Piper Mackay, a California-based photographer, and I first met about a year ago via social media.  When I first saw her images of Africa, I immediately recognized her passion.  It’s the same passion that drives many of us to capture the world with our camera every day.  Her love for Africa resonates in her work.  She kindly took the time to answer a few questions for Digital Photography School readers.  Whether you have actually visited these far-away places or have just dreamt about them, I urge you to visit Piper’s website .  As you follow her adventures, you will experience the beauty of Eastern Africa through her lens.     – When and how did your passion for Africa and photography start?  I’ve had a passion for Africa for as long as I can remember. In 2004 while going through a painful life experience, I decided to do the one thing I had dreamed of for a long time — take a trip to Africa. It was magical and I fell in love with the people, wildlife and continent from the first moment my feet touched down on its rich red soil. I actually signed up to go with the Sierra Club and not with photographers. Prior to that I had never really owned a camera other than a disposable one. I received a list of  recommendations on what to bring on this trip and the list included a 300 mm lens. I simply walked down to my local camera store and purchased the Canon 10D, one of the first digital cameras, and a 75-300 mm canon lens. With my first semi-professional camera in hand and only a few lessons on how to use it, I began to capture what I was experiencing