The Lion Lady® - Photographs of African Wildlife by Sharon van Sinderen Lyon

For more information on equipment, film, developing or printing:

Lens

While on safari in the Serengeti, Tanzania, people are constantly asking me questions regarding the equipment I use. Most people are very curious about my largest lens which sort stands out in a crowd. I use a Nikon 1000m f11. I call it big daddy. My other lens I have been using is a Tamron 200 - 400 f4.5 and a Nikon 80 - 200 f 2.8. The Nikon 80-200 came in handy when the four cheetahs took down the wildebeest.

My personal favorite is big daddy. I like to be as close as possible and this lens gets me there most of the time. I just purchased the Nikon 80-400 lens and a 1.4 extender for my next trip so I will let you know how I like it.

Camera Body

I shoot with a Nikon N70 and Nikon N90s as camera bodies. I just purchased the Nikon 80 for my new Nikon 80 – 400 lenses.

Video

I also shoot video from my Canon ES 1000 which is a hi-8 format with a 40 time zoom. I usually shoot about 1 and half tapes comparable to about 2 hours of footage. Since I sell my photographs my still cameras are what I reach for first. As a result I have shot less and less video.

Tripods

I do use a tripod or monopod on each of my camera bodies, which initially was rather comical trying to figure out the best way to accommodate all of my stuff in the easiest way. Finally big lens, big tripod, small lens small tripod. Sometimes it was like a three ring circus operating two cameras and a video camera. As I gain more experience I know instinctively which lens to go to automatically. It's already getting easier but now I have added another camera and another tripod to the mix. Fun!

Film

I switched to shooting only slides in 2001. I shot only slides, Kodak E 100VS. It is a pain scanning them for prints and updating my web site but the quality is definitely better. I have been a dedicated Kodak user and in previous years have shot their professional 160 VC Portra color negative film as well as Kodak E100sw Ektrachrome Professional slide film.

Everybody wants to know how much. I am a firm believer in shooting quite a bit of film. I use auto advance and shoot a lot of series. I like the ways series tell stories in themselves. I also believe it's best to have too much film than to be caught short. In 1999 I took 150 new rolls and at the last minute threw in a couple dozen left over from last year, just in case. I ended up shooting 54 rolls of 36 prints each. Year 2000 I took 100 rolls of print film and 40 rolls of slide film. Initially I started shooting equal amounts of each. I'd finish one roll of slides and then load a roll of prints. I ended up shooting a total of 104 rolls. I then changed my philosophy, as I knew that I would have a scanner when I returned from my trip and I would be able to make prints directly from the slides. 2001 was a tough year for light and subjects so I only shot 31 rolls of slides film in two weeks. January 2002 on safari I shot 36 rolls of slides and in July 2002 I shot 23 rolls of slides. I may be more selective also in my shots so I am using less film and getting a larger percentage of good photographs.

This next safari February 2004, I will be shooting Kodak Ektachrome 100 VS and have purchased some Fuji Velvia 100 VS for me to try and compare. I have 38 rolls of Kodak and 24 Rolls of Fuji. I will keep you posted.

Developing

I have been sending them to National Geographics Lab in Washington DC for processing and have been very pleased with the results. I have just moved to San Diego so will possibly try Chrome or again use National Geographics Lab.

Enlargements

I still use a company in Washington, DC for my enlargements. It does cost me a bit more but I feel that the additional cost is worth having better quality in the final product. I get a photographic print that is created on a digital Chromira Printer.