Camera
A nature photography tour of Madagascar, Part 4: The Long Way to Isalo
In the last three articles in this series, I talked about my visits to Andasibe NP, where I shot lemurs and chameleons, and to Tsingy Rouge NP, where I shot beautiful formations made by erosion. I also talked about shooting sifaka lemurs and baobab trees in the Kirindy Forest reserve. This time, instead of discussing one spot, I’ll present a series of locations I briefly visited on my way along the west coast of Madagascar.
Once finished in Kirindy, I took an extremely bumpy ride north to the famous Tsingy De Bemaraha National Park. Unfortunately, I didn’t have too much time to stick around and explore the vast expanses of karstic formations in the park, but I did devote some hours to shooting some more beautiful lemur species in the forest next to those formations.
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Female red-fronted brown lemur at Tsingy De Bemaraha National Park. These medium-sized lemurs with reddish-brown fur are commonly found in the forested areas of the reserve. They are very agile, but when relaxed, they’re comfortable resting on branches for long periods, making them relatively easy to shoot.
Canon 5D4, Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 |
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This sportive lemur was looking (and acting) like a truck driver when looking down at me from its tree house. Talk about crazy eyes!
Canon 5D4, Canon 70-300mm F4-5.6 |
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Red-fronted lemurs are sexually dichromatic, meaning that males and females have different fur patterns; males are gray to gray-brown, and females are reddish brown. In this shot, you can see the limitations of high-ISO photography, as the quality isn’t as good as one would hope.
Canon 5D4, Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 |
My favorite lemur family is the Sifakas. After shooting the Diademed sifakas in Andasibe and the Verreaux sifaka in Kirindy, I was keen to shoot another species in the family: the beautiful Decken’s sifaka. This species is especially fluffy and features all-creamy-white fur, which accentuates its red eyes.
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The Y-shaped branch contributed a great deal to the composition. I don’t even hate the fact that the background is blue sky – I think it compliments the sifaka’s creamy-white fur.
Canon 5D4, Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 |
I spent one afternoon shooting the Tsingy themselves, but felt unable to achieve many good compositions. Movement is extremely slow and difficult on these sharp formations, and one often needs to wear a harness and climb to get to the viewing platforms. The view is astounding for sure, and I wished I spent more time exploring the area. Leaving after one afternoon was an unfortunate scheduling necessity.
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Backlit trees and rock formations in Tsingy De Bemaraha.
Canon 5D4, Canon 11-24mm F4 |
After Tsingy De Bemaraha NP, I returned to the city of Morondava and, before starting a long drive south, stopped by the famous Baobab Alley. This is an over-crowded location, as I quickly found out on an afternoon visit, but it’s both empty of people and often foggy during sunrise. It’s a nice place, but honestly, it’s way overshot. There are beautiful baobabs all over Madagascar (as you saw in the article about Kirindy), where you can get more original compositions and avoid the masses.
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Baobab Alley. I would only go there to shoot if it’s on your way and if you can go at sunrise. If you do go, make sure you try the baobab fruit juice in the cafe!
Canon 5D4, Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 |
Then began the long, long journey south – a two-day drive that I didn’t know whether it was more boring or more grueling. The worst dirt roads you can imagine had us going at a snail’s pace. We did stop at a few locations along the way, and I took a few shots of less-photographed subjects. One of those was the forest of fat baobabs close to Andavadoaka, a beautiful place in its own right but also one that is way off the tourist path.
The fat baobabs are shorter than the famous ones you have in mind, but in my opinion, they are much more interesting photographically. They are also usually grouped close together, which, while making them harder to shoot, also allows for more interesting compositions. They also kinda look like turnips, don’t they?
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Post-sunset glow is the perfect time to shoot the fat baobabs. The red light accentuates their natural reddish hues against the purple sky. The close grouping of the trees allowed me to create a more interesting near-far composition.
Canon 5D4, Canon 11-24mm F4 |
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To shoot this image, I had to focus stack three images to get both the closer and more distant trees in focus (the camera was positioned only tens of cm from the tree on the left).
Canon 5D4, Canon 11-24mm F4 |
Fat baobabs also have a type of fungus growing on them that creates absolutely astonishing natural patterns. By the way, if you do visit them, make sure you put on lots and lots of mosquito spray. I was viciously attacked when I first arrived and had to retreat to the car for a proper slather.
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Fungus patterns on a fat baobab.
Canon 5D4, Canon 70-300mm F4-5.6 |
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| Canon 5D4, Canon 70-300mm F4-5.6 221mm | 1/80 sec | F11 | ISO 200 |
The most fungus-ridden baobab I saw was further south. It was completely covered in amazing patterns that looked like they were painted by graffiti artists.
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The sun star sparkles through the branches of a fungus-ridden baobab.
Canon 5D4, Canon 11-24mm F4 |
We continued our two-day drive, passing beautiful views of the Mozambique Channel. The whitest sands I’ve ever seen were washed by resplendent turquoise waters when we had to turn east, inland, toward Isalo National Park – the subject of the next article in this series.
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Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, photography guide and traveler based in Israel. You can follow Erez’s work on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates and to his YouTube channel.
If you’d like to experience and shoot some of the world’s most fascinating landscapes and wildlife with Erez as your guide, take a look at his unique photography workshops in Madagascar, Greenland, the Lofoten Islands, Namibia and Vietnam.
Erez also offers video tutorials discussing his images and explaining how he achieved them.
More in this Series:
Selected Articles by Erez Marom:
Well, everyone, we did it – another week is in the books, which means it’s time to take a look at the new accessories that came across our radar. We’ve found some fun ones, including a somewhat unexpected Nikon product and some inexpensive but fun third-party batteries. But first, let’s look at what’s on sale this week.
The deals keep going
| The Sony A7R V is currently $400 off. |
Usually in this series, we like to point out the best camera deals around. This week, though, Amazon held its Prime Day event, and plenty of our favorite gear went on sale. While that event is technically over, most manufacturers seem to be keeping their gear on sale for the week, rather than limiting the savings to just two days. Since that’s the case, I’ll refer you to the Prime Day article my colleague Dale put together so you can get your deals fix.
NiSi’s joining the magnetic filter game
Filter maker NiSi doesn’t want you to spend all your time screwing and unscrewing filters from the front of your lens. The company has introduced its JetMag Pro system, which lets you screw on an adapter ring once, then use a variety of magnetically attaching filters.
The filters have a twist-lock system, which the company says “ensures the filter stays securely in place during use even when stacked with other filters.” In its announcement video, the company even shows someone shaking a poor Nikon around while just holding on to the filter – though we wouldn’t recommend trying that one at home.
The filters are color-coded, so you can tell at a glance whether you’re picking up an ND filter, a UV filter, a mist filter, etc. All the filters are 82mm, but the company is selling magnetic adapter rings, which step down to various filter sizes, as well as different kits with several filters and accessories like magnetic front and back caps and carrying bags.
NiSi is far from the first company to develop a magnetic filter system, but it’s always nice to have more options, especially from well-known brands. The magnetic adapter rings cost $20 each, and the filters range between $80 and $120.
Find your next shot
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| Image: Nikon |
Nikon is obviously famous for its cameras, but it also invests some of its optical expertise into binoculars. Its latest models, which it announced this week, also feature its optical image stabilization tech, giving you a much clearer view of whatever faraway object you’re trying to look at.
If it weren’t for the power button, you could almost confuse these for regular binoculars. They’re much slimmer and more compact than the StabilEyes models the company sold many years ago, though, in fairness, those models did offer more magnification.
Nikon says you’ll get up to 12 hours of runtime out of two AA batteries. You can still keep using the binoculars once the battery runs out, you just won’t have the stabilization – though it can be hard to go back once you’ve experienced seeing the world like Legolas.
The 10×25 zoom model will sell for $640, and the 12×25 zoom model will cost $650. The company says they’ll be available in early November.
New camera, new cage
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| Image: Tilta |
If you recently purchased a Canon R5 II and want to rig it out for video, you now have another option. Tilta has announced a variety of accessories for the camera, including a half cage, a full cage and a cage kit that includes a handle and cable clamp for locking down any attached HDMI or USB-C cords.
The cages are made of aluminum and are relatively utilitarian-looking. Still, if you just want to add a ton of 1/4″ threads on your camera, they’ll provide an inexpensive way to add them.
More colorful batteries
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| Image: SmallRig |
A while ago, we covered Manfroto’s expansion of its third-party battery lineup, which happen to come in a fun red shell. Now, SmallRig is offering something similar; its camera batteries, which can be charged directly via USB-C, are now available in vibrant safety orange.
SmallRig’s lineup is extensive. It sells equivalents of the:
It’s worth checking compatibility before purchasing; some note that they’re not compatible with certain cameras that could physically fit them, such as the EN-EL15C, which doesn’t currently work with the Nikon Z6III. Pricing on the models varies, but they’re generally a fair bit cheaper than the first-party options.
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| Image: SmallRig |
SmallRig is also now making its VB50 and VB99 mini V-mount batteries available in green and orange, though only in the US. Unlike regular camera batteries, the color will actually work to accessorise your rig, as V-mount batteries are located on the outside of the camera rather than inside. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons that the colorful versions of the VB50 and VB99 cost $13-20 more than their black counterparts.
Every video a masterpiece
A month ago, we covered Every Frame a Painting’s temporary return to YouTube. This week, the filmmaking essay channel released another video, this time looking at the work of filmmaker Billy Wilder, director of classic films like The Apartment, Some Like It Hot, and Sunset Boulevard. As always, it’s a great watch for anyone who’s interested in movies and the craft behind them.
Click here to see last week’s roundup
| NASA photo / Matthew Dominick |
Hurricane Milton is barreling across the Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida, putting almost 15 million Florida residents under flood watches and prompting the evacuation of millions from the central part of the state.
Earlier today, NASA astronaut and photographer Matthew Dominick shared photos and video of Hurricane Milton through the window of the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. The spacecraft is currently waiting to undock from the International Space Station to return to Earth.
The National Hurricane Center continued to classify Milton as a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 265 km/h (165 mph) and warning of “life-threatening inundation from storm surge.” However, the view from space belies the terrifying wind and rain on the ground, clearly showing the pinwheel shape of the hurricane with an identifiable eye at its center.
Additionally, Dominick posted a timelapse video from Dragon Endeavour on X, giving a sense of what it’s like to pass directly over the hurricane.
Timelapse flying by Hurricane Milton about 2 hours ago.
1/6400 sec exposure, 14mm, ISO 500, 0.5 sec interval, 30fps pic.twitter.com/p5wBlC95mx
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 8, 2024
In addition to Dominick’s posts on X, NASA has shared two videos of the hurricane from the International Space Station that provide different views:
Although Milton may appear serene from space, and maybe even beautiful, it poses a real risk to life and property down on Earth and will impact millions. If you’re anywhere in the path of the hurricane, you can visit the National Weather Service’s feed on X, where the agency is posting regular updates and information.
| NASA photo / Matthew Dominick |
Hurricane Milton is barreling across the Gulf of Mexico toward the west coast of Florida, putting almost 15 million Florida residents under flood watches and prompting the evacuation of millions from the central part of the state.
Earlier today, NASA astronaut and photographer Matthew Dominick shared photos and video of Hurricane Milton through the window of the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. The spacecraft is currently waiting to undock from the International Space Station to return to Earth.
The National Hurricane Center continued to classify Milton as a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 265 km/h (165 mph) and warning of “life-threatening inundation from storm surge.” However, the view from space belies the terrifying wind and rain on the ground, clearly showing the pinwheel shape of the hurricane with an identifiable eye at its center.
Additionally, Dominick posted a timelapse video from Dragon Endeavour on X, giving a sense of what it’s like to pass directly over the hurricane.
Timelapse flying by Hurricane Milton about 2 hours ago.
1/6400 sec exposure, 14mm, ISO 500, 0.5 sec interval, 30fps pic.twitter.com/p5wBlC95mx
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 8, 2024
In addition to Dominick’s posts on X, NASA has shared two videos of the hurricane from the International Space Station that provide different views:
Although Milton may appear serene from space, and maybe even beautiful, it poses a real risk to life and property down on Earth and will impact millions. If you’re anywhere in the path of the hurricane, you can visit the National Weather Service’s feed on X, where the agency is posting regular updates and information.
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