10 Tips and Tricks For Photographing Your First African Safari

Venturing on your first African safari is a dream come true for most travelers and photography enthusiasts, and usually serves as the opportunity to check something off the tippy top of your bucket list. Planning a trip to the continent can be overwhelming, with so many options for destinations, travel providers, and camps to choose from. With the help of Ultimate Africa Safaris and Natural Selection Travel, your first trip to see the incredible landscape and wildlife offerings of Africa can be tailored to your particular style and interests while supporting local communities and staying at sustainable camps. For a more under the radar spot without the crowds, head to the unspoiled country of Botswana, where a wide array of wildlife awaits to make your jaw-drop.

For those interested in photographing everything from lions and hippos to epic sunrises and vast African terrain, a good camera and lens combo can make all the difference in capturing the beauty of Botswana. Many of the smaller airlines that you'll need to take have weight requirements for luggage (typically around 44lbs total for southern Africa), so a mirrorless camera is your best bet for a solid balance of quality imagery and lightweight design. The Sony Alpha 7 IV full-frame camera body is an unbeatable foundation to shoot with; all of these photos were shot on this camera with the Sony FE 200-600mm OSS full-frame telephoto lens. Take note, these tips, tricks, and insight on what lenses and other accessories to bring will help you make the most of photographing your first magical African safari.

So many destinations in Africa offer amazing safari trips, but for photography, Botswana is one of the best. As one of the more under the radar and low volume countries for tourism, crowds are much less of an issue and the backdrop is a purely untouched and diverse African wilderness. For photographers, this is key and can enhance your opportunities to get closer to animals, and maximize your positioning for the best shots. The country's sparse population means the large swaths of wildlife conservation lands allow for driving off-road and venturing out on game drives before sunrise as well as post-sunset, which is almost always the best light for photography. Discover the magic of the Okavango Delta, the salt pans of the Kalahari, the floodplains of the Kwhai Private Reserve, and so much more.

Knowledgeable guides with Natural Selection Travel camps navigate and communicate to give guests the best possible experience and wildlife viewing opportunities, particularly with their 3-vehicle rule when an animal is spotted. No more than three safari vehicles are near one individual or small group of wildlife encounters for respect of the animals as well as maximizing the overall viewing experience for guests. Oh, and those vehicles? They're open air so you can shoot your heart out from almost anywhere in them.

**Direct flights from Newark to Johannesburg on United make this one of the easier long-haul trips you'll take. Treat yourself to an overnight stay at Saxon Hotel, Villas, and Spa before hopping on the quick hour and a half flight to Maun in Botswana, the following day. From the hub of Maun, you'll venture to your respective camps on a bush plane, helicopter, or vehicle.

For safari and wildlife photography in general, a telephoto lens is an obvious choice for the ability to zoom in on the animals from a safe distance from the vehicle. The Sony FE 200-600mm OSS full-frame telephoto lens pairs perfectly with the Sony Alpha 7 IV, capturing crisp imagery even when maxxed out at full zoom. In addition to the clutch telephoto lens, something that can zoom a bit while keeping the background in frame is a good idea as well. Consider the 24-70mm F2.8 G Master lens, a favorite amongst photographers in almost any situation, that will allow you to include the surrounding environment, as well as the wildlife in your photo.

When using a beast of a lens like the Sony 200-600mm, it's important to make sure you optimize the camera's stability to capture clear shots and minimize blur, especially because the lens is quite hefty. Settings in both the camera and lens themselves will aid in this, such as the SteadyShot image stabilization and the 3-mode optical SteadyShot on the lens. Shoot sharp photos of moving subject like wildlife in Mode 3 for the best results. Outside of camera settings, additional tools are necessary for stability, especially when moving around in a vehicle.

Since most of the time you'll be on game drives instead of walking safaris, and shooting from inside the vehicles, a tripod isn't practical. The top choices in lieu of a tripod are a super clamp that can attach to the sides or bars of the open-air vehicle, or a bean bag like the Safarisack that you can rest your camera and lens on. Some camps have beanbags onsite, so it's a good idea to ask if you'll be able to use one before purchasing, which will help you lighten your load in your allowed luggage capacity for travel.

One of the top tips for photographing wildlife anywhere in the world, is to focus on the animal's eyes. This helps create a connection with the viewer and serves as a base for your chosen depth of field from there, depending what you'd like to have in focus. Since wild animals don't pose perfectly all the time, and are typically on the move, using the Sony's AF (auto focus) settings. On this camera, set to Continuous Autofocus and the focus mode as tracking with Expand Flexible Spot, and then you can even choose between Eye AutoFocus for an animal, human, or birds. It will focus on the animal's eyes and track it as it moves, helping tremendously with safari photography.

The warm, soft light in the hours surrounding dawn and dusk are a real treat for photographers. Safari game drives often take place around these times, giving you the opportunity to shoot when most wildlife are active, and in the best lighting possible. Waking up early isn't so difficult when the African sunrises look like this. Capture hippo heads popping up out of the water, elephants making their way to the local watering holes, and so much more. With Natural Selection camps in Botswana, you'll also be treated to a bush breakfast, where you can eat and sip coffee or tea while marveling at your surroundings.

**Bringing a UV-filter for your lens is a smart idea as well, to protect and enhance the longevity of your lenses.

Nothing is worse than coming across a rarely seen animal and fumbling around to get your camera ready to shoot. Have your camera out, set to snap those photos in an instant and you won't miss out on capture the elusive animals such as the sable antelope or hyenas. It's also helpful to have two camera bodies with different lens focal lengths on them, so you can grab whatever makes the most sense for your shot quickly, without needing to switch lenses. Although it's not always possible to capture all the action, all the time, staying poised and at the ready will certainly put you in a better spot to act fast and maximize your chances.

Safari game drives can last several hours, and just when you think you're ready to head back, you find a pride of lions to watch! You better have some back up batteries, so you don't miss any additional action. With the Sony Alpha 7 IV, having just one addiitonal, fully-charged back up battery should have you covered for more than one game drive. With 520 shots per charge using the electronic viewfinder, this rechargeable lithium battery does the trick, especially if you're locked and loaded with two of them.

Patience is essential in wildlife photography, seriously. Animals are going to do what they want, as much as you'd like them to pose pefectly and look your camera lens straight on. You may have to wait a while for a napping leopard to wake up and shoot you a curious look from her tree branch perch, but your patience will pay off when you get that shot. For moments like this, it's smart to set your camera to Continuous Drive mode so you can shoot rapidly and catch every bit of that short movement you're waiting for - from a yawn, to a stretch, to a lick of the lips.

Dusty conditions are a promise in Botswana, and it's crucial to have something to protect your camera/lens combo in between shooting. Pack lens cloths, lens wipes, and a scarf of sorts for dust protection and cleaning purposes. Additionally, it's a good idea to clean your camera sensor and lenses carefully with a bulb blower in between game drives to avoid dust and particules from mucking up your shot, particularly in the notoriously dusty salt pans.

**Bonus tip for meerkats: Get down on their level! This is one of the only instances where you'll be able to get out of the vehicle to shoot wildlife safely, while being somewhat up close and personal. Crouching down to take photos from closer to the ground will add to the perspective of your imagery. This special experience can be enjoyed from Jack's Camp , San Camp, and Camp Kalahari in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, where meerkat visits are a regular thing.