Typical delta
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Canon 5D Mark II | 16-35mmf/2.8 | 1/3200 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Shake it off
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Canon 1D Mark IV | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/200 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
With the early December rains, the area has transformed into beautiful green, different from what we had seen five weeks earlier on our previous workshop to the island. It was quite noticeable how much more water was around from the local rains they've had - a beautiful sight to see and exactly what one always envisage the Okavango Delta to look like.
Painted snipe
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Canon 1D Mark IV | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/1250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
Feeding time
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Canon 1D Mark IV | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 2500
The workshop was a great success - from the flight into the lodge over the Okavango Delta that gets the excitement going at the beginning of the workshop, to the sharing of photos during our afternoon informal workshop sessions. Anywhere in the bush where you have great game-viewing and a relaxed atmosphere is a great place to learn and put the theory of wildlife photography into practice.
Who's looking at me?
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Canon 1D Mark IV | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/160 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
Horns of the bushveld
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Nikon D3s | 200-400mmf/4 | 1/500 sec at f/4, ISO 400
December in the Okavango Delta means lots of birds, and we had great sightings of raptors, waders and the all the migrant species. Some of our highlights included seeing Pygmy Geese and Rosy-throated Longclaw, and in addition we got great photos of kingfishers and the African Painted Snipe to name a few.
We made the most of the variable weather conditions we experienced as we photographed everything from early morning backlit buffalo, carmine bee-eaters in the rain, to lions shaking their head after the rain. I loved the variable weather and mild temperatures and I like in particular how it forces you to be creative and experiment with all the different genres of photography to make the most of the trip.
Striped kingfisher
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Canon 1D Mark IV | 600mmf/4 + 1.4tc | 1/200 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640
Transport
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Canon 5D Mark II | 16-35mmf/2.8 | 1/200 sec at f/8, ISO 800
Chiefs Camp is one of the best camps in Africa. Having cocktails on the deck while watching elephants bathing in the water right in front of you makes you realize that this is a special camp. It's not just the location, the luxury, the quality of the service or the food, but also the homey feeling that it provides that people always enjoy the most. Besides game drives, the camp also offer a variety of other activities. A flip over the swamps with a helicopter was a great way to end our workshop and we were all very sad to leave Chiefs Island. We are already looking forward to visiting there next year again. We'd like to say a big thanks to Rory, Jade, Basil, Petra, the rest of the camp staff, and our fantastic driver guides Rex and Jonathan who made this such a memorable trip for us all!
