INTRODUCTION – Eric Averdung’s passion for capturing moments began with vintage cameras in his early childhood. Growing up surrounded by his father’s collection, the thrill of holding a camera, even without film, sparked a lifelong love of photography. From experimenting with early cellphone cameras, to receiving his first camera as a gift from his mother, and then upgrading to the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, his hobby turned into a career. Living in Nairobi, near Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve, he developed an interest in wildlife photography. With a background in sustainability and environmental management, his interest in conservation blends seamlessly with his photographic pursuits. Responding to a job posting for a photographer paved the way for Eric’s current role as the resident professional wildlife photographer at Ishara Mara, where he is responsible for a premier photo studio, featuring top-tier Canon products. From cameras to lenses, accessories, and binoculars, the studio also boasts professional-quality photo printers that enable guests to print their images after fine-tuning them in the photo editing suite.

After a long day photographing wildlife on the plains of the Masai Mara, Ishara guests need the unique opportunity to print out high-quality, professional prints, ensuring that the day’s memories are captured in the finest detail. A range of settings, from borderless printing that can be done on both gloss or matt paper, an enhanced color gamut thanks to top-quality pigment inks, accurate screen to print match, super-fast printing speeds, and outstanding monochrome print quality are all features that contribute to a true photographic experience.

And when it comes to the administrative side of things, a truly efficient, cost-effective reliable printer is needed to address the multifaceted challenges of different printing requirements within a hospitality setting. From printing of registration forms to personalized letters and daily menus, along with the financial aspects such as invoices and receipts – a full spectrum printer is required to ensure a quality guest experience.

CANON SOLUTION – The Ishara photo studio in the Mara offers access to high-end Canon cameras, lenses, accessories, binoculars, photo printers, a professional photo editing suite, and a resident professional wildlife photographer. With complimentary access to this equipment and facilities, guests get to experience top-end cameras and prime lenses like the 400mm F2.8 and receive guidance on how to edit their images to produce the best possible end-product. All tiers of photographers are catered to, with cameras ranging from Canon’s EOS 6D Mark II and R10, to the more advanced Canon R5, Canon R3, or Canon 1DX Mark III.

The studio’s ability to print high-resolution A3-size images using Canon’s imagePROGRAF PRO-300 A3 printer means that guests can immediately print high-resolution, gallery-quality prints as mementos to take home with them. Featuring a 9-color LUCIA PRO ink system, this 13" wide photo printer delivers high-quality color and black-and-white prints, showcasing detailed gradations and an extensive color range. The printer’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity options also make access extremely easy, and the Canon Pro Lustre paper and Canon genuine ink that it uses ensures that quality is of the highest standard. The studio’s ‘Africa Wall’ displays printed images captured by guests and Ishara Mara photographers, demonstrating the excellent quality of the PRO-300 printer.

Canon's Maxify GX6040 printer has revolutionized onsite administrative tasks at Ishara Mara, providing access to reliable, top-quality printed collateral for the lodge’s day-to-day office and client-facing operations. With a 350-sheet paper capacity, it excels in high-volume, speedy, and cost-effective daily printing, using either color or black ink efficiently. The printer’s four pigment-based inks ensure the production of high-standard documents, enhancing every interaction between Ishara Mara and its guests. Invaluable for generating customer receipts and invoices, the Maxify GX6040’s user-friendly interface, dependable performance, and ability to create personalized welcome letters, menus, schedules, and more, contribute to an organized and streamlined guest experience. Moreover, its compact size makes it perfect for the lodge’s small office.

For Eric Averdung, combining his passion for photography with an equally strong passion for conservation and sustainability, has enabled him to not only make a difference though the lens of his camera, but also to help others do the same. The reliable, high-resolution Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 printer that he and his guests use to immortalize their images has added a unique and enriching dimension to the Ishara Mara photographic experience, while the Canon Maxify GX6040 office printer has both streamlined processes and brought a superior level of quality to the administrative printing and client collateral produced by the Ishara Mara office. For him it’s about creating unique African experiences; experiences that have been made possible by Canon’s strong commitment to this same vision.