African safari photo tips

One of my favourite travel destinations is definitely Africa. With the word Africa I do not mean the Mediterranean part of the continent, which reminds me more of a Middle East than real “black” Africa. It is hard to say what fascinates me more, the people, their music, unspoilt nature or unique wildlife? Probably the combination of all these things, but the biggest impression makes the savanna with its wilderness, beautiful and cruel at the same time.

Every-time I return to hot African ground I feel this wild excitement, like first white hunters, when they were stocking wild animals in savanna. The only difference now-days is, that the photographic cameras have replaced smoking guns.

The word safari actually means to travel in Swahili language. People now-days think of watching wildlife in Africa, when they hear this word. The expression Game drive suggests that watching wildlife is like a lottery and the prizes are encounters with lions, elephants and several other animals.

Traveller who know a little bit about photography would assume that for photographing wildlife in Africa big telephoto-lens is needed. Of course, lens with focal length of 500mm or more would be great, but they are not necessary. Animals in savanna are used to humans (or at least to strange noisy animals on four wheels). It is quite easy to get close to them and we can use lens with lesser focal length.

When I am going to safari I usually use 70-200mm f2.8 lens and teleconverter (2x magnifier). This is more or less enough for most of the time, it is not too heavy and also affordable. If you are keen birdwatcher you may wish for bigger lens, but you would be surprised how many great bird shots I made with just 200mm lens!

Checklist:
- Camera, plenty of memory cards, spare batteries,
- Binoculars – especially for birdwatching,
- Sunscreen and a hat – it is Africa:) ,
- Plenty of drinking water,
- Notebook – to put down the names of the animals,
- sunglasses,
- light comfortable clothes, neutral colours, long sleeves if possible.

One of the most important things is, that you take enough memory cards or films with you. Image-tank is also very handy. You will definitely take at least twice as much photos than you planned. The night before the safari check the batteries, empty the memory cards and clean the lenses. Before you choose your lodge you should check if the lodge or camp where you will be staying has electricity and what are the hours when it is available (some camps they shut it down during the night). It is unlikely that you will be able to use the tripod or monopod in the vehicle. I would suggest you, that you get a beanbag, sometimes just a jacket is enough. If the car-engine is running it is better to handhold your camera.

Make sure, that you join the group that has the same interests as you have. It can be frustrating for everybody if there are different expectations. Usually the drivers are very flexible about the times of departure, places to visit, which animals to see…

The best time for photography is early in the morning and late in the afternoon. The quality of the light is at its best and the animals are more active. Most of animals are resting in the shadows in the middle of the day. Strong sun casts strong shadows and the photos are usually overexposed or poor in colours.

Where to go?

There are several different countries where you can enjoy the safari;
South Africa – probably the most popular safari experience, very diverse country,
Kenya – classical destination,superb birdwatching, can be crowded,
Tanzania – Serengeti and Ngorongoro, Mt. Klilimanjaro, don’t miss Zanzibar!,
Uganda – source of the Nile, meet the gorillas,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe,
Namibia – Been there, had a great time, check out the posts & photos.
Botswana – it is second on my whishlist…

There are also other countries where you can do the safari, this is just a basic idea where to go. Regardless which country you choose to go, you should do a homework before you decide. Things like weather season, public holidays, lodges, what animals you want to see, prices, safari company, national parks – these are all things you should consider when planning a trip. The best way to make sure you choose the right thing is to talk to people, take a look at their photos. The cheapest offer is usually not the right one – it is worth paying a few extra bucks to make sure you get what you want!

I posted two articles with more photos from safaris in Kenya & Tanzania. Check them out in bigger size! Game drive photos I and game drive photos II.

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