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The allure of Africa is unmistakable, and once experienced, the Dark Continent emits a siren song that beckons one back to the place of our ancestral beginnings. Blessed with the experience of Tanzania, East Africa and the vast Serengeti in 2004, we knew a return visit had to be on life’s ‘to do’ list.

Once again, opportunity knocked in 2008, and after 2 years of planning, our focus turned to southern Africa, in Botswana, where the Angola River’s relentless drive to the sea across the Kalahari Desert meets with spectacular failure. Its progress is profoundly altered by an 18,000 square kilometer sink, caused by ancient faults, allowing the waters to fan out upon the sands of the Kalahari, never to make it to the sea.

But this end of a river is the beginning of another story: an ecosystem of plants and animals of African proportion; the Okavango delta. The seasonal ebb and flow of the Okavango provide the land, and the water, and yet another spectacular stage for the miracle of life and death; the hunter and the hunted, that is the primordial drama of Africa. What a great privilege and blessing to witness it with our modern comforts in the digital age!

Another photographic opportunity of epic proportion, this trip presented the extreme challenges of subjects in the brightest of daylight, and the deepest of evening and morning shadows. Long distances, fast action, and moving vehicles made the compromises of action stopping shutter speeds and light gathering apertures constantly swirl in one’s head. Throw in the option of altering ISO and a dust defying lens change, and you find yourself doing a fair amount of fancy photographic footwork.

Photographic equipment for this safari was not altered a great deal from 2004. Once again, a Canon equipment-fest, with a 40D SLR, and an S3 Powershot 12x compact. Lenses used were all L series, including the 17-40mm, 24-105 and the 100-400. Unfortunately, light aircraft weight restrictions prevented including a laptop, so a small digital storage device and a small external hard drive provided backup. Power adapters and a small 12v-110v inverter provided adequate charging power. Another significant obstacle in this photographic endeavor was the impracticality of a tripod or monopod. Sitting in the vehicles with others makes hand holding the only option. A private safari might change this, along with the already handsome price. Enjoy some highlights from the Okavango!

Postscript.
For those curious about the “people pictures”; A bushman threatens to ‘eat’ a scorpion, Susie Nelson awakens from a night under the stars on the Kalahari, Ellen Thomas had Meerkats on her mind, Susie soaks away Kalahari grit while overlooking the Zambezi river in Zambia, and finally, Don Oliphant takes a flying leap at the 350 foot Victoria Falls. These are some of the many unique experiences that contribute to the adventure that is Africa.

To view more of Jeff's images, click Here