After our visit with family members ended tonight, I processed a couple more photos from our Out of Africa trip this past Sunday.  I find that most photos are much more interesting when the subject is up close (landscapes are the exception, of course), and I was delighted with this extreme example:

Giraffe

We took a ride in a unimog (a truck with seating in the back for paying customers on the “safari”) into the Serengeti area of the park where many of the animals came running to greet us.  They were, of course, accustomed to being fed by the people in the unimogs.  Our tour guide had provided each of us with a handful of animal treats and we were encouraged to interact with the animals.  This giraffe was very friendly, and so I was able to get some great shots of him through the open roof of the unimog.  I was using a 75-200mm zoom lens, which proved to be overkill for this type of shooting.  I would have been much better off to have used the standard lens, but I didn’t want to waste time changing lenses.  The clear blue sky was a perfect background for the headshot of the big guy.

The tour guide, Jeff, let us know that the giraffe would even take the treats from between our teeth if we were willing to risk a kiss from a giraffe.  So my hubby, being the clown that he is, decided to give it a try.  I missed the exact moment that the treat was exchanged, but I did get a clear shot of the stream of giraffe saliva that they shared after their big wet kiss:

Giraffe Wet Kiss

Some people celebrate Valentine’s Day with chocolate, some with roses, and some with giraffe kisses.