Scenic flying safari photography with Air Wilderness, Laikipia
Easily one of my favourite shoots.
I couldn’t quite believe I was strapped into the seat of a small 206 plane, with non-existent doors, photographing another plane while incredible scenery rushed by. And this was what I was doing for my work day! This shoot for Air Wilderness was very challenging (coordinating planes is never easy) but overwhelmingly rewarding. It lasted three days, and by the end, I was —and still am —a major advocate for this flying safari adventure.
The Brief
Create imagery to market
- Existing safari routes
- Ground staff and aeroplanes
- Guest experiences
On the ground
Having an existing relationship with Lewa Wilderness and Air Wilderness meant we could hit the ground running and get the creative juices flowing right away. Co-creators Darryl van Dyke and Will Craig devised scenic routes that take guests to Lake Turkana and Reteti, and flying loops that show how magnificent (and unexpected) this landscape is from the air.
One component of our shoot was ground handling. We captured pre-flight checks, ground crew doing their jobs, and aircraft staging to capture fleet images.
Scenic flights
It really does not get much better than this. We flew from Lewa Wilderness via the Silale Crater to Suguta Valley and Lake Turkana, passing over the colours and textures of an ever-changing landscape that shifted from a martian wasteland to dune systems and over flocks of flamingos, eventually reaching the watery expanse of Lake Turkana. By this time, we were ready for lunch and landed to have a picnic under the shade of acacia trees.
Sundowner flight
Alongside lodge-to-lodge transfers, Air Wilderness also does short scenic flight circuits where it is possible to land for sunset and have sundowners on the airstrip.
Last shots!
On the final afternoon of this flying safari photography shoot, we spent some time at the airstrip. Will had an image in mind he wanted to recreate with the yellow Waco, involving a lot of dust and hand-waving. Ever up to the task, Emma Craig stepped in as our model with Simon, standing alongside Will’s red vintage Ford Coupe as Will roared overhead.
Lewa, it is genuinely always a pleasure. I can’t wait for our next shoot and what that holds in store!
For more Lewa content, have a look at Lewa’s Private Wilderness
