Sean Crane Unfiltered

We’re sitting down with Sean Crane, National Geographic wildlife photographer and founder of Crane Wildlife Tours, and talking about what it actually feels like to step away from the noise and fully disconnect in a world that never really turns off.

We get into what it’s like to go on one of his bucket-list safaris, where you’re not just experiencing wild places and animals up close, but having it all documented by someone who’s spent his career telling stories at the highest level. From unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounters to the quiet moments you don’t realize you need, this conversation really pulls you into it.

We also talk about his background in the advertising world, how storytelling has changed, and what it looks like to create meaningful work in a digital-first space.

And because it’s us… we mix in some fun games too.

If you’re into animals, travel, creativity, or just need a mental reset, you’re going to love this one.

Transcript

Introduction to Connecticut Unfiltered

SPEAKER_05 0:00

This episode is brought to you by the State of Connecticut and CtmakeitHear.com. From innovators and entrepreneurs to artists and leaders, the people on this show could call anywhere home, but they've chosen Connecticut. In this state, they're building businesses, growing careers, raising families, and creating lives that matter. Here's why they chose Connecticut and why for so many people it's the best place to call home.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

This is the voice behind the reheated coffee club, the Instagram page with 50 plus thousand followers, sharing our state's hidden treasures in the little moments that can make life magical.

SPEAKER_05 0:31

If Connecticut's been showing up on your feed lately, that's not an accident. The virgin your grandparents remember is long gone. This isn't a drive-thru state anymore. It's a destination. And on this podcast, we talk to the people making that happen. This is Connecticut Unfiltered. Hello

Meet Sean Crane: Wildlife Photographer

SPEAKER_05 0:52

and welcome to Connecticut Unfiltered. I am your host, Ellie from Reheated Coffee Club. And today we have Sean Crane. In a world where everyone seems to be glued to their phones trying to capture the perfect moment, today's guest has built something that helps people actually experience it. Sean Crane is an internationally recognized wildlife photographer and founder of Crane Wildlife Tours, leading curated wildlife safaris in places like Africa and many, many others that we will get into today, where guests come home with professionally captured photos and videos shot by a photographer whose work has been recognized by National Geographic, the BBC, and the Smithsonian. Welcome to the podcast, Sean Crane.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Thank you for having me, Ellie.

SPEAKER_05 1:30

So today's gift is brought to you by actually Amazon. I tried to go small business, but I couldn't find what I was looking for elsewhere.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

And I and I and I open it.

SPEAKER_05 1:40

You can yes, you please open it.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

It looks like it could be socks.

SPEAKER_05 1:43

So they're not just socks. Yeah, but they are thematic, very realistic animal socks.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Yes. This looks like uh a moor tiger.

SPEAKER_05 1:54

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

But a bangle tiger.

SPEAKER_05 1:57

So there's lots of pairs in there. And my thought process was you could I'm sure when you're out in the wilderness, you need to camouflage. So maybe these will be. There you go.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

My water buck socks.

SPEAKER_05 2:08

There you go. And then also, you know, maybe when you're missing your wildlife tours, you and your wife. I mean, I don't yuck your yum. Maybe this is like a foreplay thing for you guys. You make the noises you hear in the wilderness.

SPEAKER_04 2:19

Could be.

SPEAKER_05 2:20

So you're welcome, Karen. That's his wife's name. Sean and I actually know each other from growing up. I mean, you were my own.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

I'm quite a bit ahead of you, but yes.

SPEAKER_05 2:32

A little. A little. I mean, yeah, I guess. You were roommates with my uncle in college, right?

SPEAKER_01 2:40

I was, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:41

And that was in Massachusetts?

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Aaron Ross Powell In Virginia, in Richmond, Virginia.

SPEAKER_05 2:44

Oh, okay. Okay. And is that where you're from?

SPEAKER_01 2:46

I'm from Cheshire, Connecticut.

SPEAKER_05 2:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Okay. Like your uncle. And we grew up together. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 2:51

Okay. So from Cheshire. And then did you guys both decide you were going to go to Virginia together?

SPEAKER_01 2:55

We did.

SPEAKER_05 2:56

And did you go the whole frat boy route with him?

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Aaron Ross Powell I did not. He went that route. I stayed independent.

SPEAKER_05 3:02

Aaron Ross Powell And you like held his hair back when he was puking up his natty lights?

SPEAKER_01 3:07

There might have been a few nights. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 3:09

And did you go to school for photography? Did you go the creative route?

SPEAKER_01 3:14

No. Well, I was an English major in college. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 3:16

Trevor Burrus So then when did your photography career begin? Because clearly you didn't go the route of like English professor. Well, I mean, you are making books, but of more of like a picture form now.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Aaron Ross Powell Yeah. So I've always been uh I mean everyone's a photographer now, but um growing up, my dad was a city editor of the Bristol Press and he worked at several other Connecticut newspapers, and he would always bring the cameras home. And so as a kid, I was always playing with the cameras. But you know, my career has been as a creative director for advertising agencies. And um but on the side I always uh shot and especially wildlife. And since about 2012, I've been um I have a a a rep out in California called Minden Pictures, and they license my images uh worldwide. So I always did that on the side.

SPEAKER_06 4:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Uh, you know, the side little business with uh my main thing being uh advertising.

SPEAKER_05 4:12

Aaron Powell So you took your like love for photography growing up, and then you kind of went in the advertising route at first with like a big agency. And you were making commercials, or what were you doing with that?

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Yeah. So um I've worked at I think I've worked at 10 different ad agencies across the case.

SPEAKER_05 4:30

Oh wow. Was it like a real madman situation?

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Aaron Powell At some of the places, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 4:34

I mean, I was everyone smoking cigarettes in the boardroom.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Well, back in the day they could you could smoke in the office. That was that was true. You know, I was 10 years in Denver, uh, then I was in New York for a couple of years, and then Detroit for six years working on cars, and then back in New York for about 11 years. Trevor Burrus, Jr. When you say working on cars, like working on cars, oh I was like, Wait, we missed a step here.

SPEAKER_05 4:56

Jack of many trades.

SPEAKER_01 4:57

Yeah, no, I was at a big global ad agency in Detroit, and we kind of uh even though globally all sorts of clients, the Detroit office was really kind of an in-house thing for GM. So we did Cadillac and we did um Pontiac. I was probably the last one to do Pontiac ads before they got rid of Pontiac.

SPEAKER_05 5:18

Yeah, I was about to say don't see many Pontiacs around.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

Yeah. In 2002, I I was 38 in 2002, and I took a break from advertising and I moved into my car. And the goal was to you know take about four months and drive to Alaska photographing wildlife and whatever else along the way. And that turned into a year-long journey. I went to every state.

SPEAKER_05 5:42

Um You went to every state and the country.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

I obviously didn't drive to Hawaii. I did drive to Alaska, but then I got a publisher to publish a book, uh a very specific book on my travels, and ended up flying to Hawaii to get the last, you know, every state is represented in the book. Wow. So what's that book called? The the book is gonna sound odd. Uh it's called American Hydrant.

SPEAKER_06 6:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

And it was my way of showcasing America because there's a hydrant on every street corner.

SPEAKER_06 6:13

Oh, that's very clever.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

And so they were always framed up uh in a conceptual way to say something about the place. So for instance, in Detroit, it's uh the hydrant reflected off the hubcap of a Buick. Uh when I was in Seattle, I shot through the front window of a Starbucks. You know, they all had a like a very advertising-y line, you know, the the birthplace of coffee as we now know it.

SPEAKER_05 6:33

Yeah. Well, did you do the Connect? Oh, I guess we weren't to beat the Capitol yet, but you could do it through the eyes of a pepperoni.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Aaron Powell Connecticut was tough because you also have to, you can have an idea, but then you don't have the hydrant where you need it.

SPEAKER_05 6:43

Trevor Burrus, Jr. Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

And so for Connecticut, I ended up I had one from every state. Some states got more. There was like 120 shots in the book. But Connecticut, I just had Ivy because I was just thinking of Yale. And uh so I shot in New Haven through uh through the Ivy. So I can't I can't remember what it said, but so where can people get this book now? Uh I you know, it you can get Sync on Amazon. It's still on Amazon. Is it Barnes Noble?

SPEAKER_05 7:08

Are we at some independent bookstores?

SPEAKER_01 7:10

Aaron Ross Powell The publisher was called Santa Monica Press. Okay. And but that was a long time ago. So anyway, so I thought I was going to I'm like, oh, I'm getting a book published. Yeah. I'm on my way. Yeah. I'm not doing advertising anymore. And I quickly realized that uh I didn't know that I had to promote it myself and all that. Exactly. Uh as an ad guy, I should have known that.

SPEAKER_05 7:30

Yeah. Um, well, social media was probably like just becoming at the time.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Yeah, it wasn't a thing. My my mother bought a bunch of copies, um, you know, and a few other people. You know, I think I mentioned already around 2012 is when I start I signed on with a stock agent selling stock photography.

SPEAKER_05 7:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

So for like calendars and were those primarily animals? Yeah, it was all wildlife.

SPEAKER_05 7:53

Okay. So now we're all wildlife in 2012.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 7:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

And so I thought that when I signed on with that, okay. Um another step closer.

SPEAKER_05 8:02

Yeah. I mean it it was.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

It was, but it's also around the time that, you know, back in the day you used to be able to make a career out of being a stock photographer.

SPEAKER_06 8:10

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

And the amount of money that you get for an image just uh gets smaller and smaller every year. Um everyone's got a camera now, you're competing against, you know, people that take one good shot in their life. Um and you just you just can't you know, there's there's not the magazines that there used to be. Um online usage, you just don't get nearly as much as you used to get in a in a um you know, an analog magazine. Um nowadays it's to the point where I actually make more money on unauthorized usage each I get paid each quarter from the stock agent. And I, you know, I get a list of you know, um quarter page magazine, you know, Nat Geo magazines, you never know which one it is. But then you see unauthorized usage. They basically have a machine where they just they have a lawyer that just goes after people. And so I don't I don't have to do anything and I get you know I get a percentage of that. Oh, that's nice.

SPEAKER_05 9:06

Yeah. It's kind of like a actor getting his royalty checks for like 10 cents.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

Right. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 9:12

Um I wonder how stock photo companies now can differentiate between like AI and legitimate photos.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 9:20

Because like imagine Nat Geo publishing something only to find out that it was like an AI photo of like didn't really happen. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Right. And so with my stock agent, uh when I submit photos to them. So basically I'll come back from a trip and I'll uh you know mark all the shots that I think are worthy. I'll send them uh to the stock agent and then they'll pick a percentage of those, they'll write me back, and then I have to provide them with the raw photo.

The Journey of a Wildlife Photographer

SPEAKER_06 9:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Right? So that's the unmanipulated photo. Sure.

SPEAKER_06 9:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Um and there's very strict rules. Um when it comes to AI in wildlife photography, wildlife photography is still uh probably the most ethical when it comes to um even though people don't, you know, Instagram is full of AI animals that don't even exist. Right. These birds that I see that I could tell immediately that's not a real bird.

SPEAKER_05 10:16

Yeah, my mom can't tell the difference. Yeah. Most people can't. Most people can't tell the difference of real and AI. It's crazy. It's scary. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

But when I submit, uh there can't be any AI. Um I can't even edit with AI when I submit to my stock agent. And the same goes for the big um international wildlife photo competitions. Uh AI isn't allowed. You have to uh prove it by showing your raw file.

SPEAKER_05 10:40

That's great. I'm glad that there are some restrictions on it because if not, you know, AI can go wild. Um do you ever think about having a farm?

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Well, we live on five acres. Oh wow. We could have a little poly farm. We could get some goats back there. Um but uh my my wife would be more into that than me. I I I love all animals, but my thing is seeing them in their natural habitat. Um I don't want to go to the zoo. Um I do go to zoos.

SPEAKER_05 11:11

Zoos are tough for me because the kids obviously love them and it's giving them education about these animals that they might have not normally seen in a you know safe environment, but there is that component of like heartbreaking, like they have this amount of space when they should be in the wild. But they wouldn't survive in the wild.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

And I should say there's there's there's really good zoos and ethical zoos and then Connecticut has a really good zoo, Beardsley Zoo.

SPEAKER_05 11:36

Okay, I haven't been yet.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Um Yeah, it's a it's a great place. And and they have a program. I mentioned early the uh the Amor Tiger. Yeah. They specialize in that and they they actually have one. It's a very um endangered, rare uh tiger that lives in Asia. And um, you know, they have a breeding program. So there's zoos that are helping to keep certain endangered species um alive. Aaron Ross Powell Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:00

Well, I respect that. My um rehearsal dinner was actually at an animal sanctuary. So it was a super kitschy place. It was like old advertisements all up on the walls, old like muscle cars, and then randomly there'd be like lemurs, goats, yeah. Random animals, and you could just like go play and interact with them, but they were all rehabilitated and it was called like fantasy farms, like such a weird place.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

But sounds like a Florida place.

SPEAKER_05 12:25

Yeah, it was it was definitely a Florida place. Also, I mean, you know me, I like things a little off the beaten path. So I wasn't gonna have like a sit-down dinner at a restaurant. Um speaking of endangered animals, I am wearing one of Sean's shirts today.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

This is He got the orang orangutan.

SPEAKER_05 12:40

Orangutang. So if you're listening to this, he does a series of shirts. Actually, the onesies that came out recently are really cute too. It's like for little kids, the different the names of the different groups of animals. Yeah. And then them. But this series shows an animal and then underneath it has the level of extinction that it is, correct?

SPEAKER_01 13:01

Yeah, the conservation status. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 13:03

So what is what is C R? That's what the right thing is. Critically endangered. And so what is so the first one is EX. What is that one?

SPEAKER_01 13:10

That's extinct.

SPEAKER_05 13:11

Oh, so this is the worst side.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Yeah. They're they're done.

SPEAKER_05 13:15

Oh man. So we're like close to the worst.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Yeah. Critically endangered is we got to act now, or these animals aren't going to be around in even 20 years.

SPEAKER_05 13:23

Aaron Powell So then we have EW.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

That's extinct in the wild. So there were there were some rhinos we saw on our trip uh two years ago in Kenya that were extinct in the wild. They they had two of them that were at a national park, but they were kept in a enclosure, and they were uh northern white rhinos.

SPEAKER_05 13:41

Aaron Ross Powell And then we have CR, which is the orangutan that's critical. Critically endangered. E N.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Endangered.

SPEAKER_05 13:47

Endangered V U.

SPEAKER_01 13:50

That's vulnerable. Vulnerable. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Vulnerable. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 13:53

N T.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Near-threatened.

SPEAKER_05 13:55

And then L C that's least concern. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:57

So there's no shirts of least concern in that collection. We don't have to worry about them.

SPEAKER_05 14:00

Aaron Ross Powell So that whole series is called Species Limited because you're really bringing awareness to the endangerment of these animals. And if we don't act now, like what could happen?

SPEAKER_01 14:10

Yeah. So Species Limited is an apparel brand that that I created, specieslimited.com. And there are currently, I think, six different collections. That's the conservation status collection.

SPEAKER_05 14:23

I have two of your shirts.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

Trevor Burrus And a percentage of proceeds will go to certain conservation organizations. A place called Retetti, which is an elephant sanctuary in Kenya that we visit when we take people there. Yeah. So the proceeds that we've made from shirt sales are we're going to deliver them in person when we go to Retetti.

SPEAKER_05 14:44

Oh my gosh. Please capture that on the video at once.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Karen will handle that.

SPEAKER_05 14:50

So your wife is very much involved in the business. It's a partnership. Is she involved in just the wildlife tours or also is she more of the business and you're more the creative? How does that partnership work?

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Yeah. So I'm not allowed to even talk business. Yeah. She says if I if I'm in charge of that, we'll never make any money because we'll be paying to go there because I just want to go. Yeah. So people say I want to pay this. I'm like, yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_06 15:13

Yeah, sure, sure, sure, sure.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

So I'm not even allowed. Uh that's that's been a point of contention. I stay in my lane.

SPEAKER_05 15:20

Um Listen, we love a man who knows what his lane is.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Well I've learned. I've learned. And so our our tour company is called Crane Wildlife Tours. And our big point of difference is that uh we encourage people to remain. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. You want to be in the moment, you want to be present, you don't want to be worried about documenting the moment. You know, we live in a society now. I know that's your world. Yeah. Everything is over-documentation.

SPEAKER_05 15:49

Over-documenting. I I'm listening I get annoyed with myself.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

So it's like, listen, if you want to bring the camera, great. I love teaching. But you can just sit back and enjoy the greatest show on earth and not have to worry because you're traveling with your own personal nat geo photographer, as our our one of our clients said. Um and what you get is I I know, I know a lot of people are listening in, but I brought a few um hardcover books after each trip. We're gorgeous. Like we create a museum quality hardcover book of the best moments from each trip. And we also um I produce a 20-minute documentary-style film uh from each trip. And you know, my experience as a creative director, my whole career um, you know, really helps with that. I I shoot it, I edit it, and uh, you know, uh and get that out to everybody. So those are two things unique to Crane Wildlife Tours. Um we're almost the opposite of a photo tour.

SPEAKER_06 16:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

You know, as a photographer, I could have gone that route. I could have done photo workshops.

SPEAKER_06 16:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

But a lot of people do those. Right. We haven't seen anyone that does this.

SPEAKER_05 16:56

That's I mean, what

Wildlife Tours: Experience Over Capture

SPEAKER_05 16:58

you're doing, especially in this climate, in this time in the world, is so unique and so interesting. And that's, you know, a main reason why I wanted to get you on the podcast, because it's something that I think so many people would benefit from. Like just actually, I know I would. I can't wait to be able to book a wildlife tour with you guys. Because it's able to actually fully be present. And that is so hard in such a digital world that we're in, in an AI world that we're in, to be able to go and be fully present, but then not worry, like you still have the memories.

SPEAKER_01 17:31

But I but I could see you running around with your camera though and getting and sending out your nightly.

SPEAKER_05 17:36

Sure, but listen, but it would be I would have to like retrain my brain and be like, that's not what this is. And it probably be would be like a life-changing experience for me because I'm not worried about like when I'm 80, I don't have the memories. Or, you know, if I want to make an Instagram real, I have your documentary style footage, but actually being there, I'm not worried about getting the shot. I'm not worried about capturing the moment, recreating something, making it perfect. I can just be. And that sounds that sounds like a dream vacation.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

And that's what we sell. We sell presents. Right. We st that's that's our big thing.

SPEAKER_05 18:11

Aaron Powell So talk to me through somebody. They find out about this, maybe they hear it on the podcast. How would somebody go about inquiring or booking? How often do they happen? Like talk to me from the beginning of wanting to go.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

So most of our trips are bespoke trips. So we will we don't necessarily have set departures. Occasionally we do when we get enough inquiries from you know, a lot of s a lot of single travelers will write to us and and they want to join a group because number one, it's not financially um viable to hire us to take one person. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_06 18:44

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Um So you know, we just did one where we did uh put together a group of people. And you know, Karen in particular is very careful about who she thinks is gonna get along well on a trip.

SPEAKER_05 18:58

Okay. So it's like a curated group group.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

It's a curated group.

SPEAKER_05 19:01

Um so someone could be denied their entry for their trip.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

No one's gonna be denied. We'll be like, well, let's put her or him on this next one with these guys because I think they'll get along. Um but but generally it's a group that that all knows each other. And um so we'll get a we'll get a call or someone will write to us on our website, Crane Wildlife Tours.com, and uh we'll start the conversation. And and this is the part I really like because uh I've been so many times into so many different places around the world. Um again, we specialize in Africa, but we'll go anywhere. Um but we sit down and we say, well, what are you looking for? What type of trip? What type of things do you want to see? Do you want to do just safari? Do you want to do gorillas? You know, we kind of specialize in doing both. We'll give our opinion uh based on what the group is thinking, and then we'll talk time of year. You know, time of year definitely impacts um the wildlife and the whole experience. And also, you know, people might have kids in college that they can only go certain times. Um, you know, the price is is greatly affected by the time of year, the price can go up 30, 40 percent depending on what time of year you're there. Um so we have these conversations. Um you know, people there's definitely a fear factor when it comes to going to Africa in particular. Uh most people had never been and they just don't know what to expect. There's so many different kinds of tours you can do. We bill this, you know, our bucket, we call it our bucket list trip, and we bill it as the trip I wish I knew about the first time I went. And that's great. Yeah, there's things like vehicle vehicles to me are the single most important thing when you're on safari. You're on safari, you're in a vehicle.

SPEAKER_05 20:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

You don't want to be in a closed-sided pop-top minivan, which I've been on my first trip.

SPEAKER_05 20:50

Oh. You want like the open jeep?

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Open air land cruisers. I mean, that's what you want.

SPEAKER_05 20:54

I did a cru I did a tour like that in Aruba, and it was so much fun. We literally like jumped out of like the open windows to like feed wild donkeys apples.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

You can't do that with lions.

SPEAKER_05 21:04

Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:05

I wouldn't have I wouldn't suggest it. But but yeah, so so so that's that's really important. And then you know, everyone's got questions about you know, everyone thinks that Africa is full of mosquitoes because you have to take malaria medications. It's not. There's hardly any mosquitoes. There might be one that bites you that has malaria, so you gotta prep for it.

SPEAKER_05 21:24

So do people have to get like certain vaccinations before they go on these trips?

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Aaron Powell The only one that they have to get you know, again, we always tell people we're not doctors. We can't we can't um we can tell you what we do. Um but the one that's required is yellow fever. Okay. Because um and and that's kind of become a little bit standard in a lot of countries in the world because they don't want you bringing it in.

SPEAKER_06 21:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

You know, so if you were in a country that had yellow fever, and then you go into uh another country. And so that's the one thing, you gotta get your yellow fever vaccination card, that's good for life. Um we did have a woman. Who lost her card on our last trip, and we were crossing the border from Rwanda into Uganda. And you know, you have to have it. They check it one out of ten times. Sure.

SPEAKER_05 22:12

And this just happened to be.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

They were checking it.

SPEAKER_05 22:14

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

And so we this was the end of the trip, and we were telling her all along, listen, I we think you're fine. We got some notes from doctors. Famous last word. Well, we had we had a we had a backup plan.

SPEAKER_05 22:23

Okay, good.

SPEAKER_01 22:24

You know, we mentioned Karen. My wife Karen is the fixer.

SPEAKER_05 22:27

Like she could Plan A, B, C, D.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

She could bury the bodies for the mob if she wanted to. I mean, she's Oh, good person to have my back pocket. She can figure it out. Yeah. But so she, you know, I'm I I'm going first. We're we're on foot, crossing the border. It's an intimidating process. And I look back, and this woman sees that they're checking the yellow fever cards, and I see the look on her face. Karen just times it perfectly. Right when the woman gets up there, Karen starts flirting with that guy. He starts laughing.

SPEAKER_05 22:55

She is a good-looking lady.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

He starts thank you. Yeah. She uh the guy starts laughing and doesn't pay attention, just hands her, but you know, we get through no.

SPEAKER_05 23:04

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 23:05

We had a backup plan. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 23:08

Trevor Burrus, Jr. You know, that is a backup plan. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

I mean, it's crazy the things that go wrong, like someone had the wrong passport. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_05 23:15

Oh my God. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Have you done any of these tours with this new age of like ice and like what's happening with the United States with travel and travel bands?

SPEAKER_01 23:27

Yeah, I haven't been to the airport since this has happened.

SPEAKER_05 23:31

I'm curious. Next you'll have to get back to me after your next wildlife tour if it makes traveling harder, if it doesn't affect it. I mean I'm traveling out of Jersey in a few weeks.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

That's one of the airports that is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 23:46

So we'll see how that goes. So that's that's so interesting to me. So have you like cultivated relationships with these like tribes and people in Africa? Do you have like the spots you go to?

SPEAKER_01 23:55

Yeah. So and that's part of it too. So you know, everyone's a little nervous, they're getting off the plane. Um we have a guy, uh six foot four Maasai warrior by the name of Jeros. And you know, we can't always get Jeros, but so far we've always gotten Jeros. And we'll tell we work with the ground agent, and we tell that ground agent, you know, that the ground agent books actually does the bookings um of the camps. And um the ground agent has the vehicles when we do need to. Most of the time we fly in a bush plane to get to different camps, but sometimes you have to drive. And they have the vehicles. And Jeros is our day-to-day guy that we're with. And, you know, he's family to us. And when we show up at the airport and you see Jeros, we get off the plane, I call him J Force, and there's Jaros and big smile, Karen, Sean, big hugs. All of a sudden everyone just relaxes. They're like, Oh, look at how friendly it is here. This guy and Jaros becomes everyone's favorite part of the trip. You know, it's like you've seen all these great animals, but people just love that day-to-day having having your meals with Jaros. Um, generally he he sometimes will come out on safari with us, um, but the camps themselves have their own guides that take you out, their driver guides that take you out. Um but he becomes a big part of it. Um and we go to camps that we've been to before, that we have relationships with. Um we went uh in April a couple of years ago, which is not the suggested time to go to Africa because it's during the long rains.

SPEAKER_06 25:27

Oh, okay.

The Unique Aspects of Wildlife Safaris

SPEAKER_01 25:28

But and some of the camps will close, but they opened up for us because um of the relationship that we have with them. And so we had the camp to ourselves and um got really lucky.

SPEAKER_05 25:37

Aaron Powell So what are these camps like? What are they what are like the sleeping quarters like?

SPEAKER_01 25:41

So you know my wife and uh she's not gonna tolerate anything that wouldn't fit right into Condonas Traveler magazine. You know, these are Oh, so it's like a glamping situation. Aaron Ross Powell I don't want to say glamping. I mean, you are out there in the middle of the savannah without fences or any of that. But these are these are um luxury camps.

SPEAKER_06 26:03

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 26:04

And uh you know, we go to one regularly that is set on a river. It's called Elephant Bedroom, and you even get your own private plunge pool on your deck outside of your What? Yeah. So the tents are built raised teak platforms, you know, hot and cold running water. Some of them will have a nice claw foot tub in there, you know.

SPEAKER_05 26:25

Damn. So this could potentially be like a honeymoon for someone.

SPEAKER_01 26:28

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 26:29

This is sounding very nice. And that's um so you we were talking about Do I get a friends and family discount? I guess I'll talk to Karen. We do.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

We do we do, we do. Well, no, I need to do one of the an influencer trip, is what we need to do.

SPEAKER_05 26:40

Um listen, I will plan the shit out of an influencer trip for you. We will make you the most Instagrammable wildlife photographer.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

But when it comes to the camps, you know, that's one of the things when we meet with people, because camps are the single biggest thing really that drives cost, you know, the level of camp that you want to stay at.

SPEAKER_05 26:59

But I feel like people will pay more for a more comfortable place to land their head at night.

SPEAKER_01 27:04

Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:05

And sometimes especially the clientele that you're probably booking.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

Yeah. And sometimes it's like, okay, let's go to let's go to this camp here, but our last three days we really want to step it up, you know, at the and we'll we'll always give a lot of options. We'll have our favorites. And our favorites are the ones where the luxury doesn't get in the way of the wildlife experience. That's always number one.

SPEAKER_02 27:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

And because there are camps like that where you're going to go high-end and you're a little more distanced from the experience. And so we um go to all camps where um, you know, the guiding and uh the trackers and all that, uh, the wildlife experience is is number one. But you're spending a lot of time back at the camp, and that's part of it too.

SPEAKER_05 27:47

Aaron Ross Powell, so has there ever been an instance where like the animals are coming up to people's sleeping quarters?

SPEAKER_01 27:52

Um They do, they do. But you're you there's never been a case that I've ever heard of where an animal other than a monkey at certain places um has entered a room. And I say we go to this one place where the monkeys got really smart and they associated backpacks with food because people would always have uh an energy bar or whatever.

SPEAKER_05 28:15

Monkeys are very, very intelligent.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

We tell people not to, you know, bring food back into their tents. But at this camp, they used to have zippers and the monkeys figured out how to unzip the tents. Oh I think that's a good thing. So they now have doors on those tents. So these are like, when I say tents, they're basically like canvas houses. You know.

SPEAKER_05 28:33

Okay, okay. Gotcha. I'm picturing it now. Um can people see pictures of like the camps and stuff like on your website or if they wanted to see what the sleeping quarters and I have a couple galleries on the website.

SPEAKER_01 28:45

I got a wildlife gallery, a camp life gallery, and then a locals life uh gallery. It's all part of the colour.

SPEAKER_05 28:50

My mom had a monkey growing up. It used to be the monkey?

SPEAKER_01 28:54

I remember I've heard lore.

SPEAKER_05 28:56

I've heard that the monkey used to throw its shit and put its penis in their ears.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

Your your your uncle I didn't hear that, but I did hear about your uncle Johnny.

SPEAKER_05 29:05

What would he try to like get the monkey?

SPEAKER_01 29:07

Came home a little drunk one night and got in a bar fight and had stitches. I don't know if you ever noticed Johnny's got a little bit of a nick out of his nose. Apparently the monkey undid the stitches.

SPEAKER_05 29:19

No.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

We never they never found the little piece of nose.

SPEAKER_05 29:23

Oh my the monkey probably ate it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

Well, that's the prevailing wisdom. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 29:27

Oh my gosh. Well, on that note, we're gonna take a quick break and we'll be back. If you're someone who cares about supporting local farms, you should check out Pink Tractor Crew. They're passionate about connecting people with Connecticut agriculture, whether that's finding fresh dairy delivered right to your door or tracking down maple syrup straight from the tap. It's all about supporting local farmers and making fresh food more accessible. You can explore their resources at StantonsBM.com. You know how edibles can feel a little intimidating if you're not exactly sure where to start? That's actually why I love the Happy Confection. A Connecticut brand based in Westbrook, they've made edibles really approachable by creating ratio-based cannabis gummies. So instead of everything hitting the same way, the experience is dialed in depending on what you're looking for. Whether that's relaxing or feeling creative or just unwinding at the end of a day, there's even options for medical card patients looking for higher potencies. Everything is chef crafted with organic ingredients, vegan, gluten-free, and made with strain-specific terpenes, so you get a consistent experience without that bitter aftertaste that a lot of gummies can have. They're also queer-owned, women-owned, and family run, and you can find them in over 60 dispensaries across Connecticut. You can find the closest one nearest to you at thehappyconfection.com, and don't forget to sign up for their email lists where you can find out about product launches and deals going on near you. They're called the Happy Confection, and it's cannabis crafted for joy. Looking for insurance is honestly so stressful. Every year when I have to deal with it, I feel like I need a spot after. And that's why I love Keating Agency Insurance in West Hartford. They're a third-generation family business with a real people-first mantra. They do the hard part for you, shopping multiple companies to find the best coverage. They handle home, auto, business, life, and even umbrella policies and can bundle things to save you money. So instead of spiraling online, comparing policies, just call Keating and let them handle it.

Back From Break

SPEAKER_05 31:16

Welcome back to the podcast. When we left, we were talking about monkeys and wieners and eating noses. And so what a great place to come right back to. So let's talk a little bit more about these African safari syrups. But you don't just go to Africa. Have you done what the Galapagos? Where else are you taking these safaris?

SPEAKER_01 31:35

Yeah. So I personally have been on every continent photographing wildlife. And um we will take people anywhere. You know, if we get a group that wants to go to Antarctica and take, you know, have Karen and I plan the trip, lead the trip, and document the trip, right? That's what we do. We document trips for people, um, then we will gladly uh do that. Um right now I'm currently planning one in Costa Rica, one in um the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, and uh one in Madagascar for groups that have expressed interest there. We do specialize in East Africa, but we are doing Tanzania and Rwanda, which is kind of almost the same thing, right? You choose either Kenya or Tanzania for your East African savannah classic safari. Yeah. And then you choose either Rwanda or Uganda for gorillas, which adds a nice juxtaposition. It's a much different environment. Um, you're trekking, you're on foot, you're you're you're trekking for the monkeys or for the gorillas, um, and also golden monkeys.

SPEAKER_05 32:39

I feel like that would scare me a little. Like I almost feel like being in the confines of a vehicle like makes me feel safe. Because I mean, these are this isn't a zoo. These are it's their habitat. You don't know.

SPEAKER_01 32:49

Has there ever been like a close call of something that like well so the thing with gorillas, so gorillas we were talking earlier about they're critically endangered. Right. Mountain gorillas. There's two two um, there's the lowland gorillas and the mountain gorillas. And when I first started, the first time I saw gorillas was in the early 2000s, and there were only 600 or 700 left. Now there's about twice that. So the efforts have been working. Um and they're generally in just a small they're just they they only live in a small area of the Varunga Mountains that spills over into Rwanda, Uganda, and the Congo. The gorilla families, gorillas live in families, and uh because they're critically endangered, only eight people a day are allowed to visit each family. So so they'll get they'll get one visit. Um there's not like the early morning and then the afternoon. You it goes out in the morning. If it takes you all day, it takes you all day. If it takes you ten minutes, it takes you ten minutes. So you never know where the gorillas are gonna be. And then when you see them, you never know where you're gonna find them. So you set out on your trek, the trackers are out there all night, so they they they will always find them. I've never gone and they haven't found them. You can never guarantee anything in wildlife, but I've never heard of a group not seeing the gorillas.

SPEAKER_03 34:05

That's good.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

Um it just might take a while to catch up to them, and you never know if they're gonna be right off the trail or if you're gonna have to do some bushwhacking. And so we've done both. When you find them, you never know what the terrain's gonna be like. This is true jungle. This is volcanic mountains.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:22

Um, you know, there's three true jungles on Earth: Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Amazon. And uh and so we've you know, sometimes you you find them and you're backed up against a cliff or something, and you're very you're this close, right?

SPEAKER_05 34:41

Like from me to you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:42

Okay. And you can't approach them. Okay. But if they approach you, and oftentimes if there's babies in the group, um, you know, the adults, they know you're not a you're you're not a threat. They've been habituated by the trackers that live out there in the forest with them. Um so they don't even pay attention to you.

SPEAKER_05 34:59

So even if they have their babies, they're not like territorial or like No. Because that's like, you know, with bears.

SPEAKER_01 35:04

They're no, you're not gonna hurt them.

SPEAKER_05 35:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

And uh but there are a few things. So so when we hike, we're with uh porters. Everyone gets gets a porter. And the porters are great because they they'll they'll, you know, a lot a lot of people are like, oh, I don't need a porter to carry my backpack and to help me hike. They're always glad that they do because if it's wet, if you're getting into an area where you there's no technical climbing or anything, but you might, you know, they'll pull you up or push you up. Um push and pull. Yeah. And um but when we get when when they find the gorillas, the porters don't go in. Like so so you'll see, like, okay, they're they're they're right over that ridge, they're in there, and the porters will stop. And then we go to see them, and the porters will stay there, and they have their walking sticks. Well, there was one time that the gorillas saw the walking stick and got really protective because that that was uh viewed as a threat.

SPEAKER_06 36:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 36:02

So the porters kind of got too close. Um no one was in danger.

SPEAKER_05 36:06

Was it like just like beating the chest and like like warning sounds?

SPEAKER_01 36:10

Yes. So no one was um, you know, in danger.

SPEAKER_05 36:13

But I think I would shit myself.

SPEAKER_01 36:15

We we've been we've been there when because of the terrain, you know, the gorillas had we we've been very close because we couldn't back up. They, you know, they couldn't back up. And so there's times where the gorillas will walk by, and we've had one client wear a wear a silverback, the big male silverback, just kind of reached up and gently pushed off just to get around him. Oh my god. Like he wasn't pushing him or anything. He was just steadying himself as he went.

SPEAKER_05 36:41

I think that if a giant gorilla like scooted me out of the way, I could be like, my life is complete.

SPEAKER_01 36:48

That's amazing. That's all it was. And you know, and the babies, you know, you're hoping that the babies come close. So we we had one that performed for us. It came again this close, it was five feet away, and it started doing somersaults.

SPEAKER_05 36:59

Oh my gosh. And you do and you have this documented for these people, right?

SPEAKER_01 37:03

So that trip I wasn't yet, yes, I have it on on stills. I wasn't shooting video at the time.

SPEAKER_05 37:09

Gotcha, gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 37:10

But um I got some great shots of that. Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.

SPEAKER_05 37:12

Because that's something that, like in my content creating mind and my influencer mind, I would be like, this is incredible. I need to capture this. But at the same time, the the part of me who loves travel, loves animals, would not want to be searching for my phone. I'd want to just be in that moment. So this is a perfect example of like where that uniqueness of the way that you guys do these documented safaris, where that could be the best of both worlds for these people.

SPEAKER_01 37:38

Yeah. And that's the that's what people

Connecting Through Wildlife Experiences

SPEAKER_01 37:40

learn. And they, you know, and people do send out their nightly social posts. I never send out anything because I'm I'm capturing raw footage. Sure. I'm not editing anything until I come home. And so everyone's comparing all their shots. And then it's such a bonus when we have our book reveal party. If people are local, um, you know, we were talking earlier about the process. We'll have people over for dinner before we go, if they're local, to get to know each other. Um, we'll have them up to our house in Farmington. Um, and then afterwards, if we can get people together, we'll do the book reveal and video reveal. And if people can't make it, we had a couple uh LA people on our last trip. They zoomed in. Oh, that's so cool.

SPEAKER_05 38:20

So people can like connect, meet people, connect with them, travel with them again.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Aaron Powell And that group, which you know, it was a lot of people we put together, like there ended up being 10 guests. They all want to do they're the ones who we're planning the Madagascar trip for. That is awesome. They want that to be their next trip.

SPEAKER_05 38:35

Yeah, I can imagine that you get a lot of repeat customers.

SPEAKER_01 38:38

Yeah. And so they they all became good friends. We've heard of them. There was someone in Colorado that went to visit the person in California.

SPEAKER_05 38:44

Any any romantic relationships happen? Uh I don't think invited to any weddings that came from your Safaris?

SPEAKER_01 38:54

Not that I've heard of yet.

SPEAKER_05 38:55

You can use that as a marketing like come find love and a singles trip.

SPEAKER_01 39:00

Maybe that's maybe that's the next one we got to do. Yeah. So you've never had like a scary like mountain lion interaction or um there's so getting back to your thing about gorillas, once you see them and you see how peaceful they are, and and again, they're herbivores, right? They just eat grass. They're not they don't want to hurt people. Um like you said, like the black bears here, they don't want to hurt anyone. Yeah. But if you try to get a selfie with them, they're threatened. Sure. Right. But um, you know, it's it's a very peaceful experience. And you get there and it's just like, oh my God, this is you know it ends up being the top experience, even though we're seeing lions and everything else. When we see those gorillas, because we're on foot, we're with them. We're we're we've just trekked uh, you know, like I said, either 20 minutes or two hours uh, you know, through the Varunga Mountains to to find them. Um But when you see wildlife on Safari uh you know, lions uh in particular, you're the safari vehicle is part of the landscape.

SPEAKER_06 40:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 40:07

If you were outside of the safari vehicle, other story.

SPEAKER_03 40:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:10

But y you're in the car, which you have to stay, and even though it's open air. And they we've had lions come up and they'll just they won't even look, they'll rub up against the side of the car like a cat rubbing up against your leg.

SPEAKER_06 40:21

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 40:22

And then they just you know continue on. Um you know, leopards are a little more secretive. We usually don't get quite as close to leopards, but we do get close. Cheetahs sometimes will hop on the hood of the car to get a better view over the savannah to see if there's any danger out there or to see if there's any potential you know prey out there. Um but all those fears just go away on day one.

SPEAKER_05 40:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:46

Because you just realize that's uh that you're not in danger.

SPEAKER_05 40:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:49

Um,

The Dangers of Wildlife: Hippos and Humans

SPEAKER_01 40:50

people hear about hippos who I've heard that.

SPEAKER_05 40:52

Is this true? Hippos are the most dangerous animal on the planet.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

You know, I always say that the number one animal that kills people in Africa are mosquitoes.

SPEAKER_05 40:59

Oh I was gonna say humans.

SPEAKER_01 41:01

But hippos are the number one uh mammal.

SPEAKER_06 41:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:04

And the problem with hippos, another herbivore, is uh they're highly territorial, and it's mostly local people who so the hippos will will will enter and leave the water by the same pathway every day.

SPEAKER_06 41:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:18

They have their pathway. That's that's how they come in and out. And you know, they spend most of the day in the water, they'll get sunburned, and they spend most of the day in the water, but they'll come out at night to sleep or to graze. And uh it's usually locals who are washing their clothes in that pathway.

SPEAKER_06 41:34

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 41:35

That get and they'll get charged, or you know, mostly they'll get charged. They can also, I mean, they got those big huge mouths. But, you know, we never send anyone down to water's edge. We never send anyone out to get and hippos end up hippos are definitely one of our favorites. So they're Karen's favorite. Like Karen, most of our camps are around a r, you know, a river bend or a pool where you'll hear hear hippos at night and they laugh.

Sounds of the Wild: Howler Monkeys and More

SPEAKER_01 42:03

They have this this this.

SPEAKER_05 42:04

What do they sound like? Let's do your hippo impression.

SPEAKER_01 42:06

Karen's much better at it.

SPEAKER_05 42:07

I'll hear yours.

SPEAKER_01 42:08

Oh boy. I knew you were gonna embarrass me somewhat. They're kind of like, stop. And that's what they do at night. And so I'll think are you are they like telling jokes to each other? Maybe. I don't know what they're talking about.

SPEAKER_05 42:20

Do you do you think that they're meaning to laugh, or that's just their language?

SPEAKER_01 42:22

That's their sound. That's their language. And Karen, who's a really sound sleeper, I'll think she and I'm uh the the the exact opposite. So I'm hearing this all night. And then I'll just hear her start giggling because it's it's to her, it's very funny. Um our dog makes those funny noises.

SPEAKER_05 42:37

I'm gonna have to look up hippo laughs now.

SPEAKER_01 42:40

Hippo sound.

SPEAKER_05 42:41

Um I remember I was staying in like a tree house in Nicaragua when I first heard howler monkeys.

SPEAKER_01 42:46

Oh, yeah. That's one of the great sounds.

SPEAKER_05 42:49

The greatest. That's one of the scariest sounds. I didn't know anything about howler monkeys prior to that trip. And I was staying like in a tree. Yeah. And all I hear is And I'm like, what in the clover field monster is happening? I was like, I was like with a guy I was dating at the time, some like surfer bra like, wake up, we're gonna die.

SPEAKER_01 43:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 43:15

Terrifying. You get like scary sounds out there.

SPEAKER_01 43:18

And the thing with the thing with uh holler monkeys is that sound travels.

SPEAKER_05 43:22

Yeah. Oh my God, and it echoes through the trees. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 43:24

So they might be kind of far away, but it doesn't sound like it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 43:27

I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life. I thought that it was like some like crazy monster you can only imagine. Yeah. I had no idea monkeys made that.

SPEAKER_01 43:36

So they got to warn you of those things so that you know and you look at it.

SPEAKER_05 43:38

Well, I didn't have a guide. I was just Airbnbing treehouses and planning my trip. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:44

I mean, they say it sounds like an airport, like an airplane landing or something when when a howler really gets going. It sounds like the fucking monster. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 43:51

Um what are some uh do people hear like sounds all through the night and stuff?

SPEAKER_01 43:55

Aaron Powell Um You do. It's it's a little bit less in Africa than in Like the Amazon, where you've got all sorts of interesting creatures around.

SPEAKER_02 44:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

Um, you know, Africa is, you know, a semi, even though it's, you know, the Maasai Mara in Kenya to me is the single greatest place on earth for uh uh abundance of large mammals. And yeah, and you you'll hear the hippos. You know, I always get excited when you hear a lion because that means that there's one close by. And and a lot of times like a single, especially like a single older male lion that's that's kind of been kicked out of the pride and you know doesn't really stand, you know, he's gonna live by himself for a while until he dies, um will come around camps because he feels protected.

SPEAKER_02 44:43

Oh right.

SPEAKER_01 44:44

Or a single female too.

SPEAKER_02 44:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:45

They'll feel protected.

unknown 44:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:47

Um because there's just um I don't know, there's that sense of protection by the animal because there's people around.

SPEAKER_05 44:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 44:54

Um And they're not afraid you guys are like hunters. They won't come like right into camp, but they'll be like right outside of camp.

SPEAKER_05 45:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:00

Because less animals are coming around.

SPEAKER_05 45:02

Do you ever encounter like poachers?

SPEAKER_01 45:04

Um I've never never knowingly, but there's certain things like we we can't go out at night now in national parks because um because of poachers. Okay. Um like in Kenya, it's strictly forbidden to bring a drone in. Um, which is like the one thing that, you know, I really want to get into drone photography, but I I won't be able to use it in unless I get, you know, permission from the government.

SPEAKER_05 45:30

And um, which I imagine is kind of hard right now, especially with America's kind of and and I get it, because that's what that's what poachers use. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:39

You know, they send their drones out.

SPEAKER_05 45:40

Um and then so aside from the safaris with you being on all seven continents, were you ever in a position that you're like, this photo is just not worth dying for?

SPEAKER_01 45:51

So that's a really good question. And I always get asked that. Um it's funny, I do um every year I I do a presentation to the uh Terrafil in Simsbury to the fifth group, fourth and fifth graders. Oh and that's always a question they ask.

SPEAKER_05 46:04

Yeah, they're like, Did you almost die taking a picture? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:06

And so I always show them this one shot of this black crested macaque in Indonesia that's that that went to slap me across the face.

SPEAKER_05 46:13

Is that what kind of animal is that?

SPEAKER_01 46:14

It's a really, really cool monkey. Okay. Um my logo.

SPEAKER_05 46:18

Oh, okay. Oh, okay. And that's your other shirt, I think. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:21

Yeah, that that's a that's a sometimes called the Celebs black maca macaque or a black-crested macaque. Really cool looking monkeys. In fact, that monkey got famous, that that species, because and I'll get back to the other story. Yeah, because that because years ago, um a one of them took a camera. Some guy put his camera down and it picked up his camera and took a selfie. You I don't know if you've ever seen this story. I don't know. It became a big court case because that photo that the monkey took of itself got published everywhere. And the guy whose camera it was wanted compensation. And I I can't remember what the court ruling was, but I think it was the copyright follows the photographer. Okay. And in this case, the monkey was the photographer.

SPEAKER_06 47:06

Whoa.

SPEAKER_01 47:07

So the monkey was granted. I I again I'm I'm I might be getting this wrong.

SPEAKER_05 47:11

I mean, the money can go to the conservation of that species.

SPEAKER_01 47:14

Yeah, but it was a big, it was a big court case. Wow.

SPEAKER_05 47:16

Um I mean, there's ways around so like the copyright could go to the monkey and they get the the money for conservation, and then whatever money that that photo turns into reels, turns into whatever, monetizes on social media can go to the creator. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 47:30

Yeah. I'm not I'm not sure I'm not sure how it was ever resolved.

SPEAKER_05 47:33

So one of them slapped you in the face?

SPEAKER_01 47:35

So one of those guys, and so th they're critically endangered, they're very habituated to people because there's people that live there. And um, but that hurts them because the locals will hunt them sometimes, even though it's illegal and they're they are critically endangered. And the locals also you know do slash and burn farming. And when I was there, there was a certain section of the national park that was that was burned. Okay. And I have these photos of these monkeys sitting on the charred ground. That's sad. And um, yeah, but like and and we can talk about this later, but um, you know, what do you how do you how do you tell those people that they're gonna make more money by tourism than doing their farming? I mean, that's what they've always done to farming.

SPEAKER_06 48:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:21

But anyway, so the one of these monkeys, I got I didn't know I couldn't get that close to them. And and I'm very you know, I try to be very ethical about my wildlife photography. If you're if you're changing the behavior of the animal,

Traveling Responsibly: Interactions with Wildlife

SPEAKER_01 48:32

you're you're too close. You know, it's a good rule of thumb. And that's why I like to get close, but I like to spend a lot of time.

SPEAKER_05 48:39

Yeah. Say that again because I think that's important for people who are traveling, like especially especially to like Hawaii and stuff. Like some Hawaiian natives like hate when people from the United States of America go into Hawaii because they get so close to wildlife or they interrupt it. I think that was a really poignant thing to say that it if you're changing the behavior of an animal, then you're then you're too close.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 49:01

It's a good rule of thumb for everyone.

SPEAKER_01 49:03

And so, you know, we were talking about gorillas. If they approach you, you know, you're just standing there. Okay. And, you know, and there's i if you can move back, you move back.

SPEAKER_02 49:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:13

But if there's really nowhere to move back, then you just, you know, you let them pass. And so that was this situation with these monkeys. And they were not, you know, they were, I was around them, they were going around me. Um, and I've had situations like that in Costa Rica where Kowatis had were all around me in all directions, and I was like part of the troop. Crazy. Um, but in this case case, I took out my wide angle lens and I, you know, I was like, oh, I'm gonna get a really cool wide angle shot. And then the monkey like bitch slapped you? Yeah. Yeah. And it it missed.

SPEAKER_05 49:46

I like it like oh, you like Johnny Quinn nose, you know, it just kind of like hit my nose a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 49:52

And but I got a great shot as I was pulling back.

SPEAKER_05 49:55

Of him like going to slap you.

SPEAKER_01 49:56

So it's showing the kids that. And then, you know, of course, they they love that. You know, they thought that was, you know, the big, the big macaque teeth.

SPEAKER_05 50:03

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 50:04

But um, what I was gonna say, circling back, uh I sound like um Chappelle telling a joke. You know, you come back, you gotta come back to the story. Um The most dangerous snakes are always a thing,

Fears and Fascinations: Personal Wildlife Experiences

SPEAKER_01 50:17

right? Like you always gotta worry about snakes. Not in Africa. I've never seen a snake.

SPEAKER_05 50:21

They have snakes and tarantulas would be my fear. If they don't have those in Africa, I'm in.

SPEAKER_01 50:25

Trevor Burrus, Jr.: They don't. And well, they do have snakes, but I I've never seen one on any safari. In the Amazon. Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.

SPEAKER_05 50:33

I'd rather be up close and personal with a gorilla or a slapping monkey than a spider.

SPEAKER_01 50:39

Trevor Burrus, Jr.: Yeah. And so so in in in in Central and South America is where you get the snakes, but um that you see quite often in Australia where you really want to avoid them because everything there can be.

SPEAKER_05 50:49

I I have zero interest in going to Australia, sorry, but I just the the the beasts there. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 50:54

Oh, there's a bird that can kill you. There's a tree that can kill you.

SPEAKER_05 50:56

My friends who live there had a huge snake in their dryer, like just hanging out when they open it.

SPEAKER_01 51:01

And they're like, the spiders.

SPEAKER_05 51:03

I'm not interested. I'm sorry. It's just not for me.

SPEAKER_01 51:07

So anyway. So my most dangerous, though, was I was in Alaska and I was there in July, and so it doesn't get dark. And um Denali National Park is basically a trail-less park. There's no trails, but you can hike wherever you want. And so I had the great idea to go out at midnight. So I I drived.

SPEAKER_05 51:28

This pre-Karen, like telling you like the voice of reason.

SPEAKER_01 51:30

Well pre-Karen, yeah. Yeah. So I go out. This was on my trip where I um did the the the hydr hydrant book.

SPEAKER_06 51:38

Oh, cool. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 51:39

So I spent all of July in Alaska.

SPEAKER_06 51:42

Very cool. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 51:43

And I drove to a to a Denali, and um basically to get into the park, you have to get on a they have these old converted school buses, and you have to, you can, you know, it's it's like riding a bus into New Haven. You pull the thing, the bus driver can drop you off wherever you want, and then you get back to the main road and get picked up by the next bus. Um, but there's a parking lot at the beginning of the park, and I decided to go hiking from the parking lot. And I was after these sheep, bighorn sheep called doll sheep, D-A-L-L, and they're they're white. They look like bighorn that we have in the western United States. Um, but they're all white and they're really cool. And I had at that time I didn't have any shots of them. And so I see these doll sheep. I'm hiking through the mountains, and I see these doll sheep, and um, I don't want to lose them because they're on the move. Um, they're not running or anything, they're just moving slowly. And so I I've got my eye on them, and I'm I'm I I don't want to, you know, look down, you know, just and all of a sudden I s I start slipping, and I realized I had kind of walked out over uh sort of a a ledge. Oh god. I was I started to it was like an avalanche. Oh my god. Like I was clung to the side of the mountain, and you could, you know, the the single rock going down.

SPEAKER_06 52:57

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 52:58

And and I was I was just clinging to the and I was like, I it, you know, it's it's about one o'clock in the morning.

SPEAKER_05 53:03

You're like, I almost died for the shot.

SPEAKER_01 53:04

It's one o'clock in the morning. Um I'm stuck on the side of a mountain.

SPEAKER_05 53:08

No one's coming out.

SPEAKER_01 53:09

I stayed there for about 20 minutes because I thought if I moved, I was gonna go down. And then I was like, well, listen, I got here. Just just slowly go back the way you came.

SPEAKER_06 53:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:19

And obviously got out of there. But um, yeah, no shot is worth uh I eventually got really close to doll sheep and I didn't need that that you know, a shot.

SPEAKER_05 53:30

No shot is worth dying for. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 53:32

Um that's it's just so cool. You've been to every continent.

SPEAKER_01 53:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 53:38

Why are you based now out of Connecticut? I know you're born here, but like what what keeps you here?

SPEAKER_01 53:42

So, you know, I was in New York working uh for a big global ad agency. That's where Karen and I met, um, you know, previous to coming back to Connecticut. And uh, you know, there was a job here in Avon that I took. Um my dad lives in Canton in Collinsville, Connecticut. And um, you know, it was time to get out of Brooklyn, um, get out of New York. We we actually we kind of slowly came to Connecticut. We moved from Brooklyn to uh Westchester, New York, and we're just commuting in for we bought a house there, uh, you know, got the dog and the cats, you know, and then and then made the move to Connecticut. And um, you know, I didn't move you, I mean, you know where Cheshire is, it's about 30 minutes south. And uh the Farmington Valley just feels like a completely different place to me than where I grew up in Cheshire. What do you like about it? There's a there's a real, you know, it's even though I live in Farmington, which is technically a suburb of Hartford, there's a real identity that the Farmington Valley has unto itself, you know, the five towns that make up the Farmington Valley. And it's a great wildlife area too.

SPEAKER_05 54:49

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_01 54:49

Um yeah.

SPEAKER_05 54:50

Um What kind of wildlife have you have you shot in Farmington?

SPEAKER_01 54:53

So I got we got really lucky because we bought our house just before the pandemic. And so it's much nicer. We, you know, five acre property that backs up to the woods spending the pandemic during that, you know, there rather than in New York.

SPEAKER_06 55:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:07

Um and that's when I really got in I got into camera trap photography because I couldn't fly anywhere.

SPEAKER_05 55:12

So that is what when you leave the camera just outling?

SPEAKER_01 55:16

They're my n people always look at my camera trap images and they're like they they think of like trail cams. And these aren't trail cams taken snapshots. These are my real cameras in weatherproof boxes that use remote triggers, two different kinds of remote triggers. It's either a um uh a PIR sensor which senses body uh heat. So if a bear comes through, it'll trigger the camera. And they have another kind that's like an invisible beam, if you want to get more precise about you really want the spot, you know, the the shot in that exact spot, um, then you use that and an animal trips that. And I have a couple of them in my in my backwoods. Wow. Um I have I I I want to do a book. Um my my long-awaited follow-up to the fire hydrants. I want to do a book on this one fallen log. And I've gotten just in my backyard, uh black bear, um short tailed weasel, um possums, um coyotes, foxes. Um All in Farmington. All in Farmington. Of course. You know, we see deer every, every night. Um what other, you know, obviously raccoons.

SPEAKER_05 56:25

That's the one thing that like I love West Hartford because of the community, but we have they call them like postage stamp yards. And even though there are like bear sightings around like flu back randomly, yeah. I want a little more, like we would like eventually a farm. Like I want a little more of that like nature. I want to see deers in my yard, like my Grammy has in Cheshire. That's so cool that you have so much wildlife in your back. I would get that book.

SPEAKER_01 56:47

Karen loves the deer until he started eating the rhododendrons.

SPEAKER_05 56:50

Oh, don't fuck with her rhododendrons deers.

SPEAKER_01 56:53

Yeah, but she so we don't know what to do because she loves seeing the deer. But you know, at some point you gotta you gotta save your yard. We have a garden that's got an eight-foot, you know, fence around it. She said if they can they can. A deer can technically jump that. If they do, they deserve to get whatever vegetables they can get out of there. Um occasionally there's a moose site.

SPEAKER_05 57:13

What's what's a group of moose moose is called?

SPEAKER_01 57:16

That's a good question. It's probably a herd.

SPEAKER_05 57:18

A herd? It's not meese. Well, that'd be the same. Or the plural, sorry. I guess that's what I meant. What's the plural for moose? Is it mice? It's not moose-asai.

SPEAKER_01 57:26

No, it's it's uh see, now you're gonna get it. Moussolini? I think it's just moose. Moose could be plural for several. Or it's moose. Mooses? Moose.

SPEAKER_05 57:34

Moose's moose mees. I think they're called moussolinis.

SPEAKER_01 57:37

They could be. Yeah. We'll have to go with that. We'll we'll have to look into that. You know, we have an Airbnb. We're soon to open another one.

SPEAKER_05 57:44

Um how can people find your Airbnb? They want to have a conversation with you about this. Uh well on Airbnb.com, but what would they search for?

SPEAKER_01 57:51

Uh the cottage at Apple Hill.

SPEAKER_05 57:53

Okay. Cottage at Apple Hill. Yeah. If you want to stay with a real not Geo wildlife photographer.

SPEAKER_01 57:58

And that's Karen. That's Karen's endeavor. Um and his cool ass wife. Aaron Ross Powell But uh But the problem is there's not like a herd of elk that if you come to Connecticut, we can go to that place and we're going to see those elk.

SPEAKER_06 58:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:13

Or you know, I've heard of some people that run bear tours, but they can only do that consistently if they're putting bait out for them.

SPEAKER_05 58:20

Um basically if there's a bear tour in Connecticut, it's not super ethical.

SPEAKER_01 58:24

Yeah. And my wife even talks to me about, well, you should do like um, you know, camera trapping workshops. And it's like you can, but it's you're not guaranteed to get stuff unless you're putting peanut butter out there or or whatever, which I don't want to do. Um you know, I have the cameras running 24-7 over the course of six years, and over that time you're gonna get a lot of interesting stuff. But you're not, you know, you can go several days without having a visitor. Um there's not so Connecticut, you know, we have good wetlands where you're always gonna, you know, certain times of year, you're gonna have certain my certain migratory birds. Um but there's not that go-to place where you know you're gonna where it's definite like you wouldn't in a safari. But that, but that right. But that but you know, that's part of what I what I like. You know, you go on a hike and you know, you have something in mind that you want to see, like, okay, I'm you know, I've heard there's some moose that hang hang around on this trail in Bark Hampstead. And and so, you know, you're likely not gonna see them, but you're gonna maybe find some other things along the way.

SPEAKER_06 59:27

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 59:27

The things that you can see are like if you if you see a beaver lodge, right, then you go back and visit that beaver lodge at the you know, right before it gets dark, and you're likely to see the beaver. That's really cool. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 59:38

Um do you feel like there are some places that people should go for hikes if they're looking to maybe catch some wildlife or some areas?

SPEAKER_01 59:45

Yeah, like I I just mentioned place I like, you know, Barkham said there's somewhat, so you know, North Simsbury, you know, this northern part of central Connecticut, I think is really good for uh wildlife. I've been hiking and seen Bobcat, you know, up there. Um that's another one that we've that's come through on my log in my backyard. Um but yeah, there's there's great places all over the state. Um National Wildlife Refuges, um there's really good wetlands along the coast for migratory birds and waterfowl and and that kind of thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:19

So we are going to switch this up a little bit and kind of go back to talking about

Social Media's Impact on Wildlife Photography

SPEAKER_05 1:00:26

your work in marketing and how that's kind of changed and how the world has changed with this cycle of social media. So I when did you get on social media? Because I started with MySpace was my first one.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:38

I was on MySpace. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:40

And then you did Facebook.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:42

Then Facebook.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:43

And then when like Instagram and stuff started happening, were you like not for me?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:47

Or were you like, I gotta adapt, or so Instagram kind of kills me because I didn't take it serious at the time.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:56

Do you think it was a fad?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:57

You know, and as you know, social media favors consistency over creativity. Oh, I know it.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:04

And well, I think I think it's me both.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:07

But but consistency, you know, if it favors engagement. The wildlife photographers that got in early are the ones that have massive amounts of followers. And I've seen, you know, I've seen amazing photographers that have really low numbers, and I've seen shit photos that blow up. Especially these fake AI ones.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:31

Do you yeah.

unknown 1:01:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:32

Do you um do you do your own social media?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:35

I do. What about hiring like a little Gen Alpha to do your I I just I I always feel like, well, I'm a lifelong ad guy, ad creative. I should know how to do my own advertising.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:47

Sure, sure. But then there's the argument of you know, times are changing and like there's some stuff that I don't even know to do that my publicist will like laugh at me because I do this for work, for my living, and I think if I know that there could be a good return on it, then without a doubt. Yeah. I mean, it's it's one of those things that you kind of got to give it some some time. Like people think like one viral video is gonna make their page blow up, but virality doesn't always mean, you know, consistent viewership. It just might get some engagement, but it's it it is with social media, it's that consistency. It's posting daily, it's engaging with people, it's seeing what people are interested in, and then going off of that. And it could be videos as little as you going on talking for 30 seconds about what makes the best wildlife tour. And then that might show up on a million people's feeds.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:38

And I don't have your personality, Ellie. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:40

You got a better personality than me.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:41

You you that's where you, you know. Um everyone wants to hear what Ellie's saying.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:46

Aaron Powell Sometimes some people don't like to hear what I have to say. But that's that's the part of the unfiltered, right? Yeah. I um I don't have much of a filter. And then get a couple drinks in me and and keep it that way.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:57

That's why people keep coming back.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:59

Um how do you feel about influencers in this new age of of social media?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:04

So it's interesting because um Tell me how you really feel. I I will. Um so I'm a storyteller, right? And I do the same thing with photography, right? You're a storyteller, right? That's what you do.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:15

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:16

And um, you know, brands need a narrative. And it's it's changed drastically. Like I came up in the world where there was radio, TV, print, outdoor. And um, you know, we had this new thing we were trying to do called activations, you know, outdoor activations. And when I was at at Gray, like I said, uh, 2012, 2013, we were the number one creative agency in the world. We were winning more creative awards than anyone. And most of that was for um, we were doing a lot of sort of these ads that don't feel like ads, that don't look like ads.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:52

Those were the best ads, right? People didn't even know they were ads.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:54

Well, it's called a what, like native marketing? Yeah. Is it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:57

Yeah, we would we did a lot for gun control. We would open a store, a gun store in Lower Manhattan, and then we would have hidden cameras, and people would come in, and uh, this particular stunt was they would get talking to the gun owner, and the gun owner would say, Oh yeah, this this gun, this this is the very the very same gun that that that you know mowed down those 10 kids in Parkman, Florida. And right, and so the reactions we were getting. You know, and then you could you use that footage for an ad, like they don't have to sign off on their face being like we did get, yeah, we did afterward, we would tell them, listen, this is a uh a stunt, you know, can we use you know, can we use it?

SPEAKER_05 1:04:33

And they said okay?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:35

Yeah, a lot of the people, yeah. They because they they were they were um their eyes were opened, right?

SPEAKER_06 1:04:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:42

Uh you know, not everybody. Right, sure. But again, this is New York City.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:47

Um, but you know, you would get a client that would say, Well, there's there's only like 30 people that are gonna go into that store. Why would we spend money on that? And it's like, it's not about that. It's the message. It's the 30 million of views you're gonna get. A thousand percent when we put that video out on YouTube, yeah, which was the case. Um I did one of those back in 2008, leading up to uh the uh the election. And at the time people were still saying that Barack Obama that a black man couldn't win in America. And so we we we created this poster where we had our best retouchers and they made John McCain a black man and they made Barack Obama a white man, and it simply said, let the issues be the issue. We printed up 200 of them and we put it around New York City. Within two years two hours, they were all stolen. Um we sent film crews out there, it got on every news station. You know, this was like early viral thing. We ended up, I forget how many, like globally that got like 40 million impressions the lead up to the election. I don't know that it tipped the election.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:54

Right, but it made an impact.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:56

You you know, you and Anthony really do have to get together because he's he's some. That takes really big swings with his marketing and branding. And I feel like you guys would collaborate really well.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:06

So back to back to the question.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:08

So we used to back in the day when influencers first started, we would present, you know, when we would present like a whole package to a client, it's like, okay, we, you know, here's the TV spot. Here's the, you know, here's the outdoor, you know, some creative outdoor. We don't necessarily mean a billboard, it could be anything. Um, here's an activation idea. Um, and you know, we found this influencer. You know, we used to present influencers to clients.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:34

Oh, wow, you were ahead of the game.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:35

As, you know, you got you, you know, we should do something here. And at the time, you know, the clients hadn't yet wrapped their head around that. It was kind of like when when when social came in. You know, and these whole agencies sprung up in New York overnight that were social agencies because our big ad agency can't write a social post. Right. You know, and then that kind of a few years went on and it was like, okay, no, they can do the social posts too. You know, and so those those social agencies kind of, you know, rose and then fell again because you don't you didn't need a separate agency to do that. And then you do sometimes, and you know, there's all sorts of, they're still trying to figure that out. I mean, the the ad world in New York is a little bit in disarray right now, trying to figure out what then what to do. Um, you know, it's mostly big pharma now that does that still does big broadcast. Yeah. Spends a lot of money. But anyway, so back to influencers. Um, you know, I have my favorite influencers that I follow. You're one Me.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:31

It better be me.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:33

And um, but you know, I have like, I want to know about new camera gear that's coming out, or I want to know about locations. I want to know about, you know, how to use,

Navigating the New Age of Influencers

SPEAKER_01 1:07:44

you know, how to get a drone license. You know, all these, all these things. But I think, yeah, social influencers that the ones that have been success that are successful are the ones that do tell an authentic story. And and so it's different. It used to be about being really clever about what you were saying, right? That clever line, that clever hook. Whereas now it's you gotta be more clever about how you're saying it. So we know where everyone is now. Like we we know the algorithm knows what I'm doing throughout my day. You know, so it knows what to serve me and what to you know what you're engaging with.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:28

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:29

What what what platforms I'm on.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:31

And like we never had that before. So it's more about that now, and you just gotta get your logo in front of those people because you know they're looking for this particular thing.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:41

Um glad you're embracing them in your in your life.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:44

It's it's it's that's that's who people go to, right? And that's you know, you get people that you trust.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:51

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:52

You know, you've got people that you trust. So if you if you are gonna um recommend a certain bakery somewhere, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:02

And I know that you that's what's interesting, that's what I'm gonna ask you. Um because you've said on your on your post that you you're gonna give an honest, you're gonna give an honest review.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:14

Yeah, and sometimes that's not the best.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:16

Yeah, and you're never gonna trash someone, but you'll find a nice way to not.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:20

Yeah. I mean, I think that there are ways to to to be honest and not be nasty. You know, at the end of the day, it's someone's business. I might not agree with everything that they're doing, but I'm not trying to take away money from someone's pocket, but I'll be up front and be like, it wasn't for me, and this is why. Or if especially I'm really honest if there's something happening that is, in my opinion, not moral. So I've I've spoken up about an instance where I went to like a fall festival and and there was a pay a person working there who was making fun of a what I I believe they were an autistic child. And I was so uncomfortable that I shared my review about it, and that made its way to the review. I did talk to the ownership, and a lot of people were like, Why would you try to slander this company? Um, why wouldn't you just talk to the and I'm like, I did talk to them, but that wouldn't change that. I still shared that it happens.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:20

Because at the end of the day, my page is honesty, and it's always gonna remain that, whether I have 10 followers or 10 million.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:28

Yeah. Well, and then people are gonna like your followers are gonna know like why Ellie really liked that place. Yeah. I could tell she really liked that.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:34

And I'm like an all-or-nothing person.

Fun Animal Trivia and Nonprofit Advocacy

SPEAKER_05 1:10:36

Um, so we are going to go into a little game.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:40

That um I like to end kind of my podcast with like a little fun game. So this is gonna be animal-associated words and like kind of like a trivia, like quizzing you if you know the meaning.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:53

And if you don't, you can you know make it up. You see see if you see if you can get close. All right. Okay. All right. So what is and we'll start with a group name, because I know that you're kind of familiar with those. How about a parliament? A parliament of owls. Yes. Okay. All right, starting off strong. Okay. Now this is not a group, but what is mobbing?

SPEAKER_01 1:11:14

Mobbing. Well, uh well, a uh a mob, there's a mob of kangaroos. Aaron Ross Powell No, it's not a group. Right. But mobbing, uh I don't know. That might be kangaroos coming to Alexis, if it's not a group. Mobbing. Getting kicked by a kangaroo.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:32

No. So it's when smaller animals gang up to chase away a predator.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:36

Mobbing. Okay. How about I didn't look up how to pronounce this. I'll do my best. Opposmatism.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:45

Opposmatism. Does that have something to do with opposable thumbs? No. So so so you know, primates have opposable thumbs. So opposmatism is everything else. I know.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:59

It is bright warning colors signaling toxicity or danger.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:03

Trevor Burrus Great. Okay. Well, I know that that's you know, you even have you either have camouflage or you have the exact opposite and a lot of like poisoned heart frogs.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:11

Yeah, well now I got you really good camouflage. There's even like duck feet in there. So there's like 12 pairs of animal socks.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:17

Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:18

Um what about this is another group name. What about a bloat?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:22

A bloat, uh so a blo a bloat of hippos. Yep. Yeah. There's another one? There might be another one.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:29

Okay, what about imprinting?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:31

So imprinting is when a is this one a um it's learned behavior from a younger species, like a like a like a like a chick. A chick learns from the mom.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:52

Yeah, sort of. It's early life bonding processes, including future behavior.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:57

Um I know in printing because Twilight. Okay. Where the I missed the Twilight series, but the it's kind of creepy actually. Like the wolf falls in love with the baby in the womb. It's some like fucked up thing that they tried to spin it to not be creepy, but it was never not creepy.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:12

I like the s I like that they you know followed science on that.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:15

Oh, yeah, exactly. Um last one is again, pronunciation.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:20

Crepuscular. Oh, crepuscular.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:22

Crepuscular. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:23

So crepuscular is one of my favorite words. That means the fringes of the day. So it's it's it's dawn and dusk. Yep. And that's the best time to see animals. Most animals are middle of the day in Africa. That's why you go back to your tent.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:36

You relax by the pool, you enjoy a drink in your your plunge pool looking out at your deck, because most animals tend to be crepuscular. They come out early morning, they come out late afternoon, and those are the best times to see them.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:49

Well, I would say that you got four out of six. So I think that's passing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:54

I'll go with it.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:55

Um and to end the podcast, I always like to ask my guest if there is a nonprofit that you would like to give a shout-out to and how people can get involved if they want to.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:03

Yeah. So there's a uh a place called Ripley's Waterfowl um conservancy, which is in Lichfield,

Ripley Waterfowel Conservancy

SPEAKER_01 1:14:11

Connecticut. Okay. And what what Ripley's does is they um again, we were talking about zoos earlier.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:18

Um Ripley's isn't a zoo, but they have a collection, I don't know how many um geese and and and swans and ducks and other birds from uh around the world they have, um, but quite a few. And they um basically are you know, th they'll they'll they'll house these endangered species, and then they might get, you know, the goal is to get them back out into the wild. Oh, okay. Um but they might they they also have agreements with other uh zoos where they might um that zoo might send them an animal to rehabilitate um that then they're gonna rehabilitate and then hopefully get back out into the wild. Um but yeah, they have they have waterfowl, uh, ducks, really cool ducks from around the world. Um and it's a great place. I think they're only open to the public uh Fridays through Sundays and I think May through November. Okay. Um so you can get involved by going to visit, or you can donate to them on their website. Um but they're doing, they're one of those zoo-adjacent uh or doing the good work. That are doing the good work, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:29

Amazing. I'll have to look that up. That's the first time I heard about it. Um I'll feature them on a Reheated Coffee Club video.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:34

Aaron Powell And for a photographer like that's learning, it's actually a great place to go because you can take your new camera there or your new lens and really practice there on some cool birds.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:43

Aaron Powell That's awesome. And so to get involved and to learn more about the wildlife tours and to see some of your photography, um, what's the best way people can find you?

SPEAKER_01 1:15:52

Aaron Powell So I have, I think, oh I have five or six websites now. But you can get it all through Sean Crane.com.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:58

And then it can take you to the other ones.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:59

Yeah, Crane Wildlife Tours for the tours, um, uh crane creative content for my advertising portfolio, Sean Crane photography for my portrait photography.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:08

Okay. Jack of many, many trades. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:10

And then Species Limited for the for the t-shirts. Yeah, t-shirts are awesome. Everyone will get one.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:15

We'll all rep some Sean Crane.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:16

Yeah, they're cool.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:17

Well, thank you so much for being on the podcast and for doing what you do for endangered species and just for being an advocate for animals whose voices might not get heard.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:26

Thank you for having me, Ellie. Really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:29

Look forward to my future African wildlife safari.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:33

Right, we'll get you out there.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:34

All right, thanks so much. This podcast is kept caffeinated by Sola Karaoke, the Happy Confection, Pink Tractor Crew, and Eating Agency Insurance. Thank you for listening to Connecticut Unfiltered. If you like the conversation, please make sure to like, subscribe, follow, and share, and keep the conversation going about how we can make Connecticut more than just a drive through state.