My return to international travel this year took a dramatic turn on a recent trip to Kenya and Turkey. It has been a life-long goal of mine to go on a safari and I finally made the decision to make that happen this year and to schedule it during the Great Migration. Along with my dear friend Isaac, we traversed Kenya for 8 days and visited 4 different national parks on what can only be deemed a trip of a lifetime. Afterwards we stopped in Istanbul for 3 days before making our way back to the US.
I’ve been very fortunate to travel extensively internationally and each country I have visited has it’s own unique charms, culture and reason for touching my heart. But this particular trip to Kenya has impacted me like none before. Not only was I visiting and exploring a new country, but it was the first time I was able to photograph in a way I had not been able to before. Either because of who I was traveling with, the constraints of our obligations, or for safety reasons, I always felt restricted. But this was the trip that I felt for the first time, free to photograph how I wanted, where I wanted, and in a more photojournalistic way, such as Steve McCurry, one of the photographers I most admire.
So here’s some quick Instagram images that I posted as I was in Kenya. Feel free to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for more travel updates. And don’t forget to watch the highlight slideshow at the bottom of this post for the images I captured throughout my 8 days in Kenya with my professional equipment, not just my iphone. Leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
About 10 years ago I was compelled to buy a book called Wild Orphans about orphaned elephant calves in Kenya due to poaching. These calves are often found hovering around their mothers’ bodies for days, even weeks when they are discovered and brough to the Sheldrick Foundation for rehabilitation ad then reintroduction to the wild. Yesterday (September 8th) I fulfilled a dream of mine to visit the facility, see and touch the elephants calves, and donate to their cause.
Afternoon tea at The Ark Lodge in Aberdares National Park
All is well in the Samburu National Park
A young Kenyan school girl waves from the roadside after exiting her school for the day in Kiawara.
Good morning from Lake Nakuru National Park
Samburu tribe children gather under a tree for their daily school lessons. The character and innocence expressed in their faces is an image I’ll never forget.
