Lens and Dust
The minimum size of lens I would recommend for
best success in general vehicle work is a minimum of 400mm and for
birds 600mm, even when close a long lens can be useful and if you
can afford image stabilisation then all the better. I have found
dust to be quite a problem especially in the more open vehicles and
the longer you’re on safari the more problematic it becomes. Once
you are home you can give your kit a good clean, not quite so easy
whist on safari. There are some things that can be done to reduce
the impact, such as keep all your kit in your camera bag when not
being used (and keep the bag closed) when changing lenses always put
the caps on immediately.
I use two cameras each with a different lens size,
this reduces the amount of times I need to changeover, the second
camera can be ready to use immediately thus reducing those lost
shots whilst making changes. When you are away from the dust back in
the accommodation it is always beneficial to give your lenses a
light clean, this could be done at lunchtime or in the evening, if
the only thing you did at this point was to blow the dust from lens
it will make a difference.
Camera Settings
My camera has all the manual settings one would
expect from a good SLR camera but my experience you don’t always
have the time to calculate and alter these setting to get the best
shot. Anyone who has taken wildlife pictures knows you have to be
quick because the opportunity may pass you by. My suggestion is you
are converse with the semi automatic features of your camera so you
are able to switch and change these without thinking, this gives you
half a chance of taking a quick shot and a good shot. Important to
note is once you have stopped "snapping", make a point of resetting
the camera back to your normal setting, otherwise you may get caught
out with the wrong setting next time your snap.
One way to overcome the problem of getting all the
settings right is to shoot using camera RAW files (read your camera
manual to find out how to) and make adjustments back at home on your
computer, most experts use this method. However, if you do you need
to be aware of a few things :-
Always, if possible take in RAW format this is
very beneficial when your selected camera settings are not quite
right, fine tuning can be then done on the computer at home and
'Bracketing' can help and give some leeway with exposure. However,
'Bracketing' will impact on your storage requirements, more and/or
larger compact flash cards will be required. As I have mentioned
previously you will always take more pictures than you think.
If you take shots using the cameras ‘auto’
settings the image may not be saved in
camera RAW format and therefore you will not have the same ability
to make adjustments back at home, just be aware. I’ve been caught on
this one. You will need to purchase and learn how to use a suitable
computer software package that enables you to process your
photographs.
The transfer rate between the compact flash card
and the camera will depend on the pixel size of your cameras CMOS
sensor, the speed of the compact flash card and the processing power
of the camera. The impact may be experiencing delay in taking shots
whilst the data is being transferred to the card. This could mean
you may miss
those once in a lifetime photo opportunities.
Faster speed compact flash cards will help resolve this issue but
they are more expensive. On this particular point it is worthy to
note, sometimes photographic opportunities appear and disappear
without prior warning so you need to be prepared at all times, have
your kit setup and ready to shoot photos as soon as the engine on
the safari vehicle starts up.
Light
As you are near the equator the light will be
brighter than you can expect in the UK, in general this will have a
positive impact on your pictures, although the midday the sun can be
very harsh, don’t forget to compensate for this on your camera. The
early morning and evening light is extremely effective both in terms
of the orange glow and the shadows that can appear on the subject.
Cloudy mid days can also be good as you have the brightness and
light without the intensity of the harsh sun but clouds can prove to
be problematic at either end of the day. Sometimes those
evening clouds linger on the horizon blocking the setting sun from
time to time and usually at the most inconvenient moments. The
result may be the requirement for slower shutter speeds which could
impact on sharpness of a moving subject.
Late morning is sometimes good (before it gets too
high) quite effective throwing the suns light at good angles on the
subject highlighting the colours most effectively. The angle and
strength of the sun will also vary depending up the time of year and
the latitude of location you have chosen.
When on safari it may be possible to set off
earlier than normal to capture these good photographic conditions,
however deviation from the norm may only be possible with the lodge
based safari (smaller lodges with own guides/usually on a fly in
basis etc) as the other types usually have an itinerary to follow
which cannot be changed. You get what you pay for.
Be Prepared
Always have a spare Compact flash card in your
pocket ready to change over with the full one, rummaging in you bag
will take longer and increases the risk of missed shots. Most shots
on safari will be opportunist photography with little time to set
things up and create the right photographic situations. So always be
prepared, try to anticipate and be very familiar with the various
setting and features of your camera, you will have little time to
read the manual when 'snapping'.
Quite often when animals are approached they tend
to move off or a situation can change once you stop, so be ready to
get some shots in quick, once you’ve taken some good ones then it
will be a good time to be more creative and experiment for better
ones. Doing it this way, will at least give you something to take
back as you may not always get a second chance.
Kit to Take
Luggage
This something you have to watch because there are
a number of problems to overcome. The level of the problem may
differ, depending the type of safari you have chosen. The first
issue is the security of your camera kit whist flying, what I mean
by this is, do you check into the airplane hold your camera
equipment in the hope it turns up at the other end undamaged or do
you keep it with you as hand luggage ? My opinion is that when going
on a photographic safari I would be a touch more annoyed at not
having my camera equipment on arrival, lost in the baggage system,
than I would be at loosing my toothbrush.
The answer is you take as much as possible as hand
luggage. What you can take as hand luggage will differ on the type
of flight, on charter flight you may only get 5kg (maybe more if you
travel premium class), on a scheduled flight it will be more
generous, however the problem could also be size of the bag. In all
instances you should check with the airline involved beforehand. If
you will be using internal flights between lodges a different set of
problems may occur. Security is not likely to be such a issue
because most of the planes are small and it is easier to keep an eye
where things are being stowed, the problem is more likely to be the
weight of luggage you are allowed. Normally these flights are
limited to about 15kg, sometimes12kg and this includes everything
that travels with you, so by the time you have weighed in your
camera kit there may not be much left over.
With only 12/15kg you will need to do a bit
of serious consideration on which bits of your equipment are
essential and which bits are nice to have. Any capacity left over
will be the space for your personal attire.
My preference in a camera bag is the backpack type, this type works
for me.