Tips for better wildlife pics and African safari photos
without breaking the bank!

Great safari photos – like this one of a proud, battle-weary lion -- are what we all dream of, aren’t they?

To get the most satisfactory safari photos recording your visit to a game reserve or national park, you’ll need a telephoto lens to magnify the subject and bring it closer – much like you use binoculars to magnify what you’re looking at.

In the days of film, you needed a single lens reflex (SLR) camera with inter-changeable lenses. This enabled you to use a telephoto lens (like a 70-200mm zoom or 300mm lens) to bring your subject closer.

In the digital era, that’s all changed and you no longer need an SLR camera with expensive lenses to record the action. Many compact digital cameras now come with powerful zoom lenses. These “super-zooms” typically have 10X, 12X or even 18X magnification, giving you a huge zoom range, from wide angle (about 35mm) to super telephoto (about 450mm).

Standard compact cameras usually come with something like a 3X zoom lens (from around 35mm to 105mm). While great for general travel and holiday pictures, this is usually not enough magnification to get memorable animal shots.

However, if you’re limited to a camera like this in a game reserve, you can still get some acceptable safari photos of large animals like elephants and giraffes and, if you’re very lucky, maybe a pride of lions lying close to the road.

You can also return home with some great scenic shots (like the one at the bottom of the page) that give a good idea of the location, showing wide open vistas and the trees, rivers, or mountains. In African winters (a good time to visit game reserves), the grass is often a warm, golden brown, trees are more skeletal as many have lost their leaves and the sky is deep blue – marvellous ingredients for an eye-catching photo that accurately portrays the colours and feel of the African bush.

However if you REALLY want that frame-filling photo of the big cat or surly buffalo, your chances will improve greatly if you have a digital camera with a 10X or 12X zoom lens. Extend the lens to its maximum zoom (say 420mm) and you’re now pulling that animal really close so it fills your frame.

Camera shake – your safari photos enemy!
The biggest hurdle to getting outstanding safari photos when using your compact camera at full zoom is camera shake. Remember, you’re magnifying the subject, pulling it closer – but at the same time you’re magnifying any unsteadiness or movement in the camera. In the excitement of seeing a pride of lions on a kill or an elephant looming large, even a slight trembling of the hands will blur the picture.

You can reduce this in a number of ways...

1. Use the fastest shutter-speed possible
2. Use some form of support, like a beanbag, to keep the camera steady. You’ll more than likely be in a vehicle, so even draping a garment over a half-open window or a seat and resting the camera on that will provide support.
3. If your camera has an optical viewfinder, use that instead of the LCD screen on the back of the camera. You can keep a camera a lot more steady when it’s firmly against your face, arms tucked into your sides, than when holding it out in front of you, particularly at arm’s length.

Best time of day for safari photos?
The best time to take wildlife pictures is early in the morning or late afternoon, when the animals are more active. The light is also softer so you avoid the harsh, contrast-y shadows you find when the sun is high in the sky.

The downside of this is that you will be limited in your exposure options because it's less bright, hence slower shutter speeds and greater likelihood of camera shake – another good reason to make every effort to keep your camera steady.

So which is the best camera then?
Digital camera technology advances rapidly and new models are constantly being introduced - it’s simply not possible to recommend specific models. But if you are in the market for an affordable super-zoom digital camera, you can’t go far wrong sticking to established brands that have a track-record producing this type of camera. Examples are Olympus (SP-550UZ), Canon (Powershot S5 IS), Panasonic (Lumix DMC-FZ50 or DMC-FZ18K), Nikon (Coolpix P80), Sony (Cyber-shot DSCH50), and Fuji (Finepix S1000fd).

Last thing to remember...
Digital pictures cost nothing, so don’t be hesitant to shoot lots of photographs and remember to carry as many spare memory cards as you can afford. Finally, don’t forget to pack your battery charger.

Scotch Macaskill is an enthusiastic wildlife photographer who loves spending time in the African bush. Visit his website, Wildlife Pictures Online, for wildlife images plus articles about photography, conservation and safari adventures.

Herd of Blesbok, Spioenkop, KZN, South Africa
Thanks Scotch, for these great wildlife photos!

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