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Roman
Maybe it is that I am leaving once again to lead one of my tours…….maybe it’s just me getting a bit more sentimental as I get older….. but it just occurred to me that I would be away on March 4th. I hope you will indulge me as I share with you why this is perhaps the most important day in my life!
The specific date is March 4th, 1983. March 4th doesn’t appear to be a special date on the surface. I remember the cartoons in the papers used to have a little boy marching forth but I was never sure why but just for a play of words. To me, that date is much more significant because that day, I had my first date with Pura! The movie we went to see that night was 48 hours starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte. It is hard to believe that 29 years have passed since that first date!
Over the years, she has been the foundation of my family and friends yet has never sought or received any glory. She did give me my first camera one Christmas and from then on has hung on, with both hands, to the roller coaster ride that I have taken her on……always making sure that I was the one who landed on my feet. She has given me my two greatest treasures in my sons; Gregory and Ian. Every morning that I wake up I count my blessings for all of them and realize just how lucky I am to have her beside me! March 4th will always be her day…….so let the spotlight shine on you this day my love!
Pura, you have not only earned the spotlight, but deserve it more than me. You have never given up on me…..even when I had my doubts. You are the only reason for my success professionally and also as a husband, father, and son. When I get home, I’ll make some popcorn and rent 48 Hours…….because it is always March 4th in my heart with you. Thanks for always being there for me and making me shine and I just wanted to let the world know the real reason behind my success!
My tour to Tanzania had to be the highlight of the 2011 schedule. That trip allowed me to realize a childhood dream of witnessing the crossing of the Mara River by the wildebeest. Many of you will recognize the image above as it was my favorite of 2011! That spectacle left such an impression on me that I am dividing my Tanzania tour report into three sections starting with just images of the crossing!!! The group and I were fortunate enough to witness 5 crossings, each lasting about an hour or more! Trying to capture the true feeling of the crossing proved to be quite challenging because the mass of bodies was truly astounding. We started out just seeing the herd on the Kenya side and watched them gather in huge numbers…..in the thousands…..milling around on the far shore. Once one brave/foolish soul jumped in (there were crocs in there!) the herd followed and didn’t stop! Below are a few images that typify some of the action. Deciding where to compose is probably the hardest and where the Sigma 300-800 really shined!
We had opportunities both at sunrise and at sunset. On a few occasions I tried to isolate them against the darker backgrounds but always when they wer leaping!
Watching the herd struggle across the deep water is just mind-boggling! Given all the danger in the water, with the crocks lurking and the possibility of getting caught in rocks, I just wondered what compelled them to cross back and forth? The grass and rains looked like they were on the other side……so I don’t think it was a case of the “grass is greener on the other side of the fence”. I’m not sure they figured out why, but it is breathtaking to watch unfold!
One thing I didn’t realize was that there were so many Hippo’s in the Mara River! We actually saw a wildebeest pushed into a hippo and fortunately, hippo’s are vegetarian! I tried my hand at a few pan blurs as the herd headed down the banks just for a bit of variety. As I work on new ones in the coming weeks, I will post them.
I’ll be posting some more Tanzania tour images in the next few weeks showing some of the diversity of animals and birds. You can e-mail me: rkurywczak@gmail.com if you want to be put on the list for the 2013 tour.
I am thrilled to announce that my great friend Susan Candelario has just released her e-book on high speed water drop photography. Susan is the one who got me into this exciting world of photography and I have been hooked ever since. If you want to create some of your own liquid art than this is the book for you. This easy to follow e-book will give you a big head start on your efforts and help you avoid some of the common mistakes people make when they set out to try this branch of photography for themselves. She has taken all her lessons over the years and put them in one easy to follow package. With winter approaching, it is the perfect indoor activity and will give you hours of fun as you create your own liquid art. The cost is $25 for this one of a kind guide and you can download it on her blog. The image at the top is just one example of what you can get and with a bit of creativity and perseverance even an image likes the ones below. I can honestly say it is tons of fun and this guide will make your learning curve much shorter!
