Wildlife Photography » Safari photography masterclass

Safari photography masterclass part 1. Preparation, where and what.

The advice below is the product of years of photography, travelling to India, Kenya, and the Polar Regions, and will hopefully have a much wider appeal and relevance than just Safari Photography.

"Poor Preparation Produces Poor Performance (The 5Ps)"
Practice really does make perfect. If the only photo experience you acquire is from your annual holiday, how are you supposed to improve? By the time you have relearned your camera and settled in, you will have missed half the trip! Get down to the park or local pond and practice as often as you can, especially when leading up to a safari. Reconnect with your camera and familiarise yourself with the controls.

Who
'Who' you safari with has an immense impact on what you see and an even more profound impact on what you can photograph. The right camp has the most experienced guides and the best jeeps... the ones that do not break down!

The guide driving the jeep is the linchpin to your entire safari. From a photography point of view, some are better than others, so it is worth researching to find a camp whose guides are experienced with photographers. Their knowledge of the location, experience, wildlife and photographic insight will get you into the prime position, at the right time, in the best light. Once your guide has you in position, it is all down to you. So what do you need to capture those iconic moments?

Keep it simple
For starters, 'work simple' and cut down the amount of equipment you carry. There is no need to have ALL the lenses that cover ALL the focal lengths - you have the ability to move and, with a kind word, so can the jeep. The more options you have, the more time it will take to decide which lens for what subject, and before you have even looked up, the moment will have passed!

Staying at the rightcamp, and having the right guide to take you to the best places at the right times is at least as important as the gear you have and how you use it. Copyright Elliott Neep.

Equipment
I generally use two bodies (a 3rd for backup) to minimise time and to help prevent exposing the sensor to dust. There is usually a 16-35mm super-wide zoom, 70-200mm zoom, 300mm prime, 600mm prime, and external flashguns. This is my standard safari/travel kit. To be fair, as long as you have a wide-angle and a zoom/telephoto, you're covered:

A wide-angle for landscapes and for those moments where the animals approach the jeep. It is all too easy to get carried away with the telephoto - shooting faces and whiskers! Remember to photograph the animals in their environment.

A mid-range zoom (70-200mm or 75-300mm) will give you the flexibility to photograph herds, packs, and landscape features.

The super-telephotos (400+mm) get you into the action, but they make great landscape lenses too. Often you will see features in the landscape that photograph exceptionally well as isolated graphic images. For example, that image of an acacia silhouette with giant sun orb behind it... that's a telephoto landscape!

Remember to photograph the animals in their environment. Photo copyright Elliott Neep.

Be prepared - Baden-Powell was right
On safari, ALWAYS keep your camera to hand with the lens cap OFF. If the camera is zipped away in a bag with the lens cap on, you will lose critical seconds. If you're worried about dust, invest in a rain cover (serves just as well as a dust cover) or slip the camera and lens into a pillowcase.

Whenever I head out in the morning and return at dusk, my camera is powered-on and ready to shoot - it is never packed away. There is always a spare battery and memory cards in my pocket. On morning safaris, the camera is set to at least ISO400, on f/4, with the centre focus-point pre-selected, and all the lens switches checked. If anything happens, I can grab the shot quickly. If the subject decides to hang around, then I can experiment with compositions and further refinement.

Support
Razor sharp images require good glass, adequate shutter speeds and (the often forgotten) support. It still amazes me to see photographers waving around huge lenses in low light! I can only imagine they are aiming for a creative blur competition winner or are using astronomical ISO speeds.

Telephotos The super-telephotos (400+mm) get you into the action, but they make great landscape lenses too. Hold it Still The alternative is the Manfrotto 035 Super Clamp. It will bolt on to almost anything and with one in place. Photo copyright Elliott Neep.

There are two support solutions that have served me well. The trusty double beanbag is a great accessory. Take one flat-packed and on arrival, ask the camp/lodge to fill it with beans or rice. The larger beanbags offer-up enough support for the largest of lenses.

My only issue with the beanbag is when it comes to panning - the material usually gets caught-up and the lens-barrel rolls, producing skewed horizons. A cheap fix is to have the beanbag on a platform which the better camps provide for their jeeps. Insert a plastic bag between the beanbag and platform surface to allow the beanbag some lateral movement.

Clamp it
The alternative is the Manfrotto 035 Super Clamp. It will bolt on to almost anything and with one in place, you can screw-on your favourite panning head, be it ball or gimbal. For less than £20, you have a rock-solid, mobile tripod-head. With its large lever, you can quickly detach and reattach around the jeep.

Tripods are not advisable especially if you are sharing the jeep! I am sure you will soon tire of it, extending and lowering it inside a confined space. The only exception here is with the open-style safari jeeps that have no window-sill or roof on which to place beanbags. In these situations you will need a tripod or monopod... or a colleague's solid shoulder. By all means take a tripod for landscapes when you are allowed out of the jeep.