Safari Wildlife Photography Top Four Tips

I 've been practising              compact digitals on the market     wildlife photography on         today suffer from this affliction  safari for over twenty          and it's not ideal when you come   years now in places like the          across fast moving wildlife        Kruger National Park, Chobe,          subjects.                          Okavango Delta, and Hwange game                                          reserves and these four tips have     It should be ready to take         been indispensable in making sure     photographs at a moments notice    that I get some decent wildlife       because that is sometimes all the  photographs.                          time you have before an animal                                           disappears into the undergrowth.   1. The Right Equipment         No long power up cycle.                                                                                     I believe that you can't beat the     Due to the fact that most of your  quality of film but that digital      nocturnal wildlife sightings on    offers wildlife photography           safari will occur during early     practitioners more options at a       morning and dusk it needs to be    better cost so for the purposes       able to function well in low       of a safari trip a digital camera     light conditions as well as        is your best bet.                     bright sunlight during the day                                           for the diurnal animals.           It should have some of the                                               following characteristics to          Lenses should have a focal length  qualify as a good safari camera.      of at least 70mm for adequate                                            wildlife photography and an image                                        stabiliser is not essential but a  There should be little or no lag      great help in eliminating blur.    between the time you depress the                                         shutter release button and the        Another piece of equipment that    photo is taken. Some of the           is essential however is a          deadrest in the form of a beanbag     Tanzania - Serengeti               or a window mounted tripod that       South Africa - Kruger National     you can rest the camera on to         Park                               help stabilise the long lenses.       Botswana - Moremi                  Handholding a long lens will          Namibia - Etosha                   often lead to blurring and the                                           dead rest will prevent this. A        3. Patience and Luck        tripod or monopod is impractical                                         because you will be taking photos     Everything comes to him who waits  from the safari vehicle for most      is a very relevant saying for      of the time.                          wildlife photography. Patience                                           will help you get better           2. The Best Wildlife               photographs because you will be    Photography Areas                 able to take pictures of animal                                          behaviour that you would           You can have all the right            otherwise have missed.             equipment and the best wildlife                                          photography talent in the world       The role of luck mustn't be        but it won't mean much if you         underestimated either. There is    can't find any wildlife to take       no guarantee of what you will      pictures of.                          encounter in a game reserve and                                          whatever you do get to see and     Some areas in Africa are better       photograph is a matter of a        in terms of safari photography        little bit of planning and a lot   than others. The top five for         of good fortune.                getting excellent overall                                                wildlife picture opportunities        4. Light and Composition    are:                                                                                                           Because you are at the mercy of    Kenya - Masai Mara                    the elements in wildlife           photography, you don't have too       sometimes not possible because in  much control over the light.          most reserves you are not allowed  Flash is of no use when the           to go off-road and moving might    animal is at a distance and you       scare the subject away.            can't wait for better light                                              conditions because the subject        Composition is something you do    could move off at any moment so       have more control of however and   you need to make the best of what     you can apply the rule of thirds   you have.                             and framing using the available                                          vegetation just as well as in any  And due to the habits of              other form of photography.         nocturnal species you will find                                          yourself taking lots of pictures      Be especially careful using the    in low light conditions at dawn       autofocus on your camera because   and dusk which is why a fast lens     it will cheerfully focus on a      and a dead rest is essential.         twig or tuft of grass close to     Using bracketing (changing the        your animal subject and spoil      exposure by one stop up and down)     your composition.                  will also help get the optimal                                           exposure in the available light.      You will also need to make your                                          compositional decisions quickly    What you do have some control         as wildlife often doesn't hang     over is the position of the           about long waiting for you to      safari vehicle which can be moved     make your mind up so it pays to    to change the aspect of light         have a solid foundation in the     that is falling on the animal         basics.                            somewhat but even that is              About the Author: Collection of African safari pictures depicting most of the animals you can see on safari like lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, crocodile and many more species...http://www.african-safari-pictures.com .The five best safari destinations to photograph the king of the jungle...http://www.african-safari-pictures.com/african-lion-safari.html Source: www.isnare.com