Meet Karen Blackwood | Eagle Eye Safaris photography safari guide, conservationist, award-winning wildlife photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Blackwood and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve been a traveler and photographer my entire life, and an airline pilot for the past 21 years. I fell in love with the continent of Africa on my first wildlife safari in 2013. I’d organized the safari and all of the logistics for myself and a friend. I went back with another friend a few months later, and I organized that trip as well. Suddenly it seemed everyone I knew wanted to go on safari, so I organized more trips, keeping them affordable while still staying at quality accommodations and seeing incredible wildlife, including not only the Big 5, but also endangered species.

I met my partner, Ernest Porter, while traveling in South Africa in 2014. He’s one of the top bird photographers on the African continent and is a staff photographer for Black Eagles Project Roodekrans, monitoring Verreaux’s Eagles in Johannesburg. His photos are award-winning and he’s an Africa Geographic published photographer, as am I. We decided to start our safari business in 2015.

There are thousands of providers, and we wanted to offer something a little different. We decided to offer photography safaris where we teach our clients how to use their cameras in the field, plus how to organize and edit their photos in Lightroom. So many people go on trips and have no idea how their camera works! Everyone wants to take great photos, and we help our clients accomplish that goal. They go home with photos that they are proud to show off. We lead every trip ourselves and are there to assist at all times. That sets us apart from photographers who offer one or two workshops a year, or who leave clients on their own to take photos while they get their own great shots.

(Here’s a tip for non-photographers…photography safari vehicles have to be in the middle of the action with a clear view of the subjects! No one wants to watch sleeping lions or see elephants through thick brush, so we don’t! So, YES, you want to go on a photo safari whether you have an expensive camera, a phone, or just want to experience nature. Everyone is welcome–we are here to enjoy nature’s show!)

Not only do we teach photography, but we are both trained and passionate about wildlife and conservation. We strive to share photos that bring the viewer into the environment, to place them next to an animal in nature, to encourage them to care about what happens to our world. We hope our photos spark curiosity. We want people to think about the things that affect the environment and make changes, big or little, to preserve it, whether it’s picking up trash while on a walk, or avoiding palm oil products and farmed fish, to supporting conservation projects that truly make a difference. It’s our world. Let’s take care of it.

We keep our safaris affordable while offering excellent value. We go to Sabi Sands and Manyaleti in the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa, where we can drive off-road to get up close to Big 5 wildlife. We include cultural visits with the Maasai on our Serengeti and Great Migration safaris in Kenya and Tanzania. We include all of the must-see archeological sites while birding in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in Peru. We visit sacred sites and temples in Sri Lanka on our leopard, blue whale, and Asian elephant trips, and we support the local economy and visit the Taj Mahal while in India on our Tiger safaris. We visit orphanages, buy local fruit, and spend time with the Batwa tribe in Uganda. Offering our clients a well-rounded trip enhances their experience. We stay in comfortable lodges with excellent chefs and attentive staff, right in the middle of the best wildlife viewing you can find.

Our business model is about affordability, service and fun. We aren’t travel agents, but I’m good at logistics and planning. It’s easy for me to help our clients plan their voyage to and from our safaris. I keep in mind time changes across the world and make suggestions for routes and layovers to avoid jet lag. We help clients choose safe and comfortable hotel rooms before and after safaris. We even created a ground travel package to the Kruger Lodges in South Africa–something no other safari operator offers, so going on an Eagle Eye Safaris South Africa trip–or any of our trips–is seamless and easy.

My partner, Ernest, is hilarious, and he’s a Master Lightroom and PhotoShop instructor. I teach basic and advanced camera skills and basic Lightroom. We both make suggestions about composition, settings, and as naturalists and experienced guides, we are good at predicting wildlife behavior so that our clients can take exciting action shots. It’s so fulfilling when a client sends us a picture of a fantastic photo they took on safari hanging in a large size over their fireplace!

We want people to know that it doesn’t have to cost $20,000 to go on safari! Our safaris start at $1300 and top out around $5000. Airfare can be as low as $600 round trip, and often lower. We help with the before and after logistics at no cost. We are there after the trip when our clients have questions about editing in Lightroom, or want help choosing a better camera or lens. We’ve created long-lasting friendships with so many of our clients! We appreciate their trust in us!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s in an Army family. We moved frequently, which exposed me to different cultures and ideas in the US and internationally. Moving a lot is also negative in ways. You are always trying to make new friends and to prove yourself, then you move again. Kids don’t stay in contact for very long, so I immersed myself in reading. I had started 1st grade at the age of 5; they didn’t have Head Start at the time, so I was younger than the other kids, and much smaller, and reading was my escape into worlds that were safe. My family was dysfunctional as well. My father was a Vietnam Vet with PTSD and alcoholism, and my mom never wanted kids, so we were neglected in a variety of ways.

When my father retired, we ended up in west Texas where most of the kids had grown up together, no one’s family was military, and adjusting was difficult. Families had lived in the area for generations. Boys were expected to get a job and remain near the extended family. Girls weren’t encouraged to excel; they were expected to get married and have kids. None of them seemed interested in achieving anything after high school, but I was full of dreams and goals. I had a list of things I wanted to be: a detective like Trixie Belden, a pilot like Richard Bach, a dolphin trainer like Dr. John Lilly, and be around wildlife like Beryl Markham and Isak Dineson, a photographer like Ansel Adams, a writer, and more. However, being a small girl with big dreams, being without support and in an abusive alcoholic family, and having braces and glasses as tangible examples of the differences between me and the rest of the class, made me the object of brutal bullying through my high school years.

During career week, I discussed less lofty ideas such as becoming a veterinarian, or a police officer, or an officer in the military. Then the career counselor told me that women couldn’t become police officers or military officers, and not to bother trying to go to college since I’d just get married and waste a class seat. I was confused and resentful; I knew I was smart and motivated. Thankfully, one of my teachers recognized the fire within me. He encouraged me to get out of Texas, go to college, and to explore the world after graduation, and to not allow others to limit me.

I started working as a disc jockey while I was in high school at age 14, after my parents were divorced. My mom was depressed, and I was on my own after my father left. The radio station gave me a sense of “family.” I was hired to work on the air in Chicago when I was 19, and in Los Angeles on KFI at age 20. I put myself through most of college as a Top 40 and Country music disc jockey, but because of the unstable, temporary nature of broadcasting, I attended multiple schools and took 14 years to graduate. I received an AA in Liberal Arts at Community College, then finished university at the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s in English, becoming the first person in my family to ever obtain a degree.

I started flying at the age of 25 while at yet another radio job while waiting for in-state tuition to take effect. I fell in love with the feeling of freedom that controlling a little airplane in the great big skies brings. I loved the 3-dimensional challenges of getting from A to B. I started teaching others to fly and found fulfillment in helping others reach their goals as I helped them progress from Private Pilot, through their Instrument Rating, to Commercial Pilot and beyond. I had no idea how to go from Flight Instruction to the airlines, and at some point I’d been told that my eyesight wasn’t good enough because I wore glasses, so I didn’t explore the option at all. While learning to fly, I began photographing the interesting things I saw, and placed in my first photo contests: second and third in the Amigo Airshow contest, and an honorable mention in the Kodak National Photo Contest.

Flight Instruction isn’t a high-paying job. I needed more financial security. After receiving my degree, I applied to several police departments; my old dream was still lurking. I was hired, and loved the job for half a decade. I gained a lot of confidence, enjoyed the camaraderie, and I loved making a difference every day. My English degree helped me write concrete probable cause statements, and I had a high conviction rate. Eventually, my department was absorbed by the Sheriff’s Office. I’d accomplished my goal, and thought I’d like to accomplish another one.

I thought about the airlines again. I’d learned that my eyesight didn’t disqualify me. I’d never stopped instructing; I love to teach. I knew I had enough experience to be hired at the airlines at that point. I started ground school at an airline in September 2000, just a year before 9/11.

Flying as an airline pilot opened so many doors for me! I was able to travel to the exciting, exotic places I’d dreamed about. I went to China and walked miles on the Great Wall. I went to Iceland several times, even driving the Ring Road. I’ve eaten sushi in Japan, traveled all over Europe, been to Machu Picchu, Galapagos, Antarctica and more. But as I mentioned, my trip to South Africa changed my life. It brought together my love for wildlife, photography and travel. I could use my skills for figuring out logistics, for creating wonderful itineraries, for teaching photography to my traveling companions, and for writing about my adventures. Starting Eagle Eye Safaris was another prong in the wonderful life I was building.

I retired in February 2022 after being seriously injured in the airplane. My injuries included nerve damage, which restrict me from piloting an airplane until resolved. I can still lead safaris, however, so now my time and attention are consumed by travel and photography. We’ve expanded our company to include many countries on multiple continents: South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Sri Lanka, India, Peru, and coming soon, Galapagos and Antarctica.

My passion for photography, wildlife, and teaching people new skills have combined to help us offer our Eagle Eye Safaris’ clients a safari experience to remember. Struggles and challenges throughout my life have shown me that I can succeed and thrive, while being compassionate with others. I pour my personal motivation, pride, integrity, and drive into creating safari trips that are inspiring, affordable, exciting, and educational. My experiences being a woman in occupations that are traditionally male-dominated help me hold my own as a female safari guide and photographer. My education and life-long travel experiences enable me to fit in to any community and to appreciate the beautiful differences between peoples and cultures in the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
While in Denver, I generally take visitors to Park Hill Hub for lunch and coffee (on Ivanhoe, just north of Colfax, across from the entrance to Denver Auto Body).

The owners are from Libya. He cooks, and his wife creates the most decadent desserts in Colorado. They use authentic spices to create food with layers of flavor and depth. It’s a small, cozy coffee shop, and my greatest fear is that they will close someday!

I like to take visitors to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. It’s a small wildlife reserve just north of downtown Denver. I show them the little things like Horned Larks, the cute things like red fox kits, the massive things like bison, the graceful things like white-tailed deer, the astonishing things such as the moose-like antlers of the older mule deer bucks. We watch red-winged blackbirds balance on reeds while defining their territory with song, listen for yellow warblers trilling from the bushes, peek at Horned Owlets peeking from the nest, and watch for critically endangered black-footed ferrets, which are slowly populating the reserve.

Rocky Mountain National Park and Mt. Evans are must-see locations, of course, for a wildlife photographer and her guests.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So many people helped me reach my goals and they all deserve a Shout Out! From those in the aviation world who guided my path and supported my dreams such as Baze Khamneian, Bill Schmidt, and Charles Wise, to my aunt Roseann who gave my first camera to me, to incredible pro photographers like Todd Gustafson, Russ Burden, Tin Man Lee, Charles Glatzner, and Mike Nicklen, to Ernest Porter, my partner….and most of all, to Mr. Franklin. Thank you!

Books such as West with the Night and Out of Africa encouraged my love of flying and my love of the African Bush. Richard Bach’s books taught me that I never had to settle for ordinary. The Trixie Belden series taught me that Girls Could, and inspired me to be a police officer. Books open up worlds, inspire ideas and dreams, and offer insights. Reading is an integral part of my life, and I’m grateful for authors who are brave enough to publish their ideas and stories.

Our local guides and providers are key to our successes. We have been so lucky to find local people to show us the best spots, people who are passionate about conservation and wildlife, and who want to share their country and culture with us.

Our clients deserve recognition as well! They’ve trusted us with their time and their money. Many have returned for new trips with us, so we think we are doing something right. Their word-of-mouth and enthusiastic endorsements have helped Eagle Eye Safaris almost double in growth each year.

Website: www.EagleEyeSafaris.com

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Image Credits
Eagle Eye Safaris