I've spent A LOT of money on this trip, bought a lot of equipment and have been anxious, scared and excited about everything. Here's how I've been preparing for Africa!
Africa Gear
Matt and I got the gear back in July one Sunday afternoon. We went to Mountain Warehouse and Cotswolds to get all the gear in the picture. I've been wearing in my boots here and there on my trips to town and my Tilgate Pokemon Hunts with Matt and the others. I pray to not find any nasty surprises when I wake up every morning when I'm out there lol. I need to grab a few more Olive Green shirts since I have about 3 atm thanks to a surprise shop from Mum. I'll need 2 more pairs of Combat trousers for the evenings (I have 3 already) because they are much more reliable than skinny jeans where the insects can suck my juicy legs.
Let's not forget the slight painful 3 session injections I had. I had to return 2 more times (a week in between) to have more Hepatitis A + B jab in the left arm. It hurt the first time since I just let my arm rest and it hurt several days after like a cramp pain. But on my 2nd and 3rd doses, I went to the gym afterwards and I didn't receive any internal pains or even muscle pains (take note).And lastly, my two bottles of Factor 50 and one or two cans of Insect Repellent which I'll probably overuse ha. And my Awesome Outback Hat with removable Head Net came last week (you can never be too overprotected when you fear Mozzies and Creepy Crawlies, ya know!) And I just got my Malaria Pills a few days ago for £54 (got the 2nd best since the 1st were too expensive for me then).
Camera
This has been a challenge in saving up for let alone purchasing after a month or two of indecisive decisions. But luckily on August 4th, I finally acquired the lot at a hefty price. I've been in and out of the store like a yo-yo over the last 2 months to discuss the camera specifications, explain what I'm hoping to do as well as try out some of the cameras and lenses with the staff. Since my sister Rebecca used to work there, her friends Ben, Connor and Francesca have all been great in putting up with my indecisiveness when it comes to just purchasing a camera.
It felt really cool when I was in the store trying out the hefty lenses and trying out tripods and monopods to see different lens weight and distances.
But in the end, I went in with Dad to get it over and done with so I could get straight to practising. I admit that the price is huge and extravagant but if you want to get the best photos then you gotta do what you gotta do. Of course I wasn't just buying the camera for the trip, I've actually always been trying some Photography on my iPhone for years to get fields, clouds, sceneries, sunrises and sunsets. I feel a bit sad for having not studied it back in college but it would have made my studies too hard to juggle both IT and Photography realistically speaking.
I did try out some Manual Focus shots whilst in Tilgate a couple days later when I was with my family and all of my Mum's side enjoying our annual get together at the park.
Its burned a hole in my savings but I'll slowly save away after the adventure is over but I feel I've made the right call in the end. My Canon EOS 70D camera is beautiful with its lenses and all the other stuff I had to grab too. Fran and the others at Jessops for all your help. Oh and thank you Alex for the photography lesson last week and for practising Exposures and Timelapses!Good thing this bag (not the Africa one) will hold it all and can be attached round my waist or over the shoulder. Thank you so much to
I will need to get good at swapping lenses quicker and quieter as well as deciding on the days which one is more important to use...
Hawkins Pond With Dad
Dad took me to his Fishing area to wander about and to try out the camera. I have been here since I went fishing with him when I was 14 *sigh* I guess I need to go again sometime since I never really bond with him over this or Football (2 of his most treasured hobbies). Anyway, we were slowly exploring the left side of the Pond whilst trying to step lightly incase we encountered wildlife. 
I got some great shots of the sun beginning to set and try to act all professional with the Focus lense to make the picture blur or make things appear better in the foreground or background.
When we came to a huge area, Dad said "It's like we're in Lord Of The Rings, the area where that Uruk-hai SOB killed Boromir". As sad as that is to compare, he did have a point. The area was huge and looked like a perfect substitute or ideal area to shoot that sad scene.
Later on we were on the border of Manor Hill's Golf Course which Dad pointed out was a sight for sore eyes because it was a useless excuse to cut down the woodland and push the wildlife back (I agree) even if the scenery was nice. 
We came to the small bridge that connects both sides of the pond (luckily there was no troll under there) but we had to use a chunky stick to sway the Stingy Nettles out of the way. On our long walk back on the other side, we did come across a Huge Carp that Dad and I managed to photograph perfectly and up close. However I did fail at the mission which was to photograph a Kingfisher. Dad spotted it and we tried to locate it within the fallen tree branch near the edge of the water and by the time I spotted him and began to prepare the shot, he hightailed it D'Oh! Next time...
We were on the border of someone's land who owned part of the woods thanks to the small concrete poles wedged into the earth to mark the boundary. Whilst curving around it, we almost got the perfect shot of 2 young Deer grazing... And we would have got it if I hadn't had to swap from the 18-55mm lense to the 70-300mm lense and scare them off as the cap dropped to the ground, Drat and Double Drat!
We were just not having the luck today but I did try my best and getting a blurry picture of 2 Squirrels chasing each other in the trees above us (like in The Sword In The Stone). So we had to leave the Pond with no accomplishments, but I think we'll do better again next time before Autumn adds any more leaves and twigs to break or before Winter arrives.Practising At Tower Road, Colgate
I've passed this road many times in the morning since it's a detour to Faygate if the Horsham Moorhead roundabout is gonna be backed up badly. Opposite The Dragon Pub in Colgate, this road has a private woodland where in some mornings I've seen sun rays shine through the trees as if I've come cross a grove.
So last Sunday in the afternoon, I hopped into the car with my gear bag and made the left at the Dragon and parked on the left-side safely. I know that this woodland is private but I was only on there for 10 minutes to see if this would actually work and it's not like I'm hunting or bringing a dog with me, ya know!
I had this idea of trying on Monday (my day off) to arrive here at Dawn to do a Time-lapse of the morning sun rays shining through the trees, which I sadly couldn't accomplish since it was a cloudy morning, next time...But I did there and then try out some good shots and it feels good to be out in nature away from the town. I'm sure I'll get a shot or time-lapse or even an exposure in time since you can only get better through practising and trying different days and times to get the right moment and sometimes not all things go as planned.
Idea For Vlog Video
Whilst I'm out there, I intend to do a video record of my adventure and document as much as I can. It might turn into a documentary (It'll be nothing as captivating and interesting as Sir David Attenborough's ones) but I want to express and capture to the best of my ability. I want to share with everyone what I saw, what I felt and how I was feeling being on this ancient land where anything can happen and life is everywhere.
I might even break the fourth wall thanks to the opening idea I have planned (pretending it's a found footage recording for a few seconds till I explain sarcastically that it's just a 10/ 15 minute story of my time in Africa lol.
I'll be using loads of tracks (spliced up and perfectly trimmed pieces) of uplifting, ambient, possible film tracks, cheesy and what I believe fits the moment and I hope others will see it too. I'm definitely using the last 1:10 seconds of A Sky Full Of Stars for my night adventure montage in the video and some other tracks too.
I might even add facts about the animals that I capture and show with photos and recordings. If I capture some action like an Antelope meal or something then that'll be incredibly lucky (I hope I can hold it steady and capture it without missing it).
My upcoming video will be responsible for multiple reasons and promising outcomes, I feel. It'll be something unique to share with the world and my friends n' family. It will look good on my CV for when I want to go into an IT job someday (gosh, theres no excuse for my lack of dedication and constant procrastination over the last year of actually getting round to using Scratch, CodeAcademy and acquiring the Adobe Applications...) There will be no more deliberation when September ends (song reference) and I feel that it'll be more possible than ever thanks to the newfound enthusiasm and remarkable vibe that Africa will have amazed me with.
I will state in the video credits and YouTube info box on how I am not intending to breach any Copyright Laws since this is made for entertainment purposes only. I own no right to any of the tracks and songs used. All rights got to the respectful Artists and record studios. The photos and recordings were captured by me (along with the stated assistants and other friends used credited work used). etc
But you'll have to wait and see once I've written up the HUGE post and crammed in as many pictures as I can on here. I still need to decide if I'll use iMovie or another software to make the video. I might even have to make a 2 Part post special to cram in everything instead of it being one big one... who knows?
I can't believe that a guy like me is actually going to be doing this, let alone the fact that I have my 2nd Tough Mudder happening a week after I return (I'd better fit in one or two 6Mile runs before then to make sure I've still got it after a week in another world).
I'm still thinking about how to get that first photo of me at the Airport with everything on me and what dramatic and attention seeking post I'll write up before I cut off the Wi-Fi for 10 days and only use the camera on the phone with the big one. Walkers River Camp sure does look luxurious!
Remember, if I can do this? Then you can too! And I can't wait to show you all... Everything!!!
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