Jon Langeland
  Oslo, Norway

  akilles4you@hotmail.com

 This travel to Masai Mara in the lead of Ole Jørgen was really good for my purpose and to me the most cost-effective wildlife-photo-trip ever. I have been in other resorts in MM earlier, but never in so many different animal scenes in that short time.

Even after 3 months I still “find” and work with unique pictures that were taken in those few days.

The motives are of course important, but even more, to be there in the good light and right position from before sunrise and 2-3 hours in the morning and the opposite in the afternoon until after dark. Ole Jørgen arrange this before we arrive so there is nothing going “by-chance”. In many other places and especially if travelling on your own, it is difficult to be early enough out and staying late enough where you want to take the best pictures in magic light.

Our phantastic masai guides who are usually the first to spot more seldom animals, also know enough and are taught by Ole Jørgen about positioning so they place the cars optimally.

I have been working with digital cameras since 2006, more advanced wild life photographing from 2008. This time I learned some extra tricks from Ole Jørgen and due to the number of opportunities and also help and inspiration from my co-travellers, I got pictures I could not imagine I would ever be able to take 3 years ago. Actually I am still on that “surf”.

My equipment now consist usually of 2 full-frame cameras, one with 300/2,8 and another with 500/4 (sometimes + converter 1,4) + one lens 70-200/2,8. To avoid lots of dust in your camera and losing many opportunities it is essential not to have to change lens most of the times.

Because of the heavy program and beeing out in the mud, sometimes under the car, it is important to keep everything simple and practical like going to a summer mountain trip with good outdoor shoes and clothes and some thin gortex or similar for the rain. Some cover for the camera may also be needed.

It is also important to spend the time in the camp for sleep, eat and relaxation when not out in the field, so optimized routines and capacity for batteries, memory cards and backup is essential to avoid disturbing frustration, to catch the best images and bringing the raw files safe back home.

Thanks to Ole Jørgen for solid pre-work, kind leadership and generous sharing of knowledge out in the field and also to co-travellers for their contribution to my best “collection” so far !

Jon Langeland
 

  Helmut Pum
  Steyr, Austria

  www.Naturfotografie-Pum.at
  hepum@utanet.at

 Die Antarktis – eines der letzten unberührten Naturparadiese unserer Welt.
Die Reise war für mich ein Wunschtraum, der in Erfüllung ging.

 Antarctica – is one of the last unspoiled natural paradises of our world.
A dream which has become real……

  Eva Pum
  Steyr, Austria

  www.Naturfotografie-Pum.at
  hepum@utanet.at

 Die Antarktis, dieses beeindruckende und majestätische Gebiet am südlichsten Ende der Welt ist ein Ort der Superlative.
Es war eine grandiose Reise mit Ole Jorgen!

 The Antarctic, this impressive and majestetic area at the southern end of the world is a place of superlatives.
It was a perfect and wonderful trip with Ole Jorgen!

Wilfred Berthelsen
Frekhaug, Norway

  www.wesselfoto.no
  wesselfoto@gmail.com

 Traveled to Svalbard together with my wife Janicke autumn of 2011, to experience the beautiful light and animal life there. It was a wonderful and unforgettable trip, both for me as a photographer and Janicke who just wanted to experience Svalbard. I hoped to see polar bears, and I really, 21 total! Ole Jørgen is the perfect tour guide who knows what photographers want and desire. He does his best for us to return home with a “bunch” very good pictures.
 

  Per Trovik
  Asker, Norway

  trovik@getmail.no

 In 2009 when “Naturfokus” with Ole Jørgen in co-operation with Polar Quest, Sweden, – had preparations made for a trip to the Antarctic, I could not resist joining the expedition. In november we flew to Buenos Aires. After a good night rest we took a domestic airplane to Puerto Madryn, were we embarked on “Professor Multanovsky”, – a russian vessel with an ice-strengthened hull. The voyage went first to the Falkland Islands, then to South Georgia, and there after to the Antarctic Peninsula. We came all the way up, south to Port Lockroy, before crossing the Drake passage back to Ushuaia. It was a twenty days marvelous adventure !
 

  Jonny Langmyren
  Oslo, Norway

  www.jonnylangmyren.blogspot.com
  jlangmy@online.no

 This was really a to the point trip and very different to the classical ones, were one are to supposed to see everything between heaven and earth in a few hectic days. This set up was about flying straight into the hot spot, Masai Mara, and jump into the Jeeps, and off we went. The action and motives really were queued up only after a few hundred meters away from the air strip.

The experience and impression was so sized that I could write a long story about it, but I cut it down to the essential. With one seat row each in the Jeeps it was plenty of playroom for each photographer as one could cover either sides of the Jeep. Of course very convenient, but really necessary in order to position yourselves optimal for the shots you would like to take.

It sound hard to get up 05:20 every morning, but we were all packed with adrenaline and couldn’t hardly wait to get out on location, being established, ready to push the button, before the sunrise and the day really begun. Beautiful light, beautiful scenery, quite some action – all day long.

Most mornings we aimed for lions with fresh kills. That was great scenery. While they we busy with their eating it gave us plenty of freedom to picture everything we wanted. And even better we spent all the time we needed at each spot and scenery. Typically for hours. They didn’t bother about us during their main activity neither, mating and mating.

The local guides, The Masais, were very professional, and it was very obvious that they loved doing this kind of guiding rather than classical ones. They really knew where to, and how to, position the cars to give us the very best positions. As well as they had good control of where the different animals were at the any time. Getting not only to see, but also getting great pictures of all Big 5 and all big 5 cats within 16 hours is pretty rear.

From the animal perspective we saw them all, Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Giraffe, Hippo and the rear Black rhino, as well as the cats, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Caracal and Serval Cat. We managed to picture them all. Additionally it was crowded with Wildebeasts, Zebra and lots of Gazelles and Antelopes. And not to forget the Topi, second fastest animal after the Cheetah. They were everywhere, even perfectly situated in the sunset. Despite Birds were not on the agenda, we got plenty of time for different spices like Eagles, Vultures, Egrets and Cranes, as well as some other colorful spices.

Being there with a group of very nice people with the same interest and the same goals really were another key thing. No one could get enough.

The landscape in Masai Mara is a plain and with slight hills so that you could see far away – and listen to the silence.

The main thing though was to see the great migration of the Wildebeasts, crossing Masai – and Talek River. The timing should be optimal for this. Due to some extensive recent rain the grass were too green that resulted in a delayed river crossing of the Wildebeasts. River crossing is the most dangerous they do and therefore they do the utmost to avoid it. Unfortunately for us, but the good this being that it gives me an excuse to go there again.

Travelling with Ole Jørgen is a pure pleasure. He had it all sorted out very professionally on before hand and all the time monitored and interacted when something needed to be fixed or changed. Of course it was a bunch of more or less amateurs that wanted to realize a dream. Going on safari with a pro and hopefully learn a lot. Ole Jørgen did not disappoint us. He instructed and gave brilliant advices. Personally I’m very pleased with my own pictures.

Those of you that know Ole Jørgen knows that much of his photographing is centered on how to use and play with the sunlight. Personally I picked up a lot about this. Even the Masai guides he had drilled on this. Great, no debates in the Jeep, the guides knew exactly how to position their Jeeps.

Rounding off the trip with a visit into a genuine Masai village was a great experience. Proud, colorful and friendly people they are.

Jonny Langmyren

  Roger Kim
  Seattle, USA

  www.whidbeycalendars.com
  rogerkim@iname.com

 I first became aware of Svalbard in 2010 when I came upon Ole Jørgen’s website and saw his spectacular polar bear photos. I signed up for his next available tour, and I was not disappointed. There were many great photographic opportunities, and being in a small group, we had room to shoot without constantly stepping on each other.

Ole is a wonderful tour guide, and he is always looking for nice photo locations with good light. If you beg him, he might even give a lecture or take you to see the rusty mining towns.

My best advice for future travelers would be to bring a huge lens and don’t wear your best clothes when sitting under thousands of Brunich’s guillemot birds.

(Portrait photo by Kurt Burk.)
 

  Per Trovik
  Asker, Norway

  trovik@getmail.no

 The summer 2010 I travelled with “Naturfokus” on a boat trip around Svalbard. Ole Jørgen had hired M/S Stockholm for ten days with the intention of spending extra days on the northeast side of Svalbard. The first stop on this voyage was “Holmiabukta” where there were a whale carcass. The captain anchored M/S Stockholm with the stern pointing into the bay. We could, form the afterdeck the entire day, shoot pictures of polar beer “fishing” for whale meet. After this the voyage went up along the west cost of Spitsbergen heading for the Nordaustlandet. We vent all the way up to 81 degrees north before changing course back to the east side of Nordaustlandet. We had open passage through “Hinlopenstretet” and we returned along the west cost of Spitsbergen back to Longyearbyen. The wether was good, the light was marvelous, and with several exiting trips in the zodiac the experience could no have been better!

  Eva Pum
  Steyr, Austria

  www.Naturfotografie-Pum.at
  hepum@utanet.at

 Der Norden von Europa ist traumhaft: die phantastische Landschaft, die Tierwelt, das Eis – alles unvorstellbar einzigartig und unberührt. Wichtig bei einer derartigen Reise ist ein erfahrener Expeditionsleiter. Ole Jorgen kennt das gesamte Gebiet wie seine zweite Heimat. Er ist ein exzellenter Fotograf und gibt seine Erfahrungen an alle Teilnehmer weiter. Die gesamte Tour war ein Traum, wir hatten ausgezeichnete Wetterbedingungen, sahen 21 Polarbären (!) und viele andere Tiere der Arktis.

 The northern part of Europe is a dream: the fantastic scenery, the wildlife, the ice – incredibly unique and untouched. An experienced expedition leader is very important for a voyage to the north of Europe. Ole Jorgen knows this territory as his second home. He is an excellent photographer and gives his experience to all participants. We had excellent weather conditions, we saw 21 polar bears (!) and lots of other Arctic animals and birds – the tour was a dream!!!

  Helmut Pum
  Steyr, Austria

  www.Naturfotografie-Pum.at
  hepum@utanet.at

 Es war meine zweite Reise nach Spitzbergen – natürlich wieder mit Ole Jorgen – was sonst! Dieses Mal hatten wir grosses Glück und konnten gesamt Spitzbergen umrunden – einfach phantastisch! Ich habe gefilmt und fotografiert – die Speicher waren voll…..

 It was my second trip to Svalbard – of course with Ole Jorgen again – what else! We had luck, because we was able to go around Svalbard – just fantastic! I was filming and I took pictures – all my external hard drives were full….