When going on an African Wildlife Safari your main priority will tend to be capturing all the magnificent animals and scenery to instantiate all your memories and to show to your friends back home. This is an extremely important part of a safari, and when going to Botswana there will be a lot of amazing things to capture! It is essential to know how to use your camera, when to take photos, and how to do it in the best way possible. We will be exploring some of the top tips for African safari photographers in this article so you can record the most memorable African Safari you will ever have.
The first thing you need to understand is the basic settings for the camera you are using. It is easiest for beginners to set their focus on center point focus and use aperture priority, especially for African safari photography tours
. For moving animals it’s best to use the AF-C (depending on the camera you have) continuous focus, and for standing animals it’s best to just use your single shot setting. A final note would be to set a large aperture so that you can get a good depth of field in the background of your pictures.
There are some universal quick tips for beginners in wildlife photographic that will save you a lot of time and ensure you take great photos. One of these tips is to always focus on the eyes of the animals you are photographing, instead of getting excited and taking a bunch of shots, wait until the animal looks at you, focus on its eyes, and take your photos. It is a good rule of thumb to have your burst shooting mode on when taking photos so that you can take as many as possible as the animal moves and then choose the best ones afterward.
Following these measures, making use of the rule of thirds will also greatly enhance your photography. The rule of thirds essentially dictates that instead of always having the subject of your photograph in the center of the frame, you shift them slightly left or right of center, making for more interesting shots that look pleasing to the eye. Lastly, always be sure to have your camera ready, wildlife safaris can be extremely unpredictable – you never know what might appear around the next bend and you may miss the shot of a lifetime because you were a fraction too late.
By following these simple steps and rules, practicing with your camera, and playing around with the settings to find which ones work best for you, you are sure to capture some amazing photographs that you can treasure for years to come. Botswana has many natural marvels to see when you are on and during your African Safari you do not want to miss it!
