Tanzania Vacations – 10 Tips for a Terrific Wildlife Photography

Tanzania, the largest country in East Africa, is very famous all over the world because of its priceless treasure: the wildlife. Every year, thousands of tourists take on their most awaited Tanzania vacation just for them to have a glimpse of nature’s work of art that can only be seen in that part of the globe. Animals and bird species of different kinds; from the colorful to the exotic, the exceptional to the impressive, make photo lovers go crazy just to be there and shoot their masterpiece.

So, if you are one of those shutterbugs out there, who are now set to take your pictures of Tanzania’s wildlife; here are a few tips that will surely make those pictures you’ve captured terrific and exceptional:
Use a beanbag or a window mounted tripod.
Handholding your camera in safari wildlife photography is not a very practical thing to do because of the very big lenses that you are going to use which can magnify even a very slight movement or vibration. So, a kind of rest to lean your camera is a very good idea to have the necessary support that you need for you to take sharper images.
Pictures taken while on safari are usually taken inside a vehicle so using a tripod to keep your camera stable is quite impractical. A bean bag usually does the job well; it’s very handy and very quick to set up. You can simply place it near the window and click away.
If you are inside closed vehicles, you can make use of window mounted tripods. Though it’s a bit of a hassle to use one since you need to attach the camera to the mount every time you take a photo but it does the job well.
Know your Equipment well before you go:
Others may seem to be very excited with the idea of taking pictures with Tanzania’s wildlife so, they buy or rent a new camera and/lens before going. Well, that’s fine as long as you spend enough time in practicing and getting acquainted with your new gear.
Most of the times animals just suddenly appear and they don’t give you much time to fiddle with your camera’s settings and set up before they disappear in the wild. So, you really have to practice and internalize your gear’s functions and settings if you don’t wanna miss your chance of capturing the best picture you can ever imagine. After buying, practice taking pictures with your new gear at a local zoo or safari. See to it that you can do things quickly and even without looking.
Shoot at the Highest Resolution:
As much as possible, you try to take each picture with a very high resolution so that it would just be easy for you to edit after. Pictures with very high resolution are much easier to resize or compress for e-mail or web display later.
Use a Telephoto Lens:
Of course your main purpose in going for a safari adventure is to take photos and not to endanger your life. Stick to the unspoken agreement of man and the wild: keep at a safe distance. So, telephoto lens can be very essential in keeping you safe while taking your best shots.
Blur the Background:
There are often a lot of plants or other elements in the wilds that can be captured together with your subject so you have to blur your background to put more emphasis on your subject. But if you are taking a picture of a herd of animals, you have to limit the blurring effect so that all the animals in the herd will all be in focus.
In photography, to describe the part of the picture that appears sharp throughout the whole image is called depth of field. The aperture, the focal length of the lens, and the distance of the camera from the subject are the three factors that affect the depth of field.
Among these three factors, it’s the aperture that you have much control about when taking pictures on a safari. Try having a big aperture opening (ex. f/45) if you want to blur the background and have a small aperture opening (ex. f/22) if you want the whole scene to appear sharper. Just make sure that you know how to change the aperture opening of your gear before going on a safari.
Aim for the Eyes:
When people look at pictures, they are usually drawn to the eyes, so if the eyes are a bit blurry, the picture loses its impact and appeal. A sharp focus on the eyes can also give the photo a more realistic and dynamic feel and can make it appear more sensational.
So, the moment you take your most awaited wildlife photo, focus on the eyes and if you can capture the sun glinting on the animal’s pupil, that would really make the picture become more realistic and definitely, breathtaking.
Create an Active Space:
When taking pictures of an animal that is in motion, it shouldn’t be centered. Leave a space for the subject to move into so that your shot wouldn’t appear lifeless.
Know your light:
In case you don’t know, the best time of the day to take very stunning shots is early in the morning and late afternoon because the light at sunrise or sunset warms a subject’s color. Coincidentally, this is also the best time to spot wild animals on safari. So, take advantage of the opportunity and use the light to your advantage.
Be creative:
Take as many pictures as you can and shoot the same scene in different ways and angles. At Tanzania safaries you can try vertical or horizontal framing, zoom in or out during a longer exposure, etc so that you can have a lot of choices later during the post-production editing.
Be patient:
Patience is a virtue as they say and this is really true in wildlife photography. Of course we don’t get excited with pictures of animals that are just sleeping or walking. We get interested with animal pictures that exhibit some kind of behavior. But you can never capture these behavioral pics unless you take time to wait and remain patient.
These are just few of the tips to help you take a very astounding wildlife picture while having your next Tanzania safaries. Try them, and you’ll be amazed of the results!