When every penny counts.

This trip is going to learn me why a sick goat has to take care of itself.

As a very special year is behind us, I find myself looking back to the very start of the 2020, when Covid-19 still was local news from a market in China. Hildegunn and I have just left the boys at the Victoria international airport for their return to Norway, and now we have packed the car for a two-day trip to Binga to see if we can find some new business partners for Savannen.no. And I, I will of course bring my camera.

The dry season continues, as the rain is still just a dream in the local’s minds. Crops have failed yet another year in Zimbabwe and a meeting convoy, of trucks from the UN food program, reminds us about the difficult situation that the people of Zimbabwe have to deal with.

The road take us into the dry, hot landscape, and a dried out riverbank show fresh traces of antelopes around the miniature water puddles. 

After a couple of hours drive under the burning sun, at the end of a long straight stretch, we can se a person in the distance. Getting closer it looks like its a hitchhiker, a hitchhiker in uniform.

It turns out it’s a female police officer. I bring the car to a halt. Hildegunn lower the window. The policewoman address us with a friendly; how are you? We have named the traffic police in Zimbabwe the fell good police. I always feel a bit tense as I drive in to a check point, but the police is always so friendly. Frases like, how are you, nice weather and have a safe trip is the routine, so there for; “The feelgood police”

We soon discover that the rest of the force is located in the shadow of a large tree by the road. The police officer asks us for a lift for her and her colleagues to the police station in Binga. A group of seven armed police officers move towards the car. I explain that we only have room for three officers in the back seat, and they gladly accept the offer, as they take place in the back seat, Hildegunn hands out bottles with water to the officers we have to leave behind in the burning heat.

We reach Binga late afternoon and find our lodge situated with a spectacular view over the great Lake Kariba. Lake Kariba is the world’s largest man-made lake. The Lake was filled from 1958 to 1963 and as a result many local tribes was displaced and generations of tribal history was flooded. As my eyes follows a local fishing boat setting out for the night shift I can see how the old forest still stretches its grey, dead branches above the water.

Before turning in for the night I check my weather app. If it starts to rain during the night, the road we drove down to the lake will turn into a river, leaving us stuck at the lodge. The weather app assured me that the rain season still is late and it is likely that we can drive up, back on the main road tomorrow. The plan is to head for a local tribe were the tradition of weaving the beautiful Binga baskets still is part of the daily life.

The next day we meet up with Johan, the local teacher and pastor, by the incredible huge Baobab tree. Johane has agreed to be our guide and translator as we do not speak the local language. Johane guides us a short walk through the dried out landscape to a family that weaves the beautiful Binga Baskets. We are to meet the grandmother, her daughter with her two children.

Entering the yard, or the area between the brick house and the shed were the goats and ducks are kept during night, we see the grandmother on a stool, giving a Binga basket the finishing touch.

They have prepared for this meeting with the Basket Lady from the far north, and the daughter comes carrying baskets to display for Hildegunn and Savannen.no (@savannen_no).

Even though this first and foremost is a business meeting, the family takes time to show us the craft. I feel blessed to have this very unique experience. The family is balancing a challenging time as the crop has failed three years in a row. Due to the dry weather, they have no equity and food supplies are low. In spite of this, they meet us as visitors in the most friendly matter and we exchange stories of life in extremely different worlds. They take a keen interest when Hildegunn shows them how the baskets is used as decorative elements in the nordic homes.

As Hildegunn continues the meeting, going in detail to build a lasting partnership, I grab my camera to take a closer look at the daily life in the rural areas of Binga. The family keeps a few animals for food. A couple of hens for eggs and a rooster for chickens. The rooster i constantly keeping an eye on me and follow me around the property on safe distance. It is not in my mind to think to challenge his position. The way he walks tells me that this rooster has more confidence than fear.

Over by the main building I look back to were the meeting is taking place in the shadow of a large three. It hits me how well the trees are adapted to the dry hot weather. After years with minimal with rain, they still lok healthy and green. What an amazing “technology”, being able to attract, hold and make use of the minimal of water in the ground. It would be interesting to se a map of the rooting system.

The main building has three separate rooms, the rooms are naked with no furnitures nor any facilities like a sink or a cooking area. It is three open rooms with a couple of mattresses spread out. The house rooms the story of a family making the best of what they have.

There is a small area were they grow vegetables. It is not more than approximately twelve square meter, and sharp branches and wire leftovers is surrounding the little garden to keep the sheeps on the outside.

Passing the others, I notice a goat struggling with keeping the balance. It is obvious that the animal is suffering. And later when I ask Johane, our translator, why they don’t put the goat out of its misery. The answer is as obvious as it is far from the reality of our own life. Family comes first. And as long as there is hope for recovery, the goat must take care of itself. If they were to slaughter the goat now when it is sick, the family could not use the meat.

Standing, observing the goat and then hearing the discussions in the meeting I realise how valuable this business relation is to the family. Through our travels to different African countries we have seen how large retailers enters the marked fills up a couple of containers, just to copy the craft and take the production to Asia. Of course they have to. It is impossible for a large corporation to deal directly with families with little to non production planning. Not to mention that the logistic situation in rural Africa is challenging and difficult to plan. To keep prices low and volume up, retailers prefer to have production in Asia where there are structure and resources to deliver cheep goods in large bulks. So even though Savannen.no is a really small business, I realise now how important the relation is to these families. And in my mind its the best way for a business relation to grow. Step by step, one container at the time, in a pace that is manageable for the families.

And when the youngest one gets to needy, it is good to have Hildegunn there to distract him with her hat.

After this emotional and inspiring meeting we feel confident that the work we do is important, not for the nation, but for the families, for the grandmother, the daughter and her two children. And hopefully for the goat, and that is more than good enough reason to keep going.

My monochrome take on wildlife, a square project

My take on wildlife a square project was initiated by my frustration over instagrams square format, that I found so limiting. So I wanted to challenge my self by forcing me to present my wildlife photos in an square format. My main tool in this project is naturally the crop tool. I do not shoot my images in square format, my standard shooting format is 3:2. Starting to crop my photos I realized that the format made me discover new stories in my images, I had to dig deeper into my purpose with the image and I had to accept that I had to tell my story with less objekts and a hole new take on the image. In this blog I present some of the images from the project.

I choose to start the project with a photo that was the very first wildlife photo of my career. And by my very first i do not mean the first I chooses to share, no it is actually the very first time i put my finger on the button and shot a wildlife image. And I must admit that I am really pleased with the result. It is stil one of my favorite photos.

Working with the square format I still follow many of the basic rules. Like having a strong object of interest. And for a photo like this, with the nearest antilope standing out as she is the only animal that is sunlit, makes it easy. But I have discovered how the square monochrome format let me challenge the rules in a way I did not expect.

This shot of the Bee Eater in the dead tree is the perfect example on how the rules of photography can be challenged. There is so many things about this photo that is “wrong”, and still, in my opinion the photo works perfectly. Lets have a look; The object of interest, the Bee Eater is placed much to high in the image, it does not apply to rule of thirds or any other composition rules. The amount of negative space is close to 70% of the image, that is definitely not good, and the frame is broken, or penetrated by the trees branches. Despite all these wrongdoings, the photo is a strong storyteller, the naked tree, big sky and lonely but forward leaning bird makes for å stronger story than a pretty and “correct” composition.

When shooting wildlife I always look for the moments when the animal is busy being an animal. When the animal isn’t disturbed by me and my camera. Like this lioness. A photo like this is so much stronger than the typical in your face shot. Like the one underneath. Yes, the image below is a better selling image, naturally, because we get to stare the lion straight in his eyes. But I much prefer the image of the lioness where she is busy washing her face after the meal, and not the lion that have to keep an eye on me, and as a result, is disturbed by me as an object that does not belong on the savanna.

I love when the animals create their own stories like this herd of elephants that by their formation tels a story of family, rank, generations and harmony. That always makes for great photography.

Even this big bull, tells a strong story of the bulls solitary life. I love the way this is underlined by the fact that this huge bull looks small in the great vegetation of the savanna.

The pack of wild dogs was captured early in the morning, just before sunrise they gathered around this waterhole. The first photo is what I see as the typical wildlife shot. It is a great capture as one can se the water running down their faces, washing away the blood after the nights kill. The fact that one of the dogs keep an eye on me creates communication between the one watching the image and the dogs. But even so, I prefer the next image.

This image tells a stronger story, here the wild dogs are busy being wild dogs and do not mind me. The alfa dog marks one of the younger males, by peeing on him. By doing this he shares with us the story of the life in a pack.

The next image does not really tell a story, but the wild dogs ignores me and fokus on the other dogs, which I like. But what really makes this image work is the eye catching ears. Lined up in a way that you have to look twice to get a grip of what you are looking at.

Yes, I admit that the second of the images below is the most decorative. But the first engages me more. My eyes search the scene on the look for new details every time. In many ways these two images work better in different media. The second one is great for social media like Instagram and Facebook. while the first is more interesting printet in a large format.

Challenging my self with this monochrome square format has made me more aware of my compositions, and that is something I wild keep in the back of my head as I make my next journey to Africa. I realize that there is so much learning in doing a project like this, I really need to challenge my self more. Next time I shoot wildlife I will focus on camera angle, I need to get closer to the ground, and I have a plan that I will share after the next trip. Until then I leave you with yet a couple of more examples from the monochrome square project.

And if you want to see even more go to my monochrome square project on instagram: @bnw.wildlife.by.baard

For more go to my monochrome square project on instagram: @bnw.wildlife.by.baard

On packing

On my instagram @photo_by_baard some of you have asked me what I carry when I am out shooting. So here we go. 

For a start, different locations call for different packing, but that aside. Let me share with you my basic setup when I go out to shoot landscape locally. 

And just to be clear from the start, I am not sponsored by any of the brands. So, this is just me sharing my setup. 

I have had my eyes on the 31-liter Wandrd backpack for some time. Or to be honest, as my wife says, I had seen an unhealthy number of YouTube videos on photo back packs, and to both our relief, I managed to get my hands on a secondhand Wandrd 31 this summer. 

Wandrd 31, an incredible versatile back pack.

The Wandrd 31 liter is a very versatile backpack, after I have filled it with my photo gear, there still is plenty of room for warm clothing and a coffee mug. The backpack has an easy access to the camera on the back, which means that the front, that is covered in some sort of pvc prevent the backpack from getting wet. 

The back opens for easy access.

As most photographers I probably carry too much, you kind of want to have a backup this and backup that. The last thing you want to experience is to miss a shot because you didn’t have a backup in a time of need. 

Ok, enough about the backpack, lets dive into the all-important content. 

Look at that, all lined up.

So here you go. this is the content of the backpack that I brought for this morning's shoot. Let's start form the top. 

Sirui carbon tripod with a ball head. I am no expert on gear, but this tripod was a nice upgrade I did last year. It isn’t too heavy, but still quite stable. I take a lot of seascapes and the tripod needs to take on both wind and the occasional wave. And so far, it has not let me down. 

The tripod needs to take on both wind and the occasional wave.

Then we have the Bose earplugs for suiting music. On the right you see the release wire that fits both the cameras. I normally use the remote app for my Fujifilm XT-3. But it's good to have a backup when the technology fails, as it does way too often. The green cloth is a face mask as a Covid-19 precaution. Then there is the compass. As mist and fog is a photographer's wet dream, I felt that a compass is a clever tool, at least when shooting in the mountains. The matches are a compliment to the brown leather case containing two Cubans. When the shot of the year is captured it calls for a celebration.  

Moving on we come to an essential part of the gear. The microfiber cloth. Never leave home without it. The Lacie Rugged is for onsite backup if I get paranoid and caught by fear of losing a great shot. The Fujifilm x 100s is my backup camera (with an extra battery and a couple of extra memory cards). It is kind of cheesy to refer to the x100s as a backup camera, because it is a brilliant camera in itself. I bought my x100s back in 2013 and its thanks to this camera that my photography got serious. Nothing has made me develop as a photographer as the Fujifilm x100s. To this day it's my go to camera for street photography and its brilliant for snap shots in conditions with poor lighting. If you are looking to get into photography but do not want to spend a fortune, look for a x100s. You can probably get your hands on a good one for around 400$. Then we have my main camera, the Fujifilm XT-3, for those of you with a sharp eye you will spot that I still shoot with the kit lens XF 18-55. Yes, I do want to upgrade. But for a kit lens it is pretty amazing. Bear in mind that most of the landscape photos you see here on my web is taken with this lens. It has a decent dept of field and the optic is really good. The XT-3 comes with the battery grip and carries three batteries. As you can see, I carry a couple of extra memory cards for my main camera as well. In addition, I have an extra eye muff and the black metal box contains lens paper and q-tips for the camera and band aid for me. Notebook glasses and a pen, just in case the poet in me get busy. Then there is the mini tripod for the x100s and a dust blower to keep lenses and sensors clean in the field. Cable and charger for the battery. And finally, the Fuji-non 100-400. I bought this lens for my first trip to Zimbabwe. It was a big step, and I had to dig deep into my wallet. But boy do I love that lens. Wildlife in Africa, pin sharp. Even shooting handheld. And for the zoomed in landscapes, its perfect. Heavy, bulky, but extremely sharp. I really love this lens.  

So, there you have it, this is my basic setup, always packed and ready to go. And while I have your attention, may I ask you to follow my other Instagram gallery as well; @BY_BAARD for pure landscapes. 

Buhera - where no road can take you

January this year my wife, Hildegunn, planed a visit to Buhera, a region in rural Zimbabwe. She runs the company Savannen, a Scandinavian interior company, and Buhera is where the beautiful Buhera baskets are made. The baskets are made of braided roots, an old craft passed down in generations. The visit to Buhera is part of our road-trip in Zimbabwe, were we visited places like Binga, Hwange, Victoria Falls and Bulawayo. And me? I tag along as a driver and photographer. 

Traveling in Zimbabwe calls for planning, a shortage of fuel and cash in the country, makes it crucial to know where the next fuel stop may be. An extra can of fuel is always placed in the trunk of the car. We spend the evening planning for the trip to Buhera on the patio at a lovely Airbnb in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city. 

Hildegunn is planing the trip to Buhera in detail and I try to act all casual after running back from the self timed camera.

The trip from Bulawayo to Buhera is supposed to take four to five hours. As far as we can see from the map, the last hour will be on dirt roads with unpredictable standards. And as this is the rain season, although it has been dry as summer so far, the weather could shift in minutes. Turning the roads into rivers. To be on the safe side we decide to leave early next morning, leaving before sunset. 

We get up early as planned, the power in Bulawayo is shut down and the headlight come in handy to find the way to the bathroom across the courtyard. Before light brakes, we are in the car and on our way to Buhera. The rental car we ordered, a 4x4 Landcruiser, turned out to be Honda shuttle, a city family car. Not the best car for road tripping in Africa. But that is all forgotten as we hit the main road. Nothing beats the feeling of freshly brewed coffee, homemade breakfast in a paper bag, the greatest travel companion, and the endless African roads. 

It turns out that only a couple of hours is spent on tarmac and soon we are off into the bush on dusty roads. 

The dirt road take us through an amazing landscape. And now and again we pass a village.

The landscape is constantly changing, shifting from savannah to more rockier hills. In some areas the rocks are stacked in a manlike manner, except the rocks are gigantic and not possible for any human to stack. I am still trying to find out how the stacks is made. Which nature force has balanced this gigantic stone blocks on top of each other? 

An example of the stacking stones.

As we have been on the road for seven hours straight, I start to wonder if we have driven too far. Hildegunn is constantly texting on WhatsApp with Charlie, our guide on this trip that never made it to Buhera as he is stuck in an endless queue at the South-African border. Hildegunn tells me that in the next village there is supposed to be a guy waiting for us and show us to the home of the grandmother. The grandmother and her family that is making the beautiful baskets. I feel a slight irritation as I think to myself, how are we going to find this guy, we do not know were to meet him. But I say nothing. 

Well there were absolutely no reason for me to get irritated. Entering the next village, which consisted of a grocery shop without much groceries, a bar and a hardware store, there is only one man standing by the roadside. He waves at us as he sees the car. As I bring the car to a halt, he jumps in the backseat, a short presentation than we hit the road again, or not! 

The village, which consisted of a grocery shop without much groceries, a bar and a hardware store.

Our new guide which name also is Charlie, tells me to make ha right turn. I hesitate as there is only one road, and that road is heading straight ahead. But Charlie insist that I should head straight into the bush, even thou there is not a single tire mark in the dry mud. So, I make a right turn. It turns out this is the start of a 20 minutes' drive through fields of dried out crops and riverbeds. 

On our imaginary road we passes a herd of cows.

But finally, after close to eight hours strait driving, we arrive. And what a welcoming, the grandmother, all dressed up for the occasion, throws her selves in the arms of Hildegunn. It all happens so fast and spontaneous. I cannot help myself, I burst out in tears. Even now, writing this, half a year later, I cannot hold back the tears. It was such an emotional experience and a clear proof of how important her business relation with Savannen.no is to her and her family. 

Witnessing this moment is one of my lifes greatest experiences.

(The grandmother, Hildegunn and Charlie the off-road guide.)

The lovely grandmother and her little family start gathering the baskets and tells us the story of how she learned the craft. As she speaks Shona, the language of the Hera ethnic group, most of the communication is nonverbal. But hand gestures, smiles and sounds makes it an easy to understand and captivating story. 

When you buy a Buhera basket at Savannen you become part of Savannens Fairtrade and can rest assured that the producer is pay rightly and that the money goes directly to the grandmother and other producers in Buhera. This visit alone supplied the grandmother and her family with more than half a year's income.

The grandmother takes a keen interest in how Savannen.no customers are using the baskets as interior details. She really enjoys the pictures Hildegunn shows her on Instagram @savannen_no. I can sense that she is proud to see here craft travel across the world to end up as an artwork in someone's home. 

The grandmother takes a keen interest in how Savannen.no customers are using the baskets as interior details.

View fullsize

Inspecting the beautiful hand craft.

Counting and thinking about how to fit all the baskets in a small Honda….

We manage to fit most of the baskets in and on the car. The people of Zimbabwe really know how to pack a car. and soon we are ready to head back to Bulawayo. Dark is only hours away, and we were hoping to be back on tarmac before the sun sets. The traffic is deadly at night, as lorries and other heavy machinery plows through the night with a parking light or a left turn signal as only light source. 

This story ends as we finally reach the main road, dark has arrived and I do my best to keep up with the traffic, speeding to 110 km/h trying to keep out of reach for the oncoming traffic. Thats when I hit a big hole in the road. It feels like the wheel is ripped off the car. I stop roadside. Luckily only a puncture. Well, it is only one thing to do. Empty the car of all the baskets to get to the spare wheel, avoid getting hit by a passing truck or eaten by lions even bitt by a snake and get back on the road ASAP. This poor quality video kind of sums it up. I just love our African adventures! 

Like a virgin in Zimbabwe

2019 I had my first experience shooting wildlife in Africa. Actually it was my first trip to Africa for any reason, and what a journey it turned out to be. I knew that the name of the game in wildlife photography—whether I was trying to capture a herd of elephants by the water hole or seals in my backyard—is patience. Wild animals are going to do what they’re going to do. Unfortunately, I can’t ask them to look this way, do something cute, or stand where the light is better. I have to be there, and ready, when they decide to look cute or do something interesting. Patience is my soar spot, and this being my first encounter with wildlife in Africa, I was way to eager to shoot. I hope I’ve learned my lesson when I go back to Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe later this year. I am prepared to wait, and wait, and wait—it takes a long time to get good wildlife shots, even longer to make great ones.

But it was not a waste of time. I managed to get a couple of decent shoots. And most important I learned something new for every photo I took. The longer I spend with an animal or a group of animals, the better I get to know them and their habits. I get to see the personalities of different individuals, and hopefully I will get to the point where I can anticipate what they might do at a particular time of day or in a certain situation. Going back I will make sure to have my friend and guide, Vuza, to learn me more about animal behavior and that way, hopefully, I will get more life into my photos.