Testimonial

Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia – 2008

My first purchase (besides candy bars) as a child was a Cub Scout camera that cost $6.25 back about 1952 or 53, and I have been buying and using cameras ever since. However, my first photography class wasn’t until March, 2008, when I attended a digital photography seminar in Dallas that Mzungu taught. Since attending that class, and having the good fortune of spending two weeks traveling with Mzungu on our own private bush plane safari through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia, and learning more about photography from him, I think my photography has improved quite a bit. The hardest part has been trying to undo 55 years of picture taking; now I am trying to learn the art of photo making. Thank you Mzungu, my friend, for teaching me.

Life saving leap: Wildebeest over Croc in Mara River, Kenya (click image to enlarge)

I didn’t travel to the Masai Mara with Mzungu, but while flying with him in Africa, he often remarked about the abundance of game in Kenya and how spectacular was the migration of the wildebeest. Luckily, I was able to see about 1000 animals cross the Mara River. Although I didn’t see any crocs actually kill a wildebeest, they don’t become two-thirds of a meter wide by always missing the jumping wildebeests, who were very much aware of their presence. During the migration that I saw, most of the herd came out of the river at a place about 30 meters away, which was blocked from my vision. But a few ran single-file through a natural chute located about 2 meters away from me. My camera was already set for shutter priority at 1/1000th of a second, so when I heard the thundering of a few wildebeest right next to me, I just swung my camera in their direction and tried my hand at capturing one of these magnificent animals. If you look close, you can see drops of water coming off this wildebeest.

Wildebeest emerging from the Mara River, Kenya (click image to enlarge)

Matt Nelson (January, 2009)