurad.com

Facebook profile - https://www.facebook.com/murad.r.habib/

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Chasing sunsets

Is there anything more peaceful than taking in the beauty of a setting sun?

As the sun dips below the horizon, a display shades of red and orange are created on the sky. While the sunsets is the end of the day, literally. They have become global symbols of harmony, peace and promise of rejuvenation and renewal. 

I will also share with you a scientific view on sunsets. At sunset, when the sunlight travels through the atmosphere its path is longer, the blue and green components which have shorter wavelengths are removed (almost completely) leaving the longer wavelength orange and reds we see at that time. The remaining red sunlight is then scattered by cloud particles and makes the horizon a mix of red and orange. The sunset colors are more brilliant than the sunrise colors because the evening air contains more particles than the morning air.

Until next time, keep well and keep safe! 

"May every sunrise hold more promise and every sunset hold more peace" Umair Siddiqui

Zebras at sunset. Amboseli national park, Kenya

Elephants sunset silhouette. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Some of the last remaining super-tuskers

A 'super-tusker' is an elephant with tusks so large that they can weigh over 50 kilos each. Tusks of this size are usually long and at times, may even touch the ground. Unfortunately, chances of seeing the super-tuskers out in the wild and roaming free are slim. There are approximately 25 individuals left in the world. Most of which live in the Amboseli eco-system and Tsavo conservation area. 

Only recently, two of Kenyas famous super-tuskers died. Tim, the celebrity super-tusker who lived in Amboseli eco-system died in February 2020 at the age of 50 years. Il Talal who lived in the Tsavo conservation area died in April 2021 at the age of 55 years. It is sad to loose such magnificent beasts. But its comforting to know that they both died of natural causes. They lived, and died as wild and free elephants. Their legacy lives on, they both have fathered calves and hopefully their genes will carry on. 

We are lucky have more super-tusker elephants who grace us with their presence. Craig is the more popular bull after the sad demise of Tim. Craig just turned 50 and he is the star of the show in Amboseli. Tolstoy, a 49 year old bull lives and roams freely in the Amboseli eco-system. Lugard, aka LU1 is a 48 year old super-tusker who lives in the Tsavo conservation area. All these three super-tuskers have magnificent tusks. They are all gentle and seeing them out it the wild will leave you breathless. These three bulls are not the only super-tuskers alive in Kenya. There are more bulls - younger and still growing. 

The future of the super-tuskers is not as bleak as one would think. However, these gentle giants need constant protection and a safe free roaming home range for them to spread their genes. 

Super-tusker Craig in Amboseli

Lugurd aka LU1 in Tsavo.

An elephants tale

February 1979, Una one of the elephant cows in Amboseli gave birth to her first calf which turned out to be a male. Four years later, The Amboseli trust for elephants named him Ulysses. The trust always names the elephant calves four years after they are born, this is because their survival chances are higher after they turn four. 

This is a short story of Ulysses, one of the big tusked bull elephants in Amboseli eco-system. Growing up, Ulysses stood out. He is unique and his personality was different. In the mid 90's, Ulysses was the first of his age group to leave his maternal herd to live the life of a bachelor and join the 'mens club'. He grew up to be a fighter, he is not known to back out of a challenge. He's even broken his left ear in a fight with another bull elephant. His broken ear is one of the ways to identify him these days, but he's not the only bull elephant with big tusks and a broken left ear - Palmer also has a broken ear. Now at the age of 42 years, he's become more calm. Last week, I had the privilege of spending almost an hour with this magnificent bull. I was blown away and at times I didn't even pick up my camera to take pictures. He is majestic. What made this sighting even more special was the fact that I was the only one there. It felt special and I could not help but imagine how the super-tuskers looked like when they roamed freely. The fact that such bulls still roam the Amboseli plains freely and as wild as they could be. This gives me some hope that the future generations will get to see, protect and photograph such amazing elephants.

Amboseli trust for elephants has been monitoring and researching on elephants since 1974. Founded by Dr Cynthia Moss and her colleague Harvey Croze. According to research by the research teams in Amboseli, Una was born in 1964 to the UA family. She died in the year 2006 from unknown causes, and she left five living off springs - four females (Undine, Usha, Utwo and Undo) and one male (Ulysses). Undine was born in September 1985, Usha was born in May 1990, Utwo was born in February 1997 and Undo was born in June 2000. Ulysses and his four sisters still live in Amboseli as wild and free elephants. You can get to see them when you visit the Amboseli National park. 

Enjoy the pictures of Ulysses... Until next time, keep safe and take care!

Curiosity of an elephant. 

A competent road inspector.

A trip to Amboseli

Last week I visited the Amboseli national park, in the southern part of Kenya. This is the land famed by elephant herds, the majestic Mt Kilimanjaro and most recently the flamingos have become a good addition to the over 400 bird species that call this place home. The landscape is mostly flat land, and its stunningly beautiful. This also makes it great for photography. An additional surprise to many travelers is Lake Amboseli, and it happens to be in the middle of the park. The lake attracts many animals and birds. There are many swamps as well. The water flows from the Kilimanjaro into these swamps and lake, and in some places the water is crystal clear. 

All covid safety protocols are adhered to. Hotel staff, park rangers and guests are all wearing masks and sanitizing. Maintaining social distancing has become a new norm. At the park gates there are hand washing stations as well. You will find this in place in the camps and lodges too. 

The Amboseli was virtually empty, I could hardly see any cars on game drive. However, this did not take anything away from the magic that's always in store when on safari in Africa. I enjoy my game drives, even if I don't see any of the big five. I am a birding enthusiast as well so I can be easily distracted by birds. On this particular drive I entered the park through the Kimana gate which is on the eastern side of the park. Tim, the charming bull elephant and famous big tusker died close to Kimana gate. 

After driving for about 10 minutes looking around for animals, I heard a bird like call and I immediately stopped to check around on what it was. The call was constant as I scanned around the plains searching for what it was. Then from the corner of my eyes I caught some movement in the distance. I stop the vehicle and looked, a slender spotted cat in the distance. I obviously could recognize the bird like call and I knew what animal it was. I was thrilled to bits to see a cheetah. It was far to get any good pictures but I still savored the moment. Cheetahs are fast declining into extinction with only about 7,000 individuals left in the wild across the globe. This was a mother cheetah, and I suspect she was calling out to her cubs. I could not see any cub and after about 10 minutes I lost sight of the cheetah as she walked into the tickets. That brought to an end my short appointment with the spotted cat. I love photographing cheetahs, they are more active compared to lions and leopards. They have slender bodies that are built for speed and they are very photogenic. Moving away from the cheetah sighting, I had incredible elephant sightings, an Amboseli trademark. There were lots of other animals that are always interesting to observe and photograph like zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, buffaloes, flamingos and pelicans.

Here are some of the pictures from that drive. I still am in Amboseli and I will share with you more pictures and stories... Until next time, be safe!

A cheetah in the distance

Zebras and Mt Kilimanjaro

The power of technology

Technology has always had its pros and cons. With the recent covid-19 pandemic, many of us were forced to work from home. Something we have not done before. These were strange times, our livelihoods had been shaken to the core.

But every grey cloud has a silver lining. We are a curious bunch, we always look for new ways to keep moving forward in life. Due to the nature of my work, I am privileged to got to travel to some of the most amazing parts of our country. The word safari has always had a strong connection with our beloved country. I now move a step further by using videos to show case the safari side of our country. Let me bring the safari to you while you are in the comfort of your home.  

Feel free to subscribe to my youtube channel - Murad Habib and stay tuned for more videos

This is the link to my first video uploaded on youtube. https://youtu.be/trJRz-OftUU 

Plains of Lewa conservancy with Mt Kenya in the distance 

A tremendous bird

Flamingos have got to be some of the most tremendous birds. Most of the eggs are laid (and hatch) at Lake Natron in Tanzania, but the flamingos spend most of their adult life in Kenya. From the five species of flamingos worldwide, two are found in Kenya - the lesser and greater flamingo.

The greater flamingos are bigger, taller and have a light pink shade on their beaks, while the lesser flamingos have a deeper pink color on their feathers with black at the tips and a deep red color on their beaks. 

The greater flamingo feeds on crustaceans and other organisms found in mud while the lesser flamingo feeds on the floating algae found in the soda lakes, it is believed that the algae they feed on gives them the pink color. These are intelligent birds. It is believed that they stand on one leg to retain body heat. They also fly at night, this is to avoid being spotted by predators like the eagles. 

Flamingos are monogamous, they retain a mating partner through out their life. They breed once every three years and the female will often lay one egg at a time. Both the male and female take part in incubating the egg. After 21-38 days the egg hatches. When young, the flamingo chick is white in color, their beaks are straight, then curve with time. For the first three months, the young flamingo chick will feed on milk produced by both parents from the upper digestive tract and other members of the colony can feed the chicks. 

Their average lifespan is between 20-40 years and will start breeding when they are about 4 years. 

Flamingos. Amboseli, Kenya 

The elusive cat

This big cat is often known to be shy, and elusive. However, it is the most wide spread of all the top predators. From the most remote places in Laikipia to the Nairobi National park, the leopard finds its home. A member of the 'big five' in the safari world, a leopard sighting is always breath taking. 

Often mistaken as a 'spotted' cat, its fur is marked with rosettes. It is similar in physical appearance to the jaguar but it has smaller and lighter physique. Both leopards and jaguars can be melanistic and are called black panthers. 

The leopards English name comes from old French that is derived from Latin. Its generic name, panthera pardus is Latin. 

With an average lifespan of 12-17 years in the wild, a fully grown leopard can weigh up to 70 kilos. Their body size can vary, with the males being larger than the females. Often solitary, while on safari you can see two or more leopards together. After a gestation period of 2.5 months, a mother can give birth to 1 to 3 cubs. The cubs will stay with the mother for about 2 years before they venture out on their own. This is a powerful and versatile predator that uses camouflage and stealth to ambush prey. Leopards are agile and strong. They are more active at night and are good tree climbers. They are known to haul their prey up a tree after a successful hunt. Leopards can also ambush prey from the top of a tree. 

Samburu and Maasai Mara national reserves are among the best places to see the leopards in Kenya.

Leopard sightings are never guaranteed while on safari, even in prime leopard country. I have spent hours on game drives searching for them with no luck, yet sometimes I would emerge from my tent in the morning to see fresh leopard tracks, or see one on my way back to my tent after dinner.

Leopard looking out. Maasai Mara

Leopard on the move. Maasai Mara

Fine art photography

According to wikipedia, fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. 

There is a common belief that fine art photography is black and white photography. This is not always the case, there are many fine art photos in color.

In this edition, I am going to talk about black and white photography as a form of fine art photography. This is one aspect of photography that I am getting increasingly interested in. Black and white photography has something appealing, it has a timeless quality to it, these images are breathtaking, engaging, striking and moody at times. Black and white images remove any distraction of color, and helps the viewer focus on the subject, composition, texture and shapes or patterns. You can still use the same composition techniques as you would in color photography. While shooting, one of the key things to look out for is contrast, these are the light and dark tones. Look for the solid blacks in shadows. 

Another key thing is to train your eyes to seeing in black and white. Visualize the scene in black and white. You also need to embrace the 'grey days'. Always shoot in color then convert into black and white. This way you maintain all the originals. 

Lastly, get an inspiration. There are many professional wildlife photographers who work with black and white. I personally like David Guldens work (besides being a personal friend he is a great photographer who respects the wildlife) I also draw inspiration from David Yarrow. 

Here are a few of my black and white images, enjoy!

Male cheetah. Loisaba conservancy, Kenya 

Male elephant. Amboseli, Kenya 

Male lion with cubs. Maasai Mara, Kenya