Alex joined me on safari in June. We had a great week with lots of fun and laughs…and some great moments in the bush. Read on for Alex’s report, and also follow him on Instagram (he’ll need to approve your request).
My first time going on safari with Ed, hence I expected to learn, a lot. However, I did not expect to learn as much as I did, on more wide-ranging topics and at depth. Certainly, photography approaches and techniques in various scenarios. But also, insightful observations about animal behavior, biology, ecology, conservation. A much more complete safari experience than merely going from sighting to sighting to sighting.
Ed is a keen observer. Distress calls, alert animal behaviors, spatial pattern breaks. And he’s a good teacher in articulating how these all fit together – he can predict what animals (lions, leopards, painted dogs, etc) might do next, where likely they will subsequently go, what behavior to expect. At minimum, he positions the safari jeep for taking good photos. More importantly, he lets you experience, just a little bit, what it feels like to be in that environment: predators, prey, flora, terrain all inter-connected.
Plus, Ed is such fun company. A truly nice person, easy to be with, the right kind of curious.
Ed is a patient safari leader as well. He waits for events to unfold. We had at least two occasions where we had lions all to ourselves:
One of our top highlights was to witness a painted dog hunt from beginning to end. Painted dogs streaming from one corner of a plateau, relentless chase for pukus first in one direction and then back opposite (Ed is an excellent safari driver!), puku kill, dog celebratory greetings, sprint back to their den. Action occurring over several kilometers, and we were the only safari jeep to witness the whole sequence, due entirely to Ed’s knowledge of painted dog behavior and South Luangwa terrain.
Fun side trips also to hunt for specific animal behaviors. Some of which seemed to be casting calls for toothpaste adverts:
Ed is perceptive about human behavior too! He lets you indulge on your own personal sub-projects:
South Luangwa of course is known for leopards. Ed knows where and when to look. He alerted us one afternoon that a sister-brother pair of cubs liked to hang out where we were. Lo and behold, they made their appearance shortly thereafter. A memorable afternoon spent with them, totally unperturbed by our presence:
In terms of pure photography, Ed indeed is an excellent teacher and guide. He lets you hone your own style, at your own pace and utilizing subject matter you prefer. At the same time, he exposes (pun intended!) and prepares you to implement photography approaches that would otherwise be hard to execute. Because excellent photography moments are in fact that, momentary. Copious room still for operator error, unfortunately out of Ed’s purview (blast!), but Ed is so proficient and efficient in preparing you for these photography moments.
