wildlife-safari-photography-hints-tips

Essential Photography Tips for Your African Safari Holiday 

Tips from Wayne Hammond: Wildlife Photographer & Safari Adviser 

for Gamewatchers Safaris 

I first set foot in Africa in 1999, and have since been back over 20 

times. My wildlife photography has taken me all around the 

continent, but my favourite bush haunts include Kenya’s Maasai 

Mara, Mana Pools in Zimbabwe and South Luangwa National Park 

in Zambia. 

For many, going on an African safari is the ambition of a lifetime. Safaris make for 

an exciting opportunity to see some incredible wildlife and once in a lifetime 

sights! So make sure you bring your camera to capture show stopping images and 

document your trip! 

And here are my 6 tips gleaned from my experience in photographing 

animals on safari....


1. What to Pack in Your Camera Bag 

The Camera 

A dSLR (digital Single Lense Reflex) is usually the best camera to bring, but any 

modern digital camera is capable of taking excellent photos of wildlife and you do 

not need to buy the most expensive camera in order to take good pictures of your 

safari. Getting good pictures is far more about thinking carefully about 

composition and using some of the techniques outlined below, than spending a 

small fortune on the latest top of the range camera.


The Lenses 

If you have interchangeable lenses then this means you can optimise your shots 

depending on your subject matter. 

I usually recommend lenses in the range of 200-400mm for wildlife photography 

while those wishing to take close ups (eg of insects), landscapes or shots of animals 

in their environment should if possible also bring wide angle lenses in the range of 

24-100mm. 

Don’t Forget! 

Remember to pack your charger, a spare battery and extra memory cards; you’ll be 

surprised how many pictures you may end up taking. 

It’s also helpful to bring zip lock bags to protect your equipment from dust. 

2. Techniques 

Lenses: Longer lenses will give you the opportunity to capture the wildlife 

from a distance making it easier to focus on smaller animals such as birds and 

insects and ensuring you aren’t disturbing bigger animals by needing to get 

closer. 

Composition: ‘The rule of thirds’ will help you make your pictures look more 

aesthetically pleasing. If you imagine your shot to be divided into thirds and 

place your subject(s) accordingly, your eyes will be naturally drawn to them. 

Your position: Make sure you get on the same level as the animals. This usually 

means staying low and catching them at eye level. 

Shutter speed: The bush can be a fast moving environment, so a high shutter 

speed is necessary for freezing the movement of an animal, without getting a 

blurry image. I usually opt for 1/1000 of a second or higher.


3. Lighting is Key 

Lighting can make or break a shot – if the lighting isn’t right, you won’t be able to 

see the amazing subject you’ve tried to capture! 

Take advantage of when the sun is lower in the sky- in the early morning 

early morning or late 

aernoon. The midday sun casts long shadows and is more unflattering on 

subjects.


4. Get Variation in Your Shots 

Focussing on smaller animals like birds and insects can be just as interesting as 

capturing the big five. 

Don’t ignore the surrounding environment: you may be tempted to fill the whole 

frame with the subject, but paying attention to some of the incredible African 

landscapes can make for some interesting and varied shots. 

Capture the animals in action! Lion cubs or young elephants playing, cheetahs 

racing aer their prey (but you’ll be lucky if you catch one of these), zebras grazing 

on the open savannah plains, they all make for more engaging shots.


5. Patience and Practice 

The two golden rules of photography. Taking photos is all about timing which 

means knowing how to wait and exactly when to press the button to get a good 

shot. 

Animals don’t always come up close and some days you will see fewer animals 

than others. Photographers can sometimes spend hours waiting for the best shots. 

It’s important to get accustomed to using your camera so you know the ins and 

outs of the settings. 

Before going on safari, try photographing moving objects, like your pets, so when 

the perfect photo opportunity presents itself to you when you’re on safari, you can 

act quickly.


6. Choose to stay in “Conservancies” 

Many folk seem to believe that in the peak season months the Mara has almost as 

many tourist vehicles as animals and while this is certainly not the case, for a less 

crowded experience, where you can photograph the wildlife without other 

tourist vehicles getting in the way, choose to stay in the Wildlife 

Conservancies on the lands adjoining the Mara Reserve such as Ol Kinyei 

Conservancy or Olare Motorogi Conservancy where the Porini Camps are 

located. 

The photos of these young lion cubs playing was taken in one of 

these conservancies


So there you have it, Six Top Tips from Wayne Hammond, one of our team 

of Safari Advisers for Gamewatchers. 

Head to our dedicated photography page on our website for further 

information. 

All Gamewatchers Safaris provide great opportunities for photography and we 

will be pleased to assist you in organising a safari itinerary just for you. 

If you need any further assistance in arranging your African wildlife safari then 

please do contact us at Gamewatchers Safaris and we will be glad to answer any 

further questions which you may have or to provide personalised advice to help 

you to have the best possible safari and discover how to make the most out of your 

time and budget. 

Receive our recommendations for your safari 

Our Safari Advisors have helped hundreds of guests to plan their trips and will be 

delighted to assist you and to help you plan your ideal safari. 

www.porini.com


As one of the longest established safari outfitters based in East Africa, we can oer 

you very competitive rates at all the leading safari camps and lodges in Kenya: 

This list of camps and lodges shows our prices inclusive of all the costs, so there 

are no “hidden extras”. We also own and manage our own small eco-friendly 

camps in Kenya, the Porini Camps. These are in wildlife conservancies in 

Selenkay, Laikipia and the Mara. 

This 11 minute video gives a great insight into what guests experience on safari 

in the conservancies. 

I do hope that you will find this information useful in planning your own 

photographic safari. I will be delighted if we can be of service and we would be very 

glad to hear from you. 

Best wishes, 

Wayne Hammond 

Gamewatchers Safaris 

www.porini.com

wildlife-safari-photography-hints-tips

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