After two weeks in camp, I decided that I needed a photography session in the bush. Julian suggested that we go later in the afternoon, prior to the photographic “golden hour” that occurs one hour before sunset.
Since I hadn’t had a lot of time to practice with it, I pulled out the 100-400 telephoto zoom lens to take some photos and get used to the feel of the lens.
I took a couple of butterfly photos….
….and then a shot of a worker crossing the landing strip…..
WHY was it foggy?
I returned to the pavilion and pulled the lens off. Yep, you could see the fog inside the lens. I was so frustrated and wondered if the lens was harmed in transit.
In a flash of inspiration, I decided to google the problem and see if there was a solution. Due to the limited internet, the search process was slow, but finally I found an answer…..put the lens in a zip-loc bag with silica packs and place it in the sun. Well, that would work, but I didn’t have any silica packs!! I clicked on another answer and saw the word RICE. I KNEW that they had tons of rice in camp because we had been eating it almost every day!!
Poppy happily supplied several cups of rice. I put the lens in with it, sat it in the sun for about 15 minutes, and the lens miraculously cleared. I was SO relieved!!
AND there was another “note to self”….. buy silica packs when we return home.
We set out in Julian’s Land Cruiser with me happily on the raised seat in the back, holding my perfectly clear lens!!
Julian drove differently for this trip. Instead of barreling down the roads as fast as possible (not that the roads would allow for an EXTREMELY fast trip), this time he drove slowly and whenever we met an animal that wasn’t shying away from the truck, he would stop, turn off the engine and let me photograph to my heart’s content!!
The first sighting was a Baboon in the grass. The photo isn’t wonderful but I like that you can see the distinctive outline of his face…..
The next sighting was this female Nyalla and her young…..
The stripes on their coat are so striking!!
As we progressed along, we saw Oribi….
I love their ears and the markings on their faces….
It was fun to see this Reed Buck poking his head up above the tall grass…..
….and even a close up of this one….
Please come back tomorrow for more photos including the quintessential African shot!!!
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