We've just concluded our most exciting photo internship to date.
We had none other that the incredible Chris Schmid as mentor and guest instructor and the results speak for themselves. Alongside our brilliant partner Hans from TaWIMA, they produced some incredible work, and we're so excited to see where this project takes us.
If you haven't come across this internship before, we established it, with Hans Ngoteya, as an opportunity for young Tanzanians to get into our wild places, and have the mentorship of a professional photographer to help them hone their skills. Our aim is to inspire them to get involved in conservation and spread the message far and wide with their beautiful imagery.
This last trip was hugely rewarding, but was certainly no walk in the park.
The four interns along with Hans and Chris were based at Serengeti Safari Camp for a week, where they skill-swapped, practiced on different equipment sets, and had the chance to have training and tips from Chris - a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Their days consisted of crack-of-dawn wake up calls (with coffee of course!), and then they were off in the game viewer in seach of the best spot to catch that golden morning glow and backlight as the sun rises over the plains. They'd then set off for the day, cruising the plains in search of photogenic subjects to film and photograph. By 10am they were allowed their first short break for breakfast, and a chance to bombard Chris with millions of questions on photography gear, light settings, shutter speeds....the list goes on and on.
Afterwards, a game drive and lunch in the vehicle while waiting for cheetahs to be active so that they could can film or photograph. Hans was on a mission to create a film that documented a cheetah hunt...and - he got it!! The team witnessed 3 cheetah chases, all of which were successful and happened just at the vicinity of their vehicle. Wonderful.
Eventually, after a long day in the bush they would pack up at around 5 - 6pm and head back to camp for some much needed rest before another early start.
Meet the lads behing the lens...
Here is Chris!
And, team leader Hans (on the floor)
Hozza,
Calvin,
And Eliya,
And here are some of the bests photos from the trip.
Check out the rest on our Nomad Flickr page.