Tanzania, East Africa, Fall 2021
In mid-September 2021, I journey to Tanzania, East Africa for three weeks to photograph its birds and wildlife. I went with my friend John Sorensen, and his friend Michael Giles. Our safari was to focus on Africa Birds, especially during the first half of the trip, where we visited both the West and East Usambara Mountains.
Our guides were from Africa Dream Holiday & Photographic Safaris: Emmanuel Lema, our safari guide and driver, and our birding expert, Maulid Ifuja, known effectually as Lema and Simba. Lema has been our guide for the 2015 and 2019 Tanzania trips. We love him and have so much fun photographing and traveling with him.
If you are planning to go to Tanzania, East Africa, I highly recommend going with Lema and Simba, and booking with their company, African Dream Holiday and Photographic Safaris. You won’t be disappointed.*
I listed the places sequentially visited below:
| Eastern Tanzania: | Southern/Central Tanzania: | Northern Tanzania: |
| Nyumba Ya Mungu Reservior | Wami Bridge | Ngorongoro Crater* |
| Mkomazi National Park | Segera Bridge | Ndutu/Ngorongoro Conservation Area |
| South Pare Mountains | Mikumi National Park | Northern Serengeti NP |
| West Usambara Mountains | Kilombero Floodplain | Central Serengeti NP |
| Pangani River | Ruaha National Park | Lark Plains |
| Farm Near Muehza | ||
| East Usambara Mountains | ||
| Amani Natural Reserve | ||
| Bombani Village Marsh |
Below are some of my best images from this Photographic Safari. I hope you enjoy them and they touch your heart and soul as they do mine.
Recently, to a close friend, “I hope that my wildlife photography approaches some level of Art!”
*Here is the link to the Trip Advisor review I did for Lema and African Dream Holiday & Photographic Safaris.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297913-d13952221-r824586889-African_Dream_Holiday_Photographic_Safaris-Arusha_Arusha_Region.html
*We passed by the Ngorongoro Crater on our way to Ndutu and only photographed on the outer slopes of the crater down the long backside way to Ndutu.
Some Thoughts:
A few of these images portray sensitive moments in animals’ life. Here is a bit of my philosophy and thoughts I want to share on photographing these intimate moments.
I believe “Private Moments” depicted well should be open to creativity and art, and not taken for their graphic content, sensualism, or sensationalism, and its associated shock value. “Life is precious and very special, and I am always humbled and awed by my encounters with wildlife. It is a special privilege to be allowed to share a few moments of their lives with them.”
“I discuss this very thought with the Planet Earth photographer we met in the Northern Serengeti when we were waiting to photograph leopard cubs. The leopard cubs’ openness to allow us to watch them, photograph, and observe these moments in their lives is something I don’t take lightly. You come in peace and with feelings of respect and honor, then they will be open to sharing their world with you. I firmly believe this.”
“Now with the young baboon suckling closeup image, I only had a few seconds to frame and take this image, because the moment was fleeting. One because our vehicle was moving, and second, the baboons moved and this scene only last for me a few brief seconds. Nevertheless, I still carry with me this respect and honor, even with the very short opportunities to photograph wildlife that last only seconds.”
“I might not always show it, but this honor and respect are there deep inside of my being. I am not perfect, but this is the way I try to be.”
I also respect other photographers who do not wish to photograph or show their photographs of these “intimate moments”. To leave these “intimate moments” to the animals alone, and not photograph, and if photographing them, then not share these private moments with the wider human world.
Bruce Finocchio
3/19/2022