| I've been practising wildlife photography on safari | | | | comes to him who waits is a very relevant saying |
| for over twenty years now in places like the | | | | for wildlife photography. Patience will help you get |
| Kruger National Park, Chobe, Okavango Delta, and | | | | better photographs because you will be able to |
| Hwange game reserves and these four tips have | | | | take pictures of animal behaviour that you would |
| been indispensable in making sure that I get some | | | | otherwise have missed.The role of luck mustn't |
| decent wildlife photographs.1. The Right | | | | be underestimated either. There is no guarantee |
| EquipmentI believe that you can't beat the quality | | | | of what you will encounter in a game reserve and |
| of film but that digital offers wildlife photography | | | | whatever you do get to see and photograph is a |
| practitioners more options at a better cost so for | | | | matter of a little bit of planning and a lot of good |
| the purposes of a safari trip a digital camera is | | | | fortune.4. Light and CompositionBecause you are |
| your best bet.It should have some of the | | | | at the mercy of the elements in wildlife |
| following characteristics to qualify as a good safari | | | | photography, you don't have too much control |
| camera.There should be little or no lag between | | | | over the light. Flash is of no use when the animal |
| the time you depress the shutter release button | | | | is at a distance and you can't wait for better light |
| and the photo is taken. Some of the compact | | | | conditions because the subject could move off at |
| digitals on the market today suffer from this | | | | any moment so you need to make the best of |
| affliction and it's not ideal when you come across | | | | what you have.And due to the habits of nocturnal |
| fast moving wildlife subjects.It should be ready to | | | | species you will find yourself taking lots of |
| take photographs at a moments notice because | | | | pictures in low light conditions at dawn and dusk |
| that is sometimes all the time you have before | | | | which is why a fast lens and a dead rest is |
| an animal disappears into the undergrowth. No long | | | | essential. Using bracketing (changing the exposure |
| power up cycle.Due to the fact that most of | | | | by one stop up and down) will also help get the |
| your nocturnal wildlife sightings on safari will occur | | | | optimal exposure in the available light.What you do |
| during early morning and dusk it needs to be able | | | | have some control over is the position of the |
| to function well in low light conditions as well as | | | | safari vehicle which can be moved to change the |
| bright sunlight during the day for the diurnal | | | | aspect of light that is falling on the animal |
| animals.Lenses should have a focal length of at | | | | somewhat but even that is sometimes not |
| least 70mm for adequate wildlife photography and | | | | possible because in most reserves you are not |
| an image stabiliser is not essential but a great help | | | | allowed to go off-road and moving might scare |
| in eliminating blur.Another piece of equipment that | | | | the subject away.Composition is something you |
| is essential however is a deadrest in the form of | | | | do have more control of however and you can |
| a beanbag or a window mounted tripod that you | | | | apply the rule of thirds and framing using the |
| can rest the camera on to help stabilise the long | | | | available vegetation just as well as in any other |
| lenses. Handholding a long lens will often lead to | | | | form of photography.Be especially careful using |
| blurring and the dead rest will prevent this. A | | | | the autofocus on your camera because it will |
| tripod or monopod is impractical because you will | | | | cheerfully focus on a twig or tuft of grass close |
| be taking photos from the safari vehicle for most | | | | to your animal subject and spoil your |
| of the time.2. The Best Wildlife Photography | | | | composition.You will also need to make your |
| AreasYou can have all the right equipment and | | | | compositional decisions quickly as wildlife often |
| the best wildlife photography talent in the world | | | | doesn't hang about long waiting for you to make |
| but it won't mean much if you can't find any | | | | your mind up so it pays to have a solid foundation |
| wildlife to take pictures of.Some areas in Africa | | | | in the basics.Collection of African safari pictures |
| are better in terms of safari photography than | | | | depicting most of the animals you can see on |
| others. The top five for getting excellent overall | | | | safari like lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, crocodile, |
| wildlife picture opportunities are:Kenya - Masai | | | | chimpanzee, baboon, gorilla, rhino and many more |
| Mara | | | | species.The five best African lion safari |
| Tanzania - Serengeti | | | | destinations will give you some excellent |
| South Africa - Kruger National Park | | | | opportunities to take photographs of the king of |
| Botswana - Moremi | | | | the jungle. |
| Namibia - Etosha3. Patience and LuckEverything | | | | |