African Safari Photography Tips

For running animals such as cheetahs, use shutter priority with a shutter speed of at least 1/1000 second, continuous autofocus and burst mode. For birds in flight or very fast action, increase to 1/2000 second or faster. Let auto ISO adjust the exposure, and accept a little noise rather than a blurred, unusable image of the action.

For portraits of resting animals, use a wide aperture of around f/4 to f/5.6 to blur the background and make your subject stand out. Focus on the nearest eye, keep the shutter speed at least as fast as your focal length, and wait for the animal to look towards you for more engaging and personal images.

Early and late in the day, natural light levels drop very quickly. Raise your ISO, open your aperture and steady the camera on a beanbag. Modern cameras handle higher ISO well, so do not be afraid of ISO 3200 or more. Slight underexposure protects highlights in bright sunrise and sunset skies, which are easy to overexpose.

Use exposure compensation to correct tricky light, which is common on safari. Dark animals such as buffaloes against bright grass may need plus compensation, while light subjects such as egrets or bright skies may need minus compensation. Check your camera's histogram regularly, and avoid clipped highlights, which cannot be recovered later in editing, even from RAW files.

For wide landscapes, use a wide-angle or standard zoom, an aperture of around f/8 to f/11 for front-to-back sharpness and a low ISO where light allows. Include foreground interest such as a tree or termite mound, and position the horizon on a third rather than in the centre of the frame for a more balanced, natural composition.

Birds are small, colourful and quick, so use your longest lens, a single focus point or animal tracking, and a fast shutter speed of 1/2000 second or more for birds in flight. Approach slowly with the vehicle, wait for clean perches and use a wide aperture to soften busy, distracting backgrounds behind them for cleaner images.

A mirrorless or DSLR camera with fast autofocus, good high-ISO performance and a quick burst rate is ideal. Weather sealing helps in dust and light rain. A second body saves time switching lenses and reduces dust on the sensor, but one good camera with a versatile zoom works very well for most safari travellers and photographers.

A telephoto zoom such as 100 to 400 millimetres or 150 to 600 millimetres is by far the most important safari lens, covering everything from elephants to distant leopards and birds. Zooms give flexibility from a vehicle, where you cannot move closer. Image stabilisation is very helpful when shooting handheld or from a beanbag on bumpy vehicles.

A wide-angle or standard zoom, such as 24 to 70 or 24 to 105 millimetres, is perfect for landscapes, environmental wildlife scenes, camps, sunsets and people. It is also useful when animals come very close to the vehicle, which happens more often than many first-time visitors expect on a Tanzania safari, especially at waterholes and camps.

Modern smartphones now take excellent landscape, camp and people photos, and are great for video. For wildlife, use the phone's telephoto lens where available, steady it against the vehicle and avoid heavy digital zoom. Phone adapters for binoculars can help, but a dedicated telephoto camera gives far better results for distant animals, birds and fast action.

Lions, leopards and cheetahs are often most active at dawn and dusk. Be patient while they rest in the shade, as yawns, stretches and interactions can happen suddenly. Focus on the eyes, use a fast shutter for action and include the tree or rock a leopard is resting on to show its natural environment and typical behaviour.

Elephants are wonderful subjects, from close-up portraits of wrinkled skin to herds walking beneath baobab trees in Tarangire. Watch for family interactions and calves playing. Use a wider lens when they come close to the vehicle, and capture dust bathing or drinking at waterholes for natural, characterful and memorable natural behaviour shots of the whole family herd.

Tanzania has more than 1,100 recorded bird species, from lilac-breasted rollers to fish eagles and flamingos. Use your longest lens, a fast shutter speed and a single focus point. Wait for clean perches and good light, and ask your guide to position the vehicle so the sun is behind you for the best, richest colours.

The Great Migration offers truly dramatic scenes, from vast herds on the plains to chaotic Mara River crossings. Use a fast shutter speed and burst mode for crossings, and a wider lens to show the scale of the herds. Patience is essential, as crossings can take hours to begin and may happen suddenly without any warning.

Tanzania's varied landscapes are truly spectacular, from the endless Serengeti plains to Ngorongoro's crater walls and Kilimanjaro's snow-capped summit. Include foreground interest such as acacia trees, silhouette animals against colourful skies and expose carefully for the bright sky at sunset to keep colours rich. Stay out after sunset for beautiful blue-hour colours when park rules and your guide allow it.

When photographing people in Maasai villages, markets or towns, always ask permission politely first and respect any answer. Engage with people before raising your camera, and follow your guide's advice on local customs. Some communities may request a small fee. Respectful, natural portraits are far more meaningful and memorable than quick, unasked snapshots taken from a distance.

From about January to March, the southern Serengeti and Ndutu host the migration calving season, with newborn wildebeest, intense predator action and green landscapes under dramatic stormy skies. It is easily one of the most rewarding places and times for wildlife photography, especially for cheetahs, lions and hyenas hunting on the open short-grass plains of Ndutu.

From about July to October, the northern Serengeti offers dramatic Mara River crossings, huge herds of wildebeest and big cats in golden dry season light. Crossings require great patience and careful vehicle positioning, and staying in a camp close to the river gives you the best chance of capturing this extraordinary and unforgettable wildlife spectacle on camera.

Ngorongoro Crater is excellent for photography all year, with high densities of wildlife, including black rhino, lions and elephants, set against the crater's dramatic walls. Early morning descents into the crater offer soft golden light and atmospheric mist, and the open crater floor gives clear views and wonderful environmental compositions throughout the day, whatever the season.

From about June to October, Tarangire is superb for photographing large elephant herds, giant baobab trees and the Tarangire River, which attracts wildlife in the dry season. The golden light, dusty atmosphere and iconic baobabs create a distinctive African look, and the park is also excellent for colourful birds, lions and occasional leopards resting in trees.