Adventures in Africa
It all felt like a dream… I had just been invited to my first NAB by my lovely friends over at Fujifilm. I had gone out on several assignments to document their brand new Duvo 25-1000mm broadcast lens and I wanted to be there to see what the NAB buzz was all about. While I was standing at the booth playing with the lens, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this epic head of white hair only comparable to that of Einstein or Doc Brown from Back to the Future. The mad scientist walked over to me and said, “How do you think this thing would do out in the African Savanna?” At first I thought he was joking and before I could answer he said, “Is it weather sealed? Can it withstand the elements?”
I had been out to Green Bay where I documented the uses of the lens for an NFL game in frigid, snowing 12 degree weather. I had filmed it gently gliding behind the player’s bench on top of a chapman electric sideline vehicle. I thought, “Sure I guess it would be okay?” I could see behind those eye, his brain was miles ahead of me. “This would be an amazing lens for filming elephants with,” he said excitedly. He proceeded to show me pictures of his “home-made” slider and jib that rested on the top of what looked like the skeleton of an old 80’s model Land Rover. At that point, I was almost certain he was crazier than a bag of raccoons. But something about him told me he was dead serious and I was suddenly fascinated by his thought process. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” I said. “Bob Poole, nature cinematographer,” he replied. No one had ever used this lens in a wildlife setting! What an opportunity I thought. I quickly pulled my colleagues over and they were immediately intrigued by his ideas.
A few months later, I got a call from my producer asking me if I wanted to go to Africa with Bob and his amazing producer/wife, Gina. My heart suddenly jumped for joy. Ever since I was a child, I dreamt of filming wildlife in their natural habitats. I still remember, some of the first films my mom ever rented for us as kids were Nat-Geo nature films by amazing filmmakers like Dereck and Beverly Joubert. These filmmakers were a huge reason why I got into documentaries. I was obsessed with these films but I never imagined being able to be a part of such a thing. I was immediately on board. Next thing I knew, I was on a plane to Nairobi. Upon landing we gathered our gear and jumped in Land Rovers, racing towards Amboseli National Park, where we met up with Bob, Gina and their nephew/jib operator Tom.
What an amazing journey it was to spend ten days with Bob, Gina and Tom watching them work. I spent countless hours observing, listening and learning as much as possible. To be able to absorb and live the lifestyle of a nature filmmaker was a complete dream. And as far as the lens goes, it completely surpassed everyone’s expectations. We dealt with rain, heat, humidity, dust, violent off-road conditions and vibrations, and yet the lens wasn’t phased. Simply put, it kicked ass.
There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude towards Bob and Gina Poole for allowing our team the kind of access we had to these incredible creatures. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced and I have my Fujifilm family to thank once again for allowing me another opportunity to live out a childhood dream. Here are just a handful of photos from my unforgettable journey.
All photos were taken by me on the FujiFilm X-H2S and GFX 100ii.