Having just returned from a 16 day trip to Africa, I thought I would share some of the things I learned in the bush that will help you maximize your photography should you ever take a trip to Africa.
1. DSLR Recommended: Before you go, make sure you have a decent camera. Your prime times to take photos will be the early morning and late afternoon. This means difficult lighting conditions for you and camera. A DSLR is HIGHLY recommended.
2. Bring the Big Guns: If you do bring a DSLR, make sure your lens focal length is adequate. Though you will be quite close much of the wildlife, some of your best shots will have to be taken from far away, especially with bird species. In my experience, a 200mm lens is a minimum. Preferably, a 300mm or higher is optimal. In this same light, a low aperture lens is very helpful. F2.8 lenses are expensive but are worth every penny.
3. Love the Morning: Learn to become a morning person. Wildlife is most active in the early morning hours and late afternoon and evening. Waking up at 5:30 and 6:00am is something I am quite used to having been a swimmer for most of my adult life, but for most people, getting up early is a struggle. Learn to love it.
4. Dont Forget: Bring your battery charger. Yeah I, forgot mine. So I had to borrow a fellow Nikon shooter’s battery charger one afternoon. Similarly, If you aren’t bringing your laptop to offload the images from the memory card, make sure you have enough memory cards to shoot all day everyday. Personally, I took almost 4,000 images that totaled 20.9 gigabytes.
5. Be Original: Because everyone that goes on safari carries a camera, you need to try and make your photos unique. Everyone will have photos of that elephant but its how you compose your shot and play with the exposure that will make it stand out.
