I recently got back from the farthest and most exciting place that I have experienced. A trip into the wild in Kenya involved a 21-hour flight to travel about 8,000 miles from Chicago to Nairobi. All this for the sole purpose of experiencing an African Safari with a small group of photographers led by John and Michelle Greengo.

At the top of my dream list of things to photograph in Africa were wildebeests. I had that chance on our very first game drive. We saw many wildebeests over our 12 days in Africa but this one (above) seemed to be intentionally posing for the shutters to click.

On the other hand, the Thomson’s gazelles were a bit more shy and did not stay close for long.

Elephants out in their natural environment are regal, fearless, and yet, gentle. WIth small birds walking alongside the elephants’ humongous feet, they never once took a wrong step. Amazing, don’t you think?

The zebras, with their black and white stripes, were adorable and hard to miss when close by. One thing that was surprising to me is that when the zebras were far away, their stripes actually seemed to blend into the background and provided a camouflage effect.

All these photos were taken during our first couple of days in Nairobi so there are many more to go through and more will be posted here over time.

The entire Afican safari was so much more than I had even expected. John and MIchelle Greengo were wonderful as leaders and teachers. Their advice and knowledge that they shared before we left and thoughout the trip was invaluable. I felt challenged by John, MIchelle, and the other fellow photographers to get out of photography comfort zone. My previous adventures to zoos in preparation for this safari were just the beginning.

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All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heaven’s Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.

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