In 2004, my wife and I went to Africa with two other couples for what we call “a trip of a lifetime.”  I was celebrating retiring from business and we visited five countries, my first time in Africa.  I was hooked.  Our trip was organized for us by Africa Safari, located in California (www.africasafari.com).

We flew from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Kigali, the capital in Rwanda.  We spent a night in Kigali at the Hôtel des Mille Collines, originally famous as Dian Fossey’s home base and later made famous by the movie Hotel Rwanda.  It was an interesting night with open windows, strange sounds and the excitement of being in Africa for the first time.

The gorillas live among five volcanic peaks called the Virunga Mountains.  The countries of Rwanda, Uganda and Congo intersect in the mountains.  Here is an image from our lodge the first night.  You really get the feeling of “Gorillas in the Mist”.  There are reported to be fewer than 1,000 mountain gorillas remaining, and none in captivity.  Our group was impressed with the apparent concern over preserving these wonderful animals.  Subsequent news from the area hasn’t been as happy as the biggest threat continues to be human encroachment of the gorillas natural habitat.

We got up very early to meet our guide from Vocaones Safaris (www.volcanoesafaris.com) and drove to the national park headquarters.  Here we met our guides.  It is interesting to note that there are four habituated gorilla families that are visited each day.  At the time, they only issue 8 permits per group for a total of 32 people per day.   I believe there are now 7 gorilla families and 56 permits issued per day.

From the park it was back to the vehicles for a short drive to the base of the mountain in which our assigned family was being tracked.  There are full time trackers in touch with the guides by radio who locate and follow the gorillas.  Once there, we pile out of the vehicles and pick up porters to help carry the gear on our trek.  I highly recommend the porters.  I think we paid them $10 per day, so they are inexpensive, but it is a lot of money to them.  And, the trek is strenuous enough.  On the first day we had to hike in the rain forest for 2 1/2 hours to get to our assigned family.

Hiking up – loose soil, lots of vines and 30-40 degrees of slope make for a strenuous trek.  There are a lot of vines and stinging nettles so, as you can see, we cover up pretty well.

Once we are close to the gorillas, we leave the porters and hike the last distance with the guides.  My memory of the first gorilla was a black ball of fur that just appeared before us.  You are very quiet as you are invading their space.  The rule was you could get within 20 feet but they could get as close as they wished.  There is concern over transmitting disease in both directions.

The Gorillas

Each gorilla family unit is headed by a dominant male, called a Silverback.

We visited two different families on the two days we had permits.

The Silverbacks were very serious.

The babies were cute and playful.

We saw a lot of different gorillas but this family was very photogenic.

The Photography

I went with my brand new Canon 1d mark II and used  70-200 and 24-70 Canon lenses.  You get pretty close and I think 90% of my images were taken with the 70-200.

The setting is dark subjects in a dark green background with unpredictable light.  We were lucky in that it wasn’t raining and we had pretty good light filtering through the forest canopy.

Be prepared to shoot from awkward positions, sometimes standing on a slope covered with a foot of vines, which are “bouncy.”

Rwanda is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited with red soil, green foliage and mountains.  The people were very friendly and we were very impressed with the level of service.  We stayed two nights at the Virunga Lodge an eco-lodge owned by Volcanoes Safaris.  There was no electricity at the lodge but our group all rated the experience as one of our top five places to stay.  It was magical drinking Tusker beer by the light of a fire.  The view of crater lakes from our  “bandas” was spectacular.

For more images go to www.pbase.com/mikeojohnson/rwanda

*****

Mike Johnson is an avid amateur photographer who enjoys mixing travel, wildlife and landscapes all over the world. He retired from business in 2004 and moved from Minnesota to Florida, where he currently resides with Jan, his wife of 37 years. Photography became a passion post retirement and we have been fortunate to see a lot of wonderful places, meet a lot of wonderful people and experience a lot of the earth’s most exciting creatures. In the past few years Mike has been trying to raise the level of his photography by joining several well known photographers on photo safaris. Grizzly Bears in Katmai, Polar Bears in Churchill, Eagles in Homer and the Big Five in Africa have all been captured. You can find Mike’s images at: mojphoto.com

By Arlene Davis

(Text and Photographs Copyright © 2010, Arlene Davis, All Rights Reserved)

My gorilla photo tour with professional wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas was one of the best trips of my life. I chose the trip because Suzi had been recommended to me as a photo leader by a good friend of mine, and also because her tour offered significantly more shooting time with the gorillas. We had five treks and this made the tour more expensive, but I figured if I was going to spend so much money and effort going across the world to shoot gorillas, I might as well do it right.

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It was a great decision. We got to meet and photograph five different gorilla families. One might think that if you have seen one gorilla family you have seen them all, but that was definitely not the case. The largest group we visited, the Susa group, was over forty gorillas. They were spread out when we arrived, but it seemed that we were surrounded by gorillas and everywhere you looked you saw these gentle eyes peering out at you- just begging to be photographed! And it was those eyes that made them such great photo subjects. They would just stare at you with such innocence, such vulnerability. They were completely not bothered by us being so close, and at times it felt like they were just living their lives around us, as if we were not there at all. It was amazing.

My favorite of the five groups we visited was definitely the Sabinyo group. They are a small family of only thirteen gorillas. But they had two mothers with tiny, newborn babies. And at the end of the hour, as if to reward us for our patience, one of the mothers came and sat close to us, giving us the perfect photo op of her precious little baby.

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Just being close to the gorillas is such a thrill, but photographing them leaves you just breathless! When I first heard about the one hour time limit I thought that there was no way that such a short time period would actually be satisfying. But there was so much activity amongst the gorillas, so much interaction between mothers and their babies, or juveniles playing, so many great portraits of silverbacks – at the end of each hour I had snapped off hundreds, if not thousands, of images and I felt completely exhausted.

Another great thing about having five treks is that we had better chances of good light. Gorilla photography is best in overcast light. Although overcast days are common in the misty Virunga Mountains, sunny days are always a possibility. Taking photos of gorillas on a bright, sunny day isn’t easy – their black coats get very harsh in the sunlight. In our five days with the gorillas we had three overcast days and two sunny days. Again, I was grateful our tour had five treks.

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Being with Suzi on the tour was an incredible experience. I learned so much from her. She’s a great teacher. We had beginners on the trip, as well as really advanced photographers – I was somewhere in between. But somehow Suzi managed to gracefully (and patiently!) teach all different skill levels. But perhaps the best part about traveling with Suzi is that she actually puts the client first, something that I have learned, from experience, that most photo leaders do not do.

Suzi had previously led this tour on several occasions, so she knew many of the trackers and guides and worked with them to get us close and into the best position for photos (they even hacked away some branches that blocked our view). To my surprise, as we trekked up the mountain on the first day, I heard Suzi chattering away in fluent Swahili to the park guides!

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I have to admit, before signing up for the tour I was a bit scared of the trekking, but I was so relieved to find that all of my worry was for nothing. Our group of eight people filled the group (only eight people are allowed per gorilla family), so we moved at our own, very easy going pace. I think Suzi was quietly setting the pace according to the slowest one of us in the group, but no one was in a rush to get up the mountain anyway. And we had porters to help carry our gear, which was a fantastic luxury that I wasn’t about to turn down.

An added bonus to the tour, that I did not anticipate, was the cultural photography. On two of our days, we visited gorilla groups that were close to the trailhead, so we returned to the lodge in the early afternoon. On one day, Suzi and our local guide, Joe, took us into the nearby village of Kinigi to photograph villagers, village scenes and some of the scenic farmland at the base of the Virunga Mountains. And on another day we were given an incredible cultural performance by the villagers, during which we photographed ceremonial dances and rituals.

The people of Rwanda were some of the friendliest people I have ever met. We were always greeted with smiles and unbelievable hospitality, especially at our hotel – the Gorilla’s Nest Lodge. The hotel was pretty basic and there were some times when there was no hot water, but that’s Africa for you!

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I loved the gorillas and I loved traveling with Suzi. Since then I have travelled to Botswana with her to photograph wild dogs and big cats, and that one was equally mind blowing. My next trip will be her Borneo tour in October of 2011, to photograph orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and more. You can see her trip roster on her website at the following link:

http://www.suzieszterhas.com/toursWorkshops/

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About Arlene Davis

My name is Arlene Davis and I love wildlife. I am from New Orleans originally and currently live just north of San Francisco. For the last 25 years I have worked as an engineer in the public safety radio telecommunications industry.  My passion though is wildlife.  I became fascinated with photographing wildlife on a trip to the Galapagos in 1988. Since then I have taken every opportunity to travel where I could experience and photograph wildlife in their natural habitat. I am also very involved in rehabilitating wildlife. I have been volunteering on a weekly basis at a local wildlife rehab center since 1991 and with International Bird Rescue during local oil spills as well as for the big Gulf Oil Spill in Louisiana earlier this year.

Photo By Suzi Eszterhas

By Bill Lockhart

When one considers attending a Photo Seminar, the first question one should ask is whether the person conducting the seminar is an accomplished photographic artist and whether their work has been published, or recognized for its excellence by a well-known organization.

When one reviews Suzi Eszterhas’s images and reviews her portfolio, one cannot escape saying “WOW!”  Few photographers have such a wide diversity of photographs done in some of the most remote regions of the earth:  Antarctica, Alaska, Africa, Borneo, Costa Rica, Madagascar.  And reading further, one finds that her work has graced the covers of many well-known publications such as Smithsonian, Time, Ranger Rick, and BBC Magazine.

Time Magazine Cover Photo by Suzi Eszterhas

Photo leader Suzi Eszterhas specializes in small group wildlife photography tours for serious photographers of all skill levels. Whereas a lot of photo leaders will take clients to locations that offer only mediocre photo ops in order to reduce costs, Suzi believes in taking clients to only the very best locations for wildlife photography. She also only leads small groups of ten or less, so that she can give each client the attention that they need.

There are many different kinds of photographers that travel with Suzi. Some are very beginners, needing a lot of her one-on-one attention. In her small group tours Suzi can take plenty of time with them in the field to give them the education they are looking for, whether it be camera technique, Photoshop, or anything else.

Other clients of Suzi’s are very advanced photographers that have photographed animals for decades all over the world. These advanced photographers travel with Suzi not because they want one-one-one attention, but because they know she will get them into the best shooting situations, at the best locations, at the best times.

Taking only small groups to only the best locations increases tour cost a bit, but the photos that photographers bring home are well worth it.

Few photographers in the world have such a portfolio or have ventured into so many regions.

Photo by Suzi Eszterhas

Suzi spends nine months of the year shooting a wide variety of wildlife in the field. In recent years, she has specialized in documenting family life and has become well known for her unprecedented work with newborn animals. Although Suzi works primarily in Africa, she has undertaken commissions and led instructional photography tours and workshops everywhere from Antarctica and the Arctic to Alaska and Montana.

Her photographs have been published in books, magazines and newspapers all over the world, including many front covers. Named Ranger Rick Photographer of the Year in 2008, she is a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and has won awards in many competitions, including the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, National Wildlife and Nature’s Best.

Photo by Suzi Eszterhas

Suzi spent a few years living and working on her own in the Masai Mara, spending every day from sunrise to sunset photographing enigmatic African plains wildlife. Her experiences in the Mara include spending nearly two years with five different cheetah families, four months with a lion pride, three and a half months at a hyena den, and five months at a jackal den. Her long hours observing and photographing wildlife have given her immense knowledge in wildlife behavior, which is critical in being a good wildlife photographer.

Since her time in Kenya Suzi has spent about nine months a year traveling the world to shoot many in-depth stories for Smithsonian, BBC Wildlife, Ranger Rick and other magazines. Some of her past stories include: brown bears of Alaska, polar bear research in Canada, chimpanzees of Uganda, orangutans of Sumatra, mountain gorillas of Rwanda, wild dogs of Botswana, penguins of Antarctica, and many more.

Suzi brings her past experience, knowledge, and incredible stories of adventure to her tours, giving clients an experience in which they are immersed in photography and wildlife. Always working with the best local naturalist guides, her itineraries offer maximum time in the field during the best light.

Photo Travel Review Magazine has received comments and articles about her workshops from two of Suzi’s participants.  Both highly recommend her tours.

The articles will be published here during the first week of January.

Significantly, both reviewers have said that Suzi puts the participants first, meaning that if one attends one of her workshops one can expect exacting attention to one’s personal and photographic needs.  PTR believes that such testimony is at the heart of what makes a photo tour outstanding.

Some of her upcoming tours are:

Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda Photo Safari : August 13 – 22, 2011

Photograph the gentle mountain gorillas of Rwanda up close. While most tours only offer two gorilla treks, this tour offers FIVE gorilla treks to maximize photo opportunities. Each gorilla family is extremely habituated to human presence. This is Suzi’s most popular photo tour.

Wildlife of Borneo Photo Safari: September 25 – October 12, 2011

Photograph orangutans up close at world-renowned Camp Leakey, including rehabilitated orangutans now living in the forest, as well as truly wild ones. Thr group will also have a very special opportunity to visit a rehabilitation center for orphan orangutans. This center is normally closed to the public and photography is usually prohibited, Suzi’s group will have exclusive permission to photograph behind the scenes.  In addition, the tour explores the wildlife rich region of Sabah. Here, participants will visit a special sanctuary to photograph habituated proboscis monkeys, cruise rivers to photograph rare pygmy elephants, and wander tree canopy walkways to photograph gibbons, wild orangutans, leaf monkeys, flying squirrels, many gorgeous birds, frogs, butterflies and much more.

Monterey Bay Private Workshops: Scheduled throughout 2011 and 2012

Suzi teaches all levels of nature photography, from absolute beginner to serious advanced, in the Monterey Bay area. Here, Suzi’s extensive knowledge of local wildlife populations yields rare opportunities for world-class photography of sea otters, seals and sea lions and a variety of gorgeous birds. These are one-day courses, including lunch, for one or two people.

Wildlife of Costa Rica Photo Safari: February 13 -26, 2012

This safari takes you to the best locations to photograph scarlet macaws, toucans, parrots, four different species of monkeys, three-toed sloths, coatis, tapirs, anteaters, several species of brilliantly colored frogs, many gorgeous birds, and much more. The group is limited to only six participants and includes exclusive use of private bird blinds specifically constructed for photography.

Wildlife of India Photo Safari- April 2012

Photograph the exotic wildlife of India on elephant-back and by private jeep. This safari takes you to the best parks for photographing wild tigers, Asian elephants, Indian rhinos, leopards, water buffalo, swamp deer, chital, wild boars, langurs, macaques, gibbons, monitor lizards, a variety of gorgeous birds, and more.

Madagascar Lemurs and Reptiles- October 2012

Photograph some of the most unique and endangered wildlife in the world as we explore the amazing country of Madagascar. The group will photograph a variety of lemurs and reptiles, including ring-tailed lemurs, aye-ayes, indri, sifakas, chameleons, geckos, and many more.

Her offerings are distinctly different from those offered by other vendors.  Rwanda, Borneo, and Madagascar are not typical places one might visit.  Let’s just say that her offerings are at the edge, that is, opportunities one never anticipated in one’s lifetime.

I can see me now in a jungle environment of Borneo, fascinated with what the sounds and the images might impress upon my mind.  Exotic, different, remote, and full of what the earth is really about.

No doubt I will give very serious consideration to flying half way around the world to explore what Suzi has found in some of the most remote and fascinating places on the earth.

PTR Magazine highly recommends the tours offered by Suzi Eszterhas.  She has earned our five star rating (✭✭✭✭✭).

Suzi Eszterhas

To learn more, please visit her website.