Sometimes you get so close to the elephants, you have to focus in on the details. We had this encounter in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy of Kenya last April. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second.

This guy was part of a pride of young male lions we encountered late one afternoon in Kenya last April. You can see his mane just starting to come in. They had been resting and playing for most of the afternoon but when the sun began to set, they got serious and went into hunt mode. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 5600, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.

These young reticulated giraffes were sparring with each other, swinging their long necks to delivery punishing blows. Eventually a larger male came along and broke up the fight. Photographed in April of 2024 in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. We’re still looking to fill an empty tent for our upcoming trip in June of 2025. If you or any one you know is interested, please get in touch for more details. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 115mm) ISO 180, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second.

I captured this white rhinoceros crossing a dry river bed as we were leaving Nairobi National Park on the final night of our trip to Kenya last April. The horizontal layers of color on the rhino almost mimick the colors of the sky. You can also see deep scratches across the upper body of the rhino, likely from branches and thorns while walking through the thick bushes. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 450, f/2.8 at 1/400th of a second.

Due to the red dirt of Samburu National Reserve in the north of Kenya, the elephants take on a much more reddish tint than their identical, but grey, counterparts in the south. I used my wide-angle lens for this one, when the entire herd walked past us about ten feet away. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 24-70mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 250, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second.

I was able to lower the camera into the grass for this portrait of a black-backed jackal. We saw quite a few of these crafty scavengers on our last trip to Kenya in April — this one at the Ol Pajeta Conservancy in Laikipia. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 160, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second.

These two female lions had just finished a meal of Cape buffalo and were playing in the late afternoon just before the sun went down. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1100, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

I had previously posted another shot from this sequence of a drongo (the small black bird) attacking a tawny eagle. The eagle was raiding the nests of all the smaller birds, and this brave little guy finally took action and drove the eagle out. This action happened just outside of our tent in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy of Kenya back in April while we were heading to lunch. Never a dull moment on an African safari. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 720, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second.

I had a nice angle on these cheetah cubs as they raced each other across a ridgeline in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. The late-day light added a nice bit of atmosphere. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1100, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second.

One of the reasons I like traveling to Africa during rainy season, is skies like this. Quite often the sky gets very dark due to an approaching storm, but the sun is still shining bright on the foreground subject. These reticulated giraffes were getting their fill of thorny bushes, seemingly unconcerned with the drama building behind them. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1250, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second.