Mara-Samburu Trip Report

October 22, 2025

The beginning of our safari was in the Masai Mara. Of course, we used our same Maasai drivers and had some really special sightings.

During our time in the Mara, we had the great pleasure of an up-close encounter with “Olopono,” one of the large male leopards. He was hidden behind a bush, as we drove around the bush, we were able to capture both a tight head shot and a shot of him slipping into the bush. I captured one shot that I liked and processed it in a dark manner. I know some people would like the image lighter, but I liked the idea of him being elusive and wanted my image to reflect that.

We also spotted a cheetah searching for food, but she never quite made the effort to hunt. She seemed preoccupied with something lurking behind her. We searched but saw nothing. We only had a couple of cheetah sightings in the Mara. This was the year of the lions!

On our very first full day we had two of the Fig Tree pride female lions on a hunt for some pumba (aka warthogs) piglets. We noticed the warthog family of four (2 babies with adults) up the hill from the lionesses. The adult pumba led the piglets down the hill straight toward the lions. Oh no! The one lion gave a short chase that ended directly in front of us. The other lioness never even joined in on the chase. Sadly, after that piglet was captured, the other piglet, (still hidden in the grass) let out a squeal and started to run, the lioness dropped the one piglet then quickly captured the other piglet; she ate them both without sharing a morsel.

Fig Tree lioness with warthog, going after second one.

We also spent time photographing the Rekero pride with three male lions. One of the males had an injured eye and years of battle scars. He walked slowly as if he were in a great deal of pain —but didn’t want anyone to know. In that pride, there was a lioness with a single cub; apparently, she had lost her other two cubs due to carelessness. I was able to get a soft backlit image of the mother with her cub.

Some of our sightings included: watching a pair of ostrich mating in the rain, a giraffe shaking off oxpeckers at last light, topi’s head butting, mongooses on a termite hill, buffalo roaming and hyena pups playing near their den.

We also photographed five other jackal pups being fed by not only both adults but one older sibling that was on hand to help mom feed her pups. It was interesting to learn that fully grown jackals from a previous litter often help feed the next gen. Again, the Mara delivers!

In Samburu, our first game drive started off a bit slower than usual. But soon one of our guides spotted a leopard up a tree, everyone in the vehicle got a shot of it coming down the tree before it ran off to hide in the brush. We were told before getting to Samburu that a cheetah mom with three cubs had been spotted recently. So, we spent some time looking for that family…

Next, we got a call that a leopard with two young cubs was seen up a tree. But by the time we got there, we only got a glimpse of the momma and her cubs. It turns out that it was the same female leopard with cubs that I had photographed in June. It was nice to see that the cubs have not only survived but are getting bigger and stronger.

We also managed to find the female cheetah with three young cubs. They were absolutely adorable. Slender, yet leggy and all three had full bellies. Momma was tall and thin, and looked ready for a meal. She was still nursing the cubs which were between 3-4 months old. We watched her at last light walk her cubs to a safe location then we picked them up again in the morning where we watched as she tried —but failed to capture a Gerenuk after a very short chase.

This cheetah cub was very rambunctious, we all guessed he was the male as he chased birds, rabbits and anything else he spotted.

Other sightings included a pair of Beisa oryx head butting in the dusty sand for some nice backlit images, Grévy's zebra, a Secretarybird with a mouse, a Bateleur eagle fluffing its feathers, several Lilac-breasted rollers, a Kori Bustard displaying and lots, lots more. Plus, the never-ending supply of baboons and Vervet monkeys with little babies.

Overall, we ended up having some really nice photo opportunities and a great time in Samburu. You just never know what you’ll see or get to photograph. I think it’s the “not knowing” what will unfold during a safari that keeps me engaged and wanting more.

That concludes my 35 days in Kenya with three separate groups. And, as much as I have loved every minute of being on safari, I’m ready to go home and see my family.

Mara/Amboseli-Second Group Trip Report

October 10, 2025

Our 2nd group started in Amboseli. On our first photo outing we went to the dry lakebed to photograph elephants walking in formation as we did with our first group. Our afternoon photo shoot was with the big tusker Craig. We had multiple opportunities to capture close-up shots of him walking straight towards us.

Our second morning started out similarly with another visit to the dry lakebed followed by an elephant crossing with one huge or should I say “tiny” exception. We watched as a baby ellie struggled to make it to shore. It yelped and some of the older elephants came to its side to assist.

In the afternoon we saw four young cheetahs still with mom trying to hunt but to no avail. The cheetahs in Amboseli are thinner than in the Mara. Our guide said it was because of limited food. Also, as young cubs they don’t have as many predators, so usually large litters survive better than in the Mara. On my last visit to Amboseli in June, we saw five cheetah cubs that were still with mom.

That afternoon we watched as an almost orphaned young elephant was falling over himself on the road and then was whaling in the muddy swamp as mom went about her business stuffing her face as the baby ellie struggled for every breath. It was difficult to watch him soaked to the core begging mom for some comfort and milk as she ignored him repeatedly. So sad… he’s a boy and will probably grow up to be a strong bull if he can survive his mother and his youth!

Our last morning in Amboseli before heading to the Mara was more of a potluck safari as we drove around just looking for whatever we rolled up on. In addition to the usual suspects, we did see a Kori Bustard displaying. His neck feathers were hugely fluffed, and he gave a knocking sound and lifted his tail feathers to his back.

Our first afternoon in the Mara was good. We had two different sightings of a cheetah, and we saw several lions. We almost saw two separate hunting chases, but both fizzled out. Still the anticipation and build up was exciting. The evening ended with lightning and a heavy downpour. We photographed some Topis in the rain until we had our ISO’s at about 50,000!!

Our next morning started off slow with just a single cheetah sighting and some lion cubs <wink> but the afternoon picked up with an epic sighting of a leopard (named Faulu) that not only climbed a tree to reunite with her two different kills (gazelle and a jackal). But word on the savannah is that the jackal tried to get too close to the freshly killed gazelle, so the leopard caught it and carried up the tree too. The poor jackal’s mate combed the area looking for him not having a clue it was just up the tree.

Our next day started off with Faulu the leopard coming down the tree, at least we thought it was her. Turns out another female leopard claimed her tree and her two stashed meals. The morning ended with a ferocious fight between two cheetahs—Milele and Olonyok (the last remaining cheetah of the famous Tania Bora (Swahili for magnificent five) coalition. It ended in a stand-off. But not before a couple of brutal battles between the two. They fought over territory and dominance. It was sad to see how old Olonyok looked. He was as brave in battle as he was on a hunt. But still, he lost some strength, and it showed. Barry Barfield captured an excellent video of the entire fight. I hope to share it soon.

Later, after a short rest we photographed some more of the Topi pride cubs. They found a dead (probably died of old age) buffalo, the cubs were walking headfirst into the back end of the beast. With bloody faces they sure were cute. I’m glad they were able to feast, and the meat did not go to the hyenas. After our fill of blood and guts we went back to check on the cheetahs, but nothing was happening, so we drove off. I hope to check on them again!

This all happened by day three. Action-packed does not come close to describing the safari. Once again, the Mara delivers… Below are some more of our sightings from the trip. It is hard to say which of the two Mara/Amboseli groups had more photo opportunities since the first group had better sunrise and sunset light and better dry lake bed photo opps, but the second group had lots of unique sightings. Can we say cheetah fight!! I have lots more to share but need to get some rest before my next group!

Baby zebra tries to stand up on its own.

Two jackals have a tug of war over a rabbit kill. They each got one half in the end.

Carrying the head of the rabbit to the den.

Two images below from my day trip to Nairobi NP.

Mara/Amboseli Group 1 ~ Trip Report

September 28, 2025

We just finished up with our first group on our Mara/Amboseli safari. It was a private adventure with the Marin Photography Club out of California. Several of the members have travelled with me before so it was a mix of old and new friends. I will miss them all as we really did have a lot of fun together.

For the Mara portion, I don’t even know where to start- we had so many great sightings. And I have to say it again, the Mara delivers, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist <wink> to figure that out!

On our first outing we had a male leopard climbing up a tree to its previously killed prey. There were several more leopard and cheetah sightings during the trip but the stars of the show this year were the small lion cubs. Everyone loved photographing them play and interact… such a treat!

One of my favorite photo opportunities included two lionesses from the Fig Tree pride with six small cubs crossing the river. I have never seen the little ones swim across the river. Some jumped right in, while others had to be coaxed by mama. Once across, they played on the sand and enjoyed a day at the beach, complete with cubs falling into hippo footprints and cozying up to each other. I felt so blessed to be able to watch them interact with each other. I do have a shot of a cub jumping into the water and making a big splash-I’ll share that one later.

In the Mara, we have switched to a new camp, but we are still using the same main drivers that we have had for 10 years, yes, it’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years of epic safaris. I have treasured each and every one of them.

This one had a haunting look straight out of camera that I liked so I thought I’d share it.

We had so much fun at a Jackal de in the early morning light. I especially liked this one with the adult’s arm around the pup.

After the Mara we headed to Amboseli. Our mission there was to photograph elephants and boy did we clean up. Straight away we found Michael (one of the big tuskers) eating by the road, we had a ringside seat for some great behavior shots. We also had the opportunity to visit with Craig (the oldest tusker); we watched as he walked to a small pond and drank from it— fabulous! I’ll share some of those images later, but I did want to share a creative edit (below)from our evening with Craig.

I replaced the sky but the rest is real. My sky was similar but without clouds and a blown out sun—it was a grab shot. “Craig at last light”

In addition to the big tuskers, we had lots of dry lake bed photography with herds of elephants coming right at us. It’s interesting to watch as the matriarchs lead the way for their group. The tiny babies would stop shortly for a quick gulp of milk as they made their way to the marshy areas.

Sunrise and sunset photos did not disappoint. Our last evening was spent photographing a giraffe on the horizon with tons of dust kissed by the sun’s last rays.

We photographed the giraffe until the very last bit of ight.

During our time in Amboseli we even spotted two Honey badgers early one morning, which is a pretty rare sighting. The images were extremely noisy, I may share one after applying some heavy duty noise reduction to it.

Low-key Cheetah capture on grass that had been intentionally burned.

Female Common eland in soft light with birds.

I wanted to share this shot from Amboseli as we had almost zero Wildebeest in the Mara and so many in Amboseli. We usually se large herds in the Mara in September.

On our last morning we had a final game drive followed by fresh omelets to order. We said our goodbyes to our drivers/guides and boarded our charter flight back to Nairobi. I miss everyone already…big hugs to all.

Outdoor Photography Magazine 2 page spread

PRINTS FOR WILDLIFE- EDITION HOPE

September 10, 2025

Prints for Wildlife

Back in 2020, I was asked to be involved with an amazing fundraiser for wildlife. I always wanted my images to have some kind of impact and I have always made it a top priority to contribute when I can. Their fist campaign raised not only awareness, but over 2.1 million USD since 2020. That’s incredible. This year they are back with another campaign, here is the email I received:

We are bringing Prints for Wildlife back! And therefore, we are writing to ask: Will you stand with us again?

Late summer 2025 we are launching ‘Edition Hope’, and your voice is more needed than ever.

This time, the threat is quieter but no less urgent. Around the globe, political decisions are unraveling decades of conservation work. Protections are being reversed. Funding is vanishing overnight. Nature is being commodified, and communities are being left behind.

We believe photography can be a powerful form of resistance, a reminder of what’s at stake and what’s still possible.

We feel the responsibility to bring hope back into the hearts and minds of people.

This year, all proceeds will go to Conservation International, a global nonprofit protecting nature for the benefit of people and the planet. Their work spans forests, oceans, wildlife, and climate, and they need our support now more than ever.

We know many of you are feeling the weight of the world. But we also know the power of this community, and the quiet revolution that starts with a single image.

Edition Hope will introduce new elements, new stories, and new ways to connect, we will venture into various new photographic domains: landscapes, people, conservation stories, and of course wildlife. Because the beating heart remains the same: you!

If you’re willing to donate a print again and be part of this year’s movement, we’d be honoured to have you.

If you have ever thought of purchasing a print or have wanted to contribute to conservation or wildlife in any way, this is a great time to do so. Visit their website and choose the print you want-Prints for Wildlife.

I am so honored to be a part of this campaign. Highlighted by Outdoor Photography Magazine, Royal Photographic Society and many more….see below

PRINTS FOR WILDLIFE - ARTICLES

Geographical: https://geographical.co.uk/wildlife/prints-for-wildlife-returns-in-2025-with-edition-hope

France24 TV interview with Pie and Marion – to air September 17

MyModernMet – https://mymodernmet.com/edition-hope-prints-for-wildlife-fundraiser/

Petapixel: https://petapixel.com/2025/08/21/over-200-renowned-photographers-unite-for-wildlife-conservation/

This Is Colossal: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/08/prints-for-wildlife-2025/

The Mail on Sunday – double page spread – print - PDF

San Francisco Bay Times: https://sfbaytimes.com/worlds-top-wildlife-and-nature-photographers-are-selling-prints-to-benefit-conservation-international/

The Hindu –https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/prints-for-wildlife-fundraiser-wildlife-photographers-2025/article69959585.ece

Escapism magazine: https://escapismmagazine.com/wildlife/prints-wildlife-2025/

Wild Eye Magazine: https://wildeyemagazine.com/prints-for-wildlife-turning-art-into-action/

Beyond magazine (Etihad Airways): https://mags.itp.com/Etihad/Beyond/004_BEYOND_SEP-2025/#page=38

Capture magazine: https://www.capturemag.com.au/news/prints-for-wildlife-brings-together-200-photographers-for-conservation

Overland Journal: https://expeditionportal.com/overland-news-of-the-week-113/

Wanderlust - https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/news/prints-for-wildlife-2025/

Professional Photo

https://professionalphoto.online/pro-photo-issue-234/buy-a-classic-print-and-support-the-side-gallery/

Amateur Photographer magazine

https://gb.readly.com/magazines/amateur-photographer/2025-08-16/689e5ffcdd44330de342c054

Amateur Photographer online: https://amateurphotographer.com/latest/photo-news/buy-a-print-from-a-top-wildlife-photographer-and-help-wildlife-charities/

Digital Camera World: https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/photography/nature-and-wildlife-photography/more-than-200-leading-photographers-to-support-global-conservation

MSN: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/more-than-200-leading-photographersoffer-images-of-hope-to-support-global-conservation/ar-AA1KPU41

MSN Money: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/technology/more-than-200-leading-photographersoffer-images-of-hope-to-support-global-conservation/ar-AA1KPHTt

Royal Photographic Society Journal https://rps.org/news/journal/2025/august/wildlife-image-makers-unite-to-protect-the-planet/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=In-Focus&utm_content=

Luxury Travel Magazine: https://www.luxurytravelmagazine.com/news-articles/prints-for-wildlife-returns-in-2025-with-edition-hope-amid-rising-global-threats-to-nature

Australian Photography magazine https://www.australianphotography.com/news/prints-for-wildlife-brings-together-200-photographers-for-conservation

Positive News: https://www.positive.news/society/a-brushstroke-of-gold-night-visions-in-the-wild/

Cruise & Travel – PDF

Outdoor Photography magazine – Print - spread -shown above

Travel Africa – story in newsletter

New Internationalist – went on their newsletter, to 40,000 subscribers

STILL TO COME

Black & White Photography magazine – print piece out on 11 September.

GEO Slovakia - magazine in late Sept

Newsround – online photo essay/news

The Week – newsletter

Sony FE 400-800mm Lens

September 8, 2025

Looks like I will have another dance with the Sony 400-800mm lens. Yep, and at a cost of about $700 more!! Ugh… After realizing that 16,000 ISO may not be the kiss of death. I have started to rethink the usefulness of the Sony 400-800 lens. I was talking about the lens with a few friends and colleagues and I should have worked with the 400-800 lens a bit more than I did. I used it for just one workshop in Patagonia. I was drawn to the lens for more reach but got caught up on that f/8, more on that later after I’ve worked with it a bit.

I have hesitated on purchasing another 600mm prime mostly because of the size and maneuverability, plus traveling with the lens (except in Africa) means I’ll need to start lugging around my tripod and head— not something I was looking to do. After all, I’m in that group of travelers looking to reduce weight and travel size— since I do so much traveling. When I switched over to Sony, I had initially kept my Canon 600 prime lens for when I photographed near home, but that didn’t happen much so i sold it.

When I go on my safaris, I sit in the front seat next to the driver, I don’t have a lot of space for an assortment of lenses. In this situation, I find a zoom lens does double duty. A prime 600mm lens is limiting and difficult to maneuver in the small space upfront.

On some workshops (like Japan) where my clients are lined up with their big lenses, if someone needs help I have to leave my camera/lens on my tripod to go assist them; it’s much easier to work with clients and check on them frequently using a lens that I can handhold and walk around with.

On my recent trip to Grimsey Island where I was focused on primarily puffins and seabirds I felt at times, that more reach would have been helpful. Not entirely necessary but helpful for some situations. That got me thinking that I should have kept the lens to try it out for birds or at the very least for Africa— which brings me to back to this, I am going to give the Sony 400-800mm lens one more try. But this time it will be a hearty try.