Feedback from our Maasai Mara Wildlife Photography Workshop

Hunter’s Kenyan Journey

This summer, Hunter Ferner ventured to Kenya to join us for a wildlife photography workshop in the Maasai Mara. Hunter, a multimedia designer from Virginia Beach, was in search of “excitement and creativity,” and hoped the African wilderness might deliver. He journeyed to the Greater Maasai Mara, where he had close encounters with big cats, soaked up information on animal behavior, spent time with Maasai families, and learned about the interconnectedness of tourism, wildlife conservation, and local communities. Oh, and he took some pretty phenomenal photos. We asked him some questions about his experience and he was gracious enough to answer them.

All images by Hunter Ferner

What motivated you to join this program?

Joining this program was a result of a lot of long months contemplating the direction my life was headed in. When I made my booking, I was in a spot in life where I was ready to add more excitement and creativity that had been missing from my daily life back home.

Now looking back on the whole experience, I’ve never been so creatively fulfilled in such a quick time frame. I was able to reconnect with old friends and make new ones along the way. Going to the Maasai Mara with Penda was a way for me to add more color in both my life and my portfolio, and I don’t regret a second of it.

Overall, was the trip what you expected?

The trip wasn’t anything like I expected, in the best way possible. I had no idea how much I would fall in love with the Maasai Mara, and what shocked me most was how much I connected with the Maasai people.
I went on this trip to further my wildlife photography, but I took back home with me so much more than that. The stories that the Maasai shared with us changed the way that I think about and appreciate my own life and the relationships I hold. We were fortunate enough to be invited into the home of a Maasai family – something I had no idea we would be able to do on the program. They welcomed our questions about Maasai culture over a cup of tea and a fire within walls made of sticks and mud. Despite the insane wildlife sightings we were lucky enough to encounter on the program, those profound moments of hearing about how technology and tourism impacts the local communities are what have stuck with me most from the program.

Find out more about this Maasai Mara photography safari

Can you describe a favorite moment?

On our last day on the program, we managed to make a full day of game drives through the group’s favorite conservancy within the greater Maasai Mara region – Naboisho Conservancy. In the weeks prior, Naboisho was home to some of our most epic sightings: lion cubs playing with mom in a stream bed, a juvenile cheetah learning from his mother to successfully take down a kill, and even baby elephants marching with a matriarch of over fifteen elephants. So it was a no-brainer for us to finish off the whole experience in the same place that made us fall in love with the Mara.

That day, our expert Maasai guide, Amos, managed to position us perfectly as the rising sun backlit a pride of lions. We spent quite some time with them as we watched males roaming the grasses, eyeing everything from distant giraffes, Thomson’s gazelle, and impala for his next meal. The morning was incredible, like something out of a Planet Earth documentary.

Unfortunately, the wonder of that morning didn’t last forever. When we set out to find a leopard – a sort of last-ditch effort to get a good shot of the animal we had been trying to capture for the entire program – we were met with resistance from the local rangers. There had been a misunderstanding with our reservation for the day, and they informed us that we were restricted on which parts of the conservancy we could travel to. The group was a bit devastated, because we thought for sure that was our last chance at catching a leopard while we were in Kenya.

But later that evening, we attempted to find one anyway within the restrictions we had been given. It felt nearly impossible to find one from afar – scanning where the bush meets the grass for a spotted golden coat, or for the silhouette of a tail hanging from an acacia tree. With the combined expertise between Penda’s wildlife photography guide, Sam, and our local guide Amos, we nearly ran right into her as she posed perfectly at the edge of the bush. A gorgeous female leopard stared out at the horizon with a piercing gaze. We had found the leopard we had been searching weeks for.

And we spent hours with her. She spent some time lying low to avoid the gaze of nearby warthogs and impala to successfully ambush them when their curiosity brought them closer to the bush. We watched her stealthily traverse her habitat as she hunted something small in a dried up riverbed. And our final moments in the Maasai Mara were spent watching her climb a tree and rest for the evening. I was fascinated by the way she moved through her environment; it was something I aimed to capture throughout our precious encounter.

Just like in photography itself, this moment showed us that when life gives you unexpected limitations, it’s often that the most beautiful moments will emerge from it.

Get insights on our Maasai Mara photography workshop from one of our photography guides.

What did you gain as a photographer?

To shoot wide and that there are some lunatics in this world who think that ISO doesn’t matter.

In all seriousness though, the biggest ‘gain’ for me on this program was the opportunity to not only get closer to wildlife but to also collaborate with other talented photographers. I feel like I learn so much not only from Sam’s photographic expertise but from the ideas and creativity of the group I was fortunate enough to shoot with. I greatly diversified my portfolio from this trip. I learned that some of the things that make a good photo is not just the animal but what the animal is doing; it tells a more layered and impactful story that has the potential to get more people involved with the conservation of endangered species around the world.

What would you advise someone who’s considering joining?

For those considering joining a Penda photo safari in the Maasai Mara or really anywhere in the world, you will do yourself the biggest favor if you don’t go in with expectations. Leave what you know about the region or the people of the destination at home, and allow yourself to take in the experience exactly as it is meant to be experienced. It will free you creatively to tell a more authentic story, and you just might make life-long friends along the way.

You can join us next year! Our Maasai Mara Wildlife Photography Workshop will run from August 13 – 25, 2025, and you can join us for 2 to 6 weeks. You’ll be guided by wildlife photographers Hanna Wigart (the first 3 weeks) or Sam Turley (the last 3 weeks), who will be tutoring you throughout your stay. Photographers of all levels are welcome!

Find out more about Hunter’s photography and design work on his website.