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This website is a comprehensive resource of African wildlife and nature photography. These photos were taken from different countries including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and a few other conservation areas in the Southern African region.
Africa provides photographers with a wide diversity of flora and fauna in a range of natural environments, ranging from the dry plains of Serengeti National Park, Masai Mara national park, Etosha National Park, the wetlands of the Okavango Delta, to the birdlife of East Africa.
Enjoy wildlife photos like you have never seen before! The African Photography Blog shows you the most amazing African wildlife photos. From great animal photos to interesting flora and landscape photos, we share with you some of the best shots taken from the African continent. See great shots of animals including mountain gorillas, tree climbing lions, rhinos, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and other amazing animals.
Essential Photo Tips For African Photography Safaris
Get The Best African Cultural & Wildlife Photography Photos! Learn these essential picture taking tips for photography safaris. Get great pictures of your African cultural & wildlife safaris. Find superb deals on the best Africa safari for you.
These photo taking tips come from travelers’ experiences on over 80 African safari vacations.
Learn about how to enjoy a photography safari in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Though we are not professional photographers, we have taken literally thousands of African safari and cultural pictures.
And when we are on photography safaris with the pros, we ask a lot of questions! Here’s what we’ve learned.
I hope these tips help you get the most memorable photographs possible!
Tips: African Cultural & Wildlife Photography Safari Tips
Here are seven practical African cultural and wildlife photography tips that will help you get the best pictures on your African safari:
- 1. Read up on animal behavior so you know what types of terrain to expect certain animals in. This will help you plan the best photos. Also ask your guide for advice.
- 2. Never interfere with the natural behavior of animals to take a better photo.
- 3. If you want to take pictures of African tribal people, ask first.
- 4. Be prepared! Animals may appear and disappear quickly.
- 5. When taking close up pictures of animals, focus on the animal’s eyes. Then most of the animal’s face will be in focus.
- 6. Have your own binoculars, a 7 or 8 power one is sufficient. If you are very interested in birds you need a 10 power.
- 7. Insure your camera equipment. The roads can be rugged so pack your camera well. If possible, strap you camera to your arm or put it around your neck. Many people drop their cameras as they get in and out of the safari vehicles.
Interested? Need more advice? Contact us now for free customized itinerary for an African wildlife photography safari suited to your interests and budget.
A Few More Wildlife Photography Tips
For close-up photographs of animals, it is essential to have a 200mm to 300mm or telephoto lens. However, much of African scenery is characterized by wide open spaces, so a 28mm wide angle lens could also be invaluable, especially if you want to emphasize something in the foreground.
100-200 ASA film will be appropriate for most conditions, but some 400 ASA film can be useful for the light conditions at dusk or if you are lucky enough to come across a cheetah in a high speed chase.
Make sure you bring some spare batteries, as these may not be readily available and an ultra-violet filter is also useful for reducing glare.
A lens hood will prevent light from diffusing an image if you have to shoot towards the sun.
If you are not a regular photographer, the following tips may be useful:
- The bright sunlight means that early morning and late afternoon are generally the best times for photography.
- Avoid static pictures of animals – a giraffe drinking is a much better photo than one just calmly looking at you.
- When photographing animals, ensure that the horizon remains level.
- Think about your background – if you are at a waterhole, you can select a spot at which to wait which gives you a good background and the right light.
- If you don’t have a good tele-photo lens, don’t be tempted into taking numerous shots of animals in the medium ground. You will end up with lots of photos of green or brown bush! Instead concentrate on taking landscape and scene shots, for example, of zebras playing or a collection of animals at a waterhole.
Interested? Contact Experience Africa now for free customized itinerary for your African wildlife photography safari to suit your interests & budget.
Looking for a high-quality, exclusive wildlife photo safari?
We act as agents for a small group of hand-picked safari operators offering photography-oriented wildlife and eco-tours. The select group of safari operators we have chosen to work with show excellent attention to detail and they generally offer small-group and often private wildlife tours. They have guides sensitive to the needs of nature and wildlife photographers.
How does our process work?
When you approach us with an e-mail or phone call and tell us your requirements, we put you in direct contact with the wildlife photo safari operator we believe will best suite your specific wishes. You pay the same amount for a safari whether you approach us, or whether you approach the operator directly. The only advantage of approaching us is that we choose from several different hand-picked operators to try and match you with someone who will provide you with the experience of a lifetime, tailored to your specific needs. After an initial e-mail or two, we will simply put you in direct contact with the ground operator. You will then have to judge for yourself whether they are doing your inquiry justice. 90% of the time you will find that the service received from whoever we put you in contact with is in a league apart from your average tour company – because we work with people we like.
What will you pay for a safari with one of our operators?
We use wildlife photo safari operators often specializing in private trips, so unfortunately prices are usually high. You will rarely be quoted anything less than US$7000 per person sharing for a 2-week tour – and please note that 5-star accommodation often means a higher price. (Please do discuss vehicle and accommodation details directly with the operator to avoid any misunderstandings).
Where do we run safaris?
We are based in South Africa and know our continent very well. Many of our operators specialize in southern Africa – especially South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Madagascar. But we also work with people in many other parts of the world such as Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Thailand, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, Canada, the USA, South America, Europe, etc.
What kind of safaris do our operators run?
We love bird and mammal photography, but fantastic scenery can also be high on our agenda. Anything to do with the natural world!
Credits
We thank different organizations and individuals whose photographs have been shared on this website. These include;
Organizations
- Experience Africa – a Ugandan based tour operator providing carefully crafted safaris in the East African Region. Plan safaris in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.
- Go Gorilla Trekking – specialists in organizing gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Gorilla Trek Rwanda – Specializing in organizing gorilla safaris in Rwanda.
- Rwanda Gorilla Safaris – a Rwandan based tour operator offering gorilla safaris to the Volcanoes National Park.
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