Record

As your guide is experienced and understands the behavior of the animals, they are better equipped to predict their actions, so we have a better chance of finding them and of photographing them. Your guide really wants you to have a great experience and to take home some great memories. Please listen to your guide and communicate with him if you’d like him to maneuver the vehicle for you to take a better shot.

You will find your gift books extremely helpful; it will assist in teaching you about animal behavior and the different kinds of terrain the various animals prefer. You can combine that knowledge with that of your qualified guide to plan the best African game drives and bush walks, where you will have the opportunity to take some amazing photo's.

It is VERY important that you remember that ALL animals are WILD! Safety is at the top of our list; never interfere with the natural behavior of the animals in order to take a better photo! Rather let your guide interpret the behavior and “test their mood”!

At some stage during your trip, you will meet local people from local tribes and with cultural backgrounds different from ours. Your guide will communicate with the locals so as to build up a rapport with them before you start taking photos. Many of the local folk are very suspicious of cameras, so it is always better to make friends first and take photos later!

We have the following tips for you which should be help you to take memorable photos while on your African tour:

If you want a close-up photo, try to focus on the animal's eyes. This usually results in most of the animal's face being in focus. Always have your camera ready - animals can appear and disappear very quickly. Try not to spend your entire trip looking through your viewfinder, you will miss much of the trip! Just be ready with your camera at all times. Animals do not book appointments – for instance, a lion kill is quick, has lots of dust and fur flying around, as well as lots of growling and snarling; leopards can be there one second and gone the next, a crocodile can slip into or out of water in a split second.

Take numerous shots of your subject. Take a shot which captures the full animal and it’s surroundings, then another shot with closer detail, and then close up shots of features of the animal, for instance, of it’s horns, eyes and face. Take both vertical and horizontal photos.

Try and utilise your camera to it’s best, practice with the different settings so that most of your pictures are of good quality. Of course, the best cameras these days are digital – the beauty of these cameras is you can take as many photos as you possibly can and delete the poor quality ones later. An extra memory card is a good idea, you’ll find that you’ll take 100’s of photographs! Bring plenty of spare batteries, rechargeable one’s are great.

Sometimes the terrain on our trips can be a little rough! Check that your “anti-shake” function is on! It has been known for guests to drop cameras in or out of the vehicle. On some trips you will encounter water and your equipment may get wet. Please make sure your equipment is covered by your insurance.

Remember to consider the other people on your tour; they also want that “perfect shot”. Communicate with the rest of your group and your guide so that each member of the tour is able to get a good view of the subject. It’s “nice to be nice”! Your guide will assist in rotating the seating on trips so that all guests are considered and have a chance to take great photos.

Video Equipment

A videotape of your wildlife safari is a wonderful memento, recording sounds and movement which cannot be captured on stills. Again, bring lots of spare batteries or rechargeable batteries and spare film cassettes.

Try not to zoom in and out too quickly. Don’t move or swing the camera around erratically, when you show your home video off to your friends, they may get sea-sick!

The slightest noises can be picked up on your video camera microphone: it is a good idea to attach a clip on microphone to eliminate unwanted voices, whispers, etc. With the microphone, your own voice or that of your guide will be heard clearly above any background noises.