Mastering safari photography: 6 tips & tricks from the pros

It’s equally important to regularly clean and maintain your gear, and check it throughout the day when shooting. “There's nothing worse than coming home at the end of the day to see there was a dust speck on your lens or sensor!” says Andrew. “And practice with your equipment BEFORE you are on the shoot!” he adds. “When I first started photography, I used to just sit on my couch in the evenings, fiddling through every single menu item/function in my camera, just to get familiar with it as much as possible”. Dedicate time to acquaint yourself with every nuance of your camera, for it is the tool that translates your vision into reality.

Look for subjects with distinct and recognisable shapes; birds in flight, towering giraffes, or lone trees on a plain produce striking silhouettes.

“Angling your camera to shoot towards the sun with your subject backlit or side-lit will create layers of contrast in your image and separate the subject from the background, making it pop out of the frame”, says Ollie.

He says this this tip is best combined with a low sun, or “golden hour” as photographers call it. We call it game drive time; the hours you’ll typically be out exploring on safari, and a great time to catch wildlife on the move.

When the sun goes down, photography can become tricky on safari. Though your guide may have a spotlight, shining directly at animals can impair their eyesight, making them vulnerable. Once golden hour is over, sometimes the best night safari photography tip is to pack away your camera and enjoy the after-dark experience. 

Teagan’s top tip is to identify what you love most about a scene, and set about isolating that from distracting elements whether that means waiting for an animal to break from the herd or move free of foliage, or using a telephoto lens to zoom in on one aspect. “Where possible, physically move yourself, or objects, so that only the bare essentials are left in a frame that strongly convey a story. I love shooting through foliage at a wide aperture and often use grass or leaves to hide areas of a composition that I can’t physically eliminate. This has an added bonus of creating depth and intrigue in your imagery”.

South African photographer and videographer Chris Joubert has spent countless hours photographing the continent’s wild subjects. He was one of the first to visit and photograph Wilderness Usawa in the Serengeti, where the abundant herds kept him and his camera busy. “When shooting wildlife always try and shoot from a lower angle instead of shooting down onto your subject. This will create a more natural looking image”.

Chris’s tip for photographing wildlife while on game drives is to try to move further away from the subject, and always sit in the lowest possible seat in the vehicle.

If photography is your priority on safari, book a private vehicle and give yourself the freedom to move around and get the shot you want. 

“Study and understand the behaviour of the animals you're likely to encounter. Be a scientist first, THEN be a photographer”, says Andrew Ling. This will help you anticipate animal movements and their environment, resulting in more authentic images. The second key tip? Be patient and observant. “Sometimes the best moments happen when you least expect them. Whether it's the perfect lighting or an interesting expression, photography rewards those who are the most patient”, says Andrew.

While on safari you’re bound to encounter a massive variety of wildlife and subject matter. Seeking expert insight here will help you better understand animal behaviour. “Some of my most memorable images have come through the direct help of guides”, says Teagan. “Having a guide with you who has an understanding of both photography and wildlife behavior is a game changer. Whether it is angling a vehicle or walking on foot, a photographic guide knows how to keep a situation both safe for animals and humans, as well as maximize on photographic potential. I always ask for guides with a photographic background to accompany me on shoots”.

Aside from training our guides on how to cater to photographers, on a safari with Wilderness, wildlife photography isn’t only confined to game drives, or even walks. At certain camps throughout Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia, you’ll have the chance to settle in to one of our strategically placed hides and wait for the wildlife to come to you. Here, patience is key, but where else could you expect to come lens-to-toe with an elephant? Mostly overlooking waterholes, the camp hides are a good place to practice Chris Joubert’s tip of getting eye-level or low down with your subject, especially in the heat of the day when wildlife gathers to drink.

You may consider how you might explain extraordinary sightings or landscapes; try to capture the essence of a place by taking a wide-angle look at the scene, including as much context as you can in an image. Leaving space and using landscape to tell a story is just as valuable as a zoomed-in close-up.

Your Wilderness guide will help you paint the full picture. Familiar with the local wildlife, your guide will not only try to put you in the best possible position to capture your subject, but offer context and guidance to the scene. What may look to you like a mound of sand is a hyena den to your guide; the imperceptible gap in the foliage is actually a well-used game path; or a messy cluster of twigs, an eagle’s nest.