Being the rainy season, hippos were everywhere both in and out of the water. This guy was in a small pool that crossed the road near our camp. It must have been a great spot because he barely moved for the three days we were there. Once again, using an inverted monopod and remote trigger, I was able to lower my camera so that it just touched the surface of the water for an eye-to-eye perspective. I also captured video from this perspective of the hippo surfacing which I’ll post soon. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1000, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.

We did well with rhinos again on this recent trip to Kenya, seeing black rhinos and both southern white and northern white rhinos (of which there are only two known individuals left in the world, protected by armed guards in Ol Pajeta Conservancy in central Kenya). This is the much more common southern white rhinoceros which we saw in two locations, including Nairobi National Park. Using an inverted monopod and remote trigger, I was able to safely get my camera on the ground to capture the moody sky with a wide-angle zoom lens. This is a younger rhino, but fully grown males have been known to exceed 9,000 pounds! Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-70mm lens (at 48mm) ISO 140, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second, monopod and remote trigger.

Lilac-breasted rollers are one of the most iconic birds of the African savannas. Catching them in flight really displays all the colors in their feathers. This roller was perched in a small tree and I was trying to predict whether it would fly left or right. At first facing left, it ended up flying directly toward me, displaying the tops of the wings. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 2500, f/5.6 at 1/2500th of a second.

On our second night in the Masai Mara we came across a pride of lions getting active just as the sun began to set. The pride included several young males, still with just a hint of a mane. About 15 minutes after this moment, they would have a run in with an angry hippo — video to come. We did very well with lions on this trip, which (kind of) made up for the fact that we missed out on cheetahs and leopards. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens, ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/640th of a second.

Karen and I got back yesterday from leading another successful trip to Kenya. Being the middle of the long rains, we were worried about the weather, especially when looking at the forecast before departure and seeing heavy rains predicted for every day we were there. Somehow, however, we were able to work around all the downpours and didn’t miss a single game drive. We even got plenty of sunshine, and incredibly moody skies. I’m just starting to go through all the files, and I’ll get to plenty of those dramatic skies soon, but for today’s post, I wanted to share this close-up portrait of a mother spotted hyena and her newborn pup. We were told the pup was only a few days old. I missed the moment the Mom used her mouth to pull the pup out of the burrow, but caught plenty of other interaction between the two. Hyenas were everywhere on this trip, and we also saw a clan of ten or so that included multiple pups playing on the open savanna. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.

Giraffes are browsers, not grazers — meaning they get their food from trees, not the ground. On rare occasions, however, they will do as the antelopes do. Hoping to see more interesting and unusual giraffe behavior in a few days as we head off to lead our tour of Kenya. That said, this will be my last post until the end of the month. See you back here soon for a new batch of images and videos from Africa.Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/640th of a second.

Dik diks are always a favorite on our safaris — one of the smallest antelope species in Africa. Hard to believe they’re not the smallest (that accolade goes to the royal antelope which lives in Western Africa) because they literally look like jackrabbits running across the savanna. Like usual, hard to get a sense of scale from this image, but dik diks only reach 12 to 16 inches in height. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

We always see spotted hyenas on our Kenya trips, sometimes more sightings than others. On our trip last June they were around at dawn and dusk, lurking about looking for something to scavenge. Hyenas will also make their own kills from time to time, but they definitely weren’t built for speed. The force of their bite, however, makes up for any lack of agility. The Lion King didn’t do much for their popularity, but I’m a fan. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 12800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second.

I found some more footage of cheetah cubs from last year’s trip to Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. The four cubs were watching and learning as mom set out on a hunt. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4k at 120fps.

In less than a month now we’ll be back in Kenya hoping to have a few more encounters like this particular morning in Samburu National Reserve. I was able to use my inverted monopod/remote trigger technique to get the camera on the ground with a relatively wide lens. And of course stay safe from one of the most powerful creatures on earth. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 24-70mm lens (at 59mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.