More from Kenya
02 Monday Sep 2013
02 Monday Sep 2013
06 Saturday Apr 2013
Posted Kenya, Masai Mara, Wildlife
inTags
2013, africa, animals, bedell, Bedell Photography, Berkley Bedell, culture, elephant, game drive, hiking, lion, Maasai, Mara-rianta, Masai Mara, Musiara, nature, outdoors, travel, wildlife
As I sit in Kibera looking through my photos, it’s hard to imagine that my 3 months in Kenya will be up this coming Sunday. It feels like I just arrived yesterday. While this leg of the adventure is over though, I’m not even close to finished with the task I’ve undertaken and plans to return are already in the works.
My final week in the Mara – I arrived in Nairobi last night – wasn’t all I had hoped. It rained for the greater part of nearly every day! This wasn’t a light drizzle either, they were huge downpours that turned the camp into a giant mudpit. Luckily I had company to keep me entertained all it wasn’t all bad. Then on Wednesday we were blessed with enough sun to allow for an incredible game drive in the reserve with Amos and Julie.
These past 3 months have been so amazing. The experiences I was able to have and all that I’ve learned are impossible to quantify, and it’s still only a fraction of what I hope to accomplish with this project. So while I’m sad to leave – I am very happy to come home and see all my friends and family though – I’m extremely excited for what lies ahead in the very near future.
23 Saturday Mar 2013
Posted Kenya, Masai Mara
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2013, africa, bedell, Bedell Photography, Berkley Bedell, culture, hiking, Kawai, kenya, kids, landscape, livestock, Lolgorian, Maasai, Mara Triangle, Masai Mara, nature, outdoors, people, photography, sunrise, sunset, Trans-Mara, travel, wildlife
I’ve been in Masai Mara now for nearly 3 months – I travel home in just over 2 weeks – roaming about in search of stories and experiences that will contribute to the book, or books, that will eventually be the result. During the bulk of my stay I have traveled primarily through the area around Aitong, Narok town, and Sekenani, areas I had visited before on previous trips. This past week though, I was given a completely new view of the Mara region when we traveled up to Trans-Mara to visit Michael.
Perched high above the grasslands of the Masai Mara along the Oloololo Escarpment, Tans-Mara gives you a view and perspective of life in the reserve that can be found nowhere else, fading off into the distance of Tanzania and the Serengeti. Sitting along the cliffs in the late afternoon, you could see the animal world come to life as they rose with cooling temperatures, beginning their routines in the golden grasses of the setting sun. It was really amazing to watch how far elephants would move or how fast giraffes can run from a height that makes them look like ants.
We were only up in Trans-Mara for 4 days – more like 3 when you adjust for travel though – and the days flew by far too fast. Hopefully I will find another chance to return soon.
11 Monday Feb 2013
Posted Kenya, Masai Mara
inTags
2013, africa, bedell, Bedell Photography, Berkley Bedell, culture, food, hiking, kenya, Masai Mara, nature, people, photography, travel
Sunday’s are typically pretty mellow here. Many Maasai have converted to Christianity, spending the day at church, thus limiting the opportunities to collect information. I can’t complain with having a free day though, and yesterday was beautiful so it all worked out well.
I love spicy food, as most who know me can attest to, so much so that they think I’m a little crazy here – the Maasai don’t seem to have any tolerance for spicy food. Instead of “burning” their food to appease my tastes then, I’ve been making my own toppings and sauces. Yesterday I made a chili and pineapple salsa and roast some chilies. It’s really funny watching their faces as I cook these concoctions, and even funnier when they take a smell of them. In the afternoon then, I went on a really nice hike, exploring the area around the camp and the mountain behind. It was really hot out though, so all the little critters were hiding in the shade.
I’m not sure that I ever really explained what it is that I’m doing here in Kenya – beyond having an incredible time – so I figured now’s as good a time as any. I was here a little less than a year ago, February – March 2012, working on a project that resulted in my first book, The Pastoralist Life. During that time James, Amos, and John were constantly sharing folk tales with me, I was fascinated with them. More than that though, they informed me that the majority of these stories – as well as their history – had never been written down, they were just passed down while shepherding, in the shade of a tree during a hot day, or around the fire after the day’s work had been completed. But as schooling has become more available – of course a great thing – and children are spending their time in classes, learning from their teachers instead of their parents, these stories are disappearing, and at an astronomical rate. What I’m doing then, is traveling around, seeking out those who know the stories, even if it’s just portions of them, and recording them. Then later I do my best to take the pieces and compile the stories from them. So far, the response I’m getting is extremely positive and many have offered to speak with me to help in this endeavor. I have only scratched the surface so far though
10 Monday Sep 2012
Tags
2012, arts, bedell, Bedell Photography, Berkley Bedell, camera, gadgets, hiking, nature, NEX-7, NGO, non profit, outdoors, photography, sony, technology, travel
I decided that it was finally time to replace my back up camera (EOS 40D) as it’s been showing signs of wear. There are a lot of exciting options out there, including some amazing new Canon bodies, but influenced by my recent trips overseas I decided I wanted to get something compact. My EOS 7D is an incredible camera, especially with the 24-70 2.8 lens attached, but came across intimidating to some of the people I was photographing. It also caused some issues for me when I was out in public in the Philippines. So, after some research and internal debate, I landed on the Sony NEX-7.
There are a lot of great reviews out there, so I’m not going to go to in-depth. I wanted something compact with an APS-C sensor, a viewfinder, and the capability to use my Canon lenses. The NEX-7 fits all these criteria when paired with the Metabones smart adapter, which allows the camera to control the lens’ aperture, unlike any other lens adapter I could find. The camera uses an EVF (electronic viewfinder), as opposed to the optical viewfinder in my Canon DSLRs, which is taking some getting used too. The additional information it displays though is really nice, such as a digital level and active histogram. So far it’s been a great little camera, functioning perfectly with my lenses, although the autofocus doesn’t function, which doesn’t actually effect me much. The wider lens barrels does make the space between the lens and grip pretty tight though, and the balance is completely different.
Over the past week I’ve been out quite a bit shooting with it, and for the most part am happy with it. Even with its additional megapixels (24.3 vs. the 18 in my 7D) I don’t feel like the quality is close to what the 7D is producing, but still need to get comfortable with it before I can be completely sure.
13 Friday Jul 2012
Posted General
inTags
2012, animals, bedell, Bedell Photography, Berkley Bedell, Bison, climate, environment, game drive, hiking, Lakeside Labs, livestock, mammal, National Parks Service, nature, Nature Conservancy, Nebraska, NGO, Niobrara, non profit, outdoors, people, photography, ponderosa pine forest, science, tall grass prairie, travel, vacation, wildlife
Located in north-central Nebraska, the Niobrara National Scenic River is a long stretch of national preservation land where 6 major ecosystems converge: northern boreal forest, ponderosa pine forest, eastern deciduous forest, tall grass prairie, mixed-grass prairie and short grass prairie. Also located in the Niobrara river valley is the Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve, a 25 mile stretch of native prairie grazed by bison. Understanding the full depth of the preserve was beyond my abilities, so I was fortunate to be traveling with an ecology class from Lakeside labs. It was like having my own living encyclopedia with me. Just listening to Dr. Rosburg’s lecture provided me with answers to questions I wouldn’t have even thought to have asked. It was a really nice and peaceful 4 day weekend, especially with the fact that cell phones don’t work where we were staying. I got to do some hiking and even a river float, where there was no shortage of waterfalls. If you haven’t been, I definitely recommend checking it out sometime.
12 Thursday Jul 2012
Posted Colorado
inTags
2012, animals, bedell, Bedell Photography, Berkley Bedell, few days, hiking, landscape photo, livestock, nature, outdoors, people, photo opportunities, photography, pleasure, travel, vacation, wildlife
I’ve been super busy over the past month which has been really fun and exciting, but it also means I’ve fallen behind on my blog posts. Hopefully I can catch up over the next few days though.
On the 21st of June I had the pleasure of traveling out to Basalt, CO to visit and photograph Peace Ranch. It was both an amazing and depressing trip at the same time. The ranch is a really incredible piece of land surrounded by endless hiking and wildlife/landscape photo opportunities. my photos from the trip though are to be used to help sell the ranch. I honestly hope it doesn’t sell to fast so I get a chance to return.
08 Friday Jun 2012
Tags
2012, bedell, Bedell Photography, Berkley Bedell, dickinson county, Dickinson County Conservation Board, green, hiking, iowa, Kenue Park, landscape, native grass, nature, nature center, okoboji, outdoors, people, self portrait, travel
I’ve started a new project, which I’m extremely excited about. I’m going to be creating images of the Dickinson County Conservation Board sites for marketing purposes. It’s going to be a lot of early mornings, late nights, and super hot days, but for once I get to bring my dog along with me. This is a much needed benefit after 6 months of leaving him behind.
I started today by scouting out Kenue Park and the Nature Center, determining the shots I want to take and marking them on my GPS. I will return later to these sites during the ideal times and conditions to get my “dream” shots.
I’m really looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead.
02 Saturday Jun 2012
Posted Iowa
inTags
2012, animals, bedell, Bedell Photography, Berkley Bedell, county conservation board, hiking, nature, non profit, outdoors, song birds, tall grass, travel, vacation, wildlife
Between the weather and the projects I’ve been working on, Trey (my dog) has been getting neglected. The weather today however was very beautiful so I decided to take him for a hike. It was also an opportunity for me to explore the Zimmer Tract of the Judd Wildlife Area, a recently acquired piece of land by the Dickinson County Conservation Board to add to the area. Beyond the first 50 yards or so and a small bridge, the area appears completely untouched. It is really beautiful. We had a great little hike, pushing through the tall grass as we explored the park, song birds providing the soundtrack for the day.