Brooklyn, for all it offered to me as a child, fell short of providing me with what I longed for: open space, tall trees, water whose movement you could hear and, most of all, wildlife! Adulthood, some serious cameras and lenses, and coursework, mostly at the International Center of Photography, opened the door for me to gain exposure to what have been exquisite experiences.
A trip to the Galapagos Islands offered the unique experience of being with wildlife, like blue-footed boobies and sea lions, that has no fear of closeness to humans because it has no natural predators.
A group safari in Kenya provided views of lions, elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, hyenas and a large array of birds in their own habitat.
A private safari in Tanzania, East Africa, provided the rare opportunity of being able to explore the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti; to sit it out as long as I chose when my guide and I came upon wildlife, and to photograph, sometimes for hours.
Other unique trips have been to Alaska where seeing grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, moose, bald eagles and spectacular mountain ranges is not unusual, and to Churchill, Manitoba to watch polar bears.
During these experiences, what always comes to mind is the word “Amazing!”, but everything I've seen is par for the course for wildlife in its own habitat. What is truly amazing, though, is to be there to see it!
Camera Equipment
Nikon AF 8008 Nikon AF 6006
AF Nikkor 24 mm 1:2.8
AF Nikkor 35-70 mm 1:2.8
AF Nikkor 80-200 mm 1:2.8
AF Nikkor Micro Nikkor 105 mm 1:2.8
Tamron SP 300 mm 1:2.8 // Nikon AF Teleconverter TC-16A 1.6x
Nikon Speedlight SB-24
