About us
Just very enthusiastic Wildlife Photographers
We hope to age very slowly while spending much of lives roaming beautiful & exciting Southern Africa in search of decisive photographic moments
Our names are Howard and Marianne, and we are very enthusiastic amateur wild life photographers. It all started when we retired from our jobs in the medical profession 6 years ago. Since then we have spent 4-6 months each year travelling around Africa in our Land Cruiser 4x4 fitted with a roof top tent and other essential equipment. Most of the time is spent camping in game parks. Each year we take a different route, and have visited parks such as the Kruger and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa, Etosha and Caprivi parks in Namibia, Chobe, Savuti,and Moremi in Botswana, Hwange in Zimbabwe, South Luangwa in Zambia, and Ruaha, Tarangire, and Serengeti in Tanzania.
We spend many many hours sitting in the car. From first light until dark we search for memorable wild life photographs, Thousands of photographs are taken; most are culled and only a small number survive the selection process. We hope that these photographs shown in AfricaRAW will convey the intimate and wild moments that we have had the privilege to experience and enjoy.
The main aim of the safaris is to capture striking photographs of African wild life and their environment. This meant we not only had to study wildlife photography but learn and develop basic skills necessary for travelling about the alone in the bush. This varied from plugging holes in tires, to trouble shooting a failing fridge, to using a GPS. After 7 years and many thousands of kilometers we have had many adventures and experienced various problems e.g. car breakdowns, illnesses. We are certainly not experts in any fields but would like to pass on tips that beginners might find useful if they also attempt to become "OLD AGE ADVENTURERS".
Therefore we have in our navigation bar also created the categories:- "Trip Tips", "4x4 Tips", and "Photo tips". We know that there are excellent books and websites available from experts in these various fields, however we feel it is sometimes useful to pass on the learning experiences of relative novices like us to other beginners.
IN June 2012 I decided to start a blog http;//blog.africaraw.com to our site. It concentrates on animal physiology & natural history, although any thing that catch my eye on human health, technology, & photography, will also be referred to. The items discussed are of course not my research, but I do try wherever possible, especially in the animal physiology posts, to give the items a personal interpretation, by using various analogies. These models (object oriented help aids) repeatedly use every day analogies e.g. filling a wash basins & drinking a milkshake to explain difficlt concepts in physiology & medicine. I developed them as I migrated from adult medicine to pediatrics to newborn care. I then polished them for many years of trying to teach medical & nursing students to make medicine an easier subject!
Thus various tips will be added to the site as time passes and we learn new things.
Chief Supply Officer & Head Chef
We have a 40L National Luna fridge and Marianne manages to maintain our vitamin levels for quite long while with the stored fresh produce before we have to go over onto tinned foods, stored in the very useful and sturdy Outback lock up roller drawers (from 4x4 Megaworld in Meadowdale, Johannesburg) in the back of the landcruiser during our long trips.
Built in kitchen
Marianne cooking at our lonely campsite in Kaa area, Kgalagadi national Park, Botswana. The foldup windbreaker is an essential piece of equipment and saves a lot of gas. She is an excellent cook and we eat simply but well during our 6 months stays in sometimes very isolated areas. We do supplement our diet with a daily multivitamin pill for seniors and 1000mg fish oil capsule.
Stan
on June 18, 2015Hello,
What an amazing couple of people you are! I only wish I could know you. Through your pictures and comments I see my dreams coming true. I do love wildlife photography, and this is what I have been doing for the past 15 years, mostly in North America. But after one trip to RSA and Namibia, I dream of these places for our future trips when my wife and I retire. Like you, we want to travel a few months at a time, but not on such a scale.
For now, I just want to thank you for sharing and inspiring. I also must admit that your images are of wonderful quality and they proved to be a great remedy for my desire for visiting unfriendly and greedy Kenya.
Your 2014 trip is your best one, at least in my eyes. The only worry I have for us is your timing. October and November are very hot in Kgalagadi and Etosha. How did you manage?
Congratulations on your lifestyle! I wish you many, many trip in the future.
Agnes
on January 7, 2015Hi friends! Enjoying once more your Biology Blog! Wonderfull and special pics. Proud of your work and results due to patience and two pairs of sharp eyes. Getting better every year! Xo xo
petrus smith nanyeni
on December 21, 2014Hi marianne & Howard your webbsite is soo wonderful especially those photo for the elephant and leopard in etosha .keep it up and i hope to see you again in etosha. petrus mushara lodge
Tia (East Coast USA)
on August 5, 2014Dear Howard and Marianne,
What a lovely way to teach biology! I look forward to sharing your art/science/travelogue with my homeschooled students. Love the tips, esp. courtesy to road block guards & avoiding Cape Cobra hitchhikers. Thank you for sharing. PS: nice sketch of the lock-and-key enzyme model (that's how I found your blog)
Gerhard
on December 14, 2013Hi Howard and Marianne
It was so great to meet you in Nossob this year (Nov 2013) I Admire what you doing and got the utmost respect for you guys. Keep up the good work and hopefully will see you soon again.
Kind regards
Gerhard
Dani
on March 14, 2013Dear Paps, your web site is fantastic and is getting better and better. Your pictures show us how wonderful our world is and your biology blog kept me reading and remembering our walk with the dog. Keep it up! Love dautta
Celeste
on January 26, 2013Hi Howard,
Love your blog and photographs! Just found out about it. Wonderful to see how you both are living your retirement.
Sascha
on October 14, 2012Hi Marianne, hi Howard, was very nice to meet you in Etosha. Wonderful pics on your very nice website. We are really looking forward to the Hyaena vs. Leopard fighting pictures. Viviane & Sascha (the Germans)
taj123
on July 27, 2012Superb photos - unfortunately my wife has an autoimmune disease so we have to stay away from malaria areas - I am very envious
James
on July 2, 2012Lovely website :)