5 Critical Things to Know before Choosing a Photo Safari

5 Critical Things to Know before Choosing a Photo Safari HILARY HANN PHOTOGRAPHY

Illustration 1 - One of the most important components of a great photographic safari is your professional guide.The most highly regarded of the independant professional guides are those trained in Zimbabwe and you can find them working throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Their expertise and knowledge, level of training and ability to help you to be in the right place at the right time is second to none. (Squack Evans, Zimbabwean trained, Kenyan resident)

- Your Guide - The Most Important Thing To Consider When Choosing Your Safari• There are a multitude of organised safaris on the market with a wide range of prices catering to all kinds of people and their specific interests. How to select the best one for you can be difficult and confusing.• If you are a serious photographer with a keen interest in wildlife, the guide becomes even more critical to the success of your trip.• The Gold standard of independant, professional guides are those who trained under the rigorous Zimbabwean system.They can be foundworking in many of the premier safari countries and come highly recommended.You can expect to pay a daily fee for the guide as well as hisaccommodation and park fees over and above the price of the safari. (Illustration 1)• Budgets may determine that this kind of guide is not possible for your trip and there are many alternatives that will work well. Most of thecountries will have their own training programmes, some more developed than others.• Many of the top ranked safari camps and lodges have their own excellent guides but some of the middle and lower rankedcamps and lodges have guides who don’t understand the needs of serious photographers.• A camp’s own guide will be provided as part of your safari package and isn’t an extra cost but included. It is worth asking the organiser orleader of the safari that you’re considering whether the guide will have any experience with photographers or is, indeed a photographer themselves.One advantage of camp guides can be the wealth of local knowledge that they have, however, not all camp guides come from the area that theywork in so it is worth asking how long they have worked in that location.• There is little worse than having a disinterested guide or one who has little understanding of photographers who want to sit and wait for themoment to evolve, who need a still vehicle so that images aren’t compromised by movement and who require the vehicle to be positionedappropriately to the conditions.

Illustration 2 - A well trained, experienced guide can give you great photographic opportunities that aren’t normally available.In this case, photography from ground level, something not allowed in most government run parks and reserves but possible in many private conservancies. Laikipia Wilderness Camp, Laikipia Plateau, Kenya

Illustration 3 - Walking close to wildlife gives unique viewpoints. One of the features of a safari at Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe which in one of the few National Parks that allows walking

Illustration 4 - An open sided 4WD vehicle but with a high canopy over the seats offering excellent viewing, support for your long lenses, shade and will often have roll down sides in case of rain. Chitake Springs, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe

- Your Vehicle -• There are many different types of safari vehicle and some are much better suited to serious photographers than others so if photography isyour aim, pay special attention to the vehicle being offered. It goes without saying that a private vehicle is essential as is 4WD capability. Some of thevehicle that may be offered include:• Completely open sided 4WD vehicles without a roof. (Illustration 6) • Open sided vehicle but with a high canopy for shade. (Illustration 4)• If you are participating in a safari with road transfers you will be using a fully closed safari adapted vehicle due to local transportation rules. These vehicles have been altered to have very large, fully opening windows that you can photograph through as well as roof hatches so that you canstand and view or photograph out of. The downside to photographing out of the roof hatch is the high angle of the viewpoint.• Avoid minivans. Despite having viewing hatches, these are the least desirable vehicle to find yourself in. Apart from the logistics of workinginside one, they are 2WD and not able to access some of the more interesting areas and are, in fact, banned from some of the best privateconservancies.• Even more important is the amount of space each participant is allocated in the vehicle. At the very minimum you require a window seat, andalthough this seems obvious it is surprising how many vehicles have every seat occupied including the middle seats where fitted. The best provisionfor photographers is to have a complete row available so that you can shoot from both sides as well as have plenty of space to store your camera bag. If you are travelling with a non-photographer companion, saving money by having your companion occupy the other window seat on your row is anoption, but you might not end up talking to each other!All this comes at a significant price but safaris are expensive and if you are going with the specific purpose of taking wildlife then it is worthwhilespending the extra to give yourself the best opportunity of success.

Illustration 5 - A good reliable 4WD safari adapted vehicle is a must for photography. Lamai Wedge, Serengeti National Park,Tanzania

Illustration 6 - A typical open vehicle where there are no sides or roof to hinder your view. Even the windscreen is folded down out of the way. The down side to these vehicles includes a lack of support for your super telephoto lens, either with bean bags or with a clamp and tripod head. Another consideration for some people is the lack of shade as it can get very hot sitting in thesun for hour after hour, hats can only do so much and of course, if it rains it can be very difficult to keep your gear dry even if you have water proof covers. Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe

Illustration 7 - Flexible game drives allow you to spend time in the best locations at the best time of day. Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe

- Time - In The Field, Not In TransitIt goes without saying that the more time you have out in the field, the luckier you’ll get with the quality of the wildlife sightings that you’ll find. Noteveryone can spend weeks or months on safari, most of us can only afford a week or two at the most so it’s really important to utilise your timewisely.• Don’t try to see and do everything, some safaris will send you to a new location every couple of days and you will spend way too much timetransiting when you should be out in the best light of the day making magic with your camera.• It seems to be obvious, but the longer you stay in one location the more comfortable and familiar you’ll feel and it’s likely that you’ll slow therate of poor quality images down as you lose the urge to photograph anything that moves. You’ll have time to see a landscape and come back to itwhen the light is better. You’ll have time to find interesting animals and follow them or return to the approximate area they were in on a previous dayto try and find them again.• Do your homework! If you see a safari tour that looks like it fits your requirements, do some research into the parks or reserves that arebeing visited and how many nights are planned for each one. Many good photo safaris will only offer one location, don’t be put off by this. If it isone of the popular parks it probably means that photographic opportunities are easier so seven nights in the Masai Mara will reward you with manychances to take great photos and there will be lots of variety. However, remember that the popular parks and reserves can get very crowded and it’sworth taking that into account. A safari that includes several destinations should have at the very minimum three nights per location and preferablyone of the destinations should have four or five. Each location should have a very different focus which can be landscape or the species of animalsyou will be likely to encounter.• Time out of camp is also a vital component to good photography. Some camps or lodges can be quite structured in the times that meals areserved and when vehicles will be available to leave camp. Some operators have mileage restrictions on their vehicles that you may not know aboutbut you may find that you are taken on the same drive loops which don’t take you very far from camp. Sad but true. Make sure that you are clear onwhether you can leave camp before sunrise (within the various park’s legal operating hours), take meals with you to eat out in the field, stay out allday if you want to travel further and what time you’re expected back in camp. This all adds to your time out taking photographs and whilst most ofthe midday hours are wasted photographic opportunities due to the light, you need the flexibility to make suitable plans with your guide that allowsfor this option.

Illustration 8 - Time to allow for the inevitable delays along the way.

Illustration 9 - Time to wait for the sun to set in just the right spot. Tarangire National Park,Tanzania

Illustration 10 - Private conservancies offer some of the best wildlife viewing and photography that you can find along with a far more private experience with fewer crowds. The ability to off road, go on night drives, walk into wildlife situations to get a more unique photograph, access photo hides amongst many other privileges are far more likely in privately run conservation areas. Amboseli National Park, Kenya is known for its iconic views of Mount Kilimanjaro, however, it is also known for its crowds of tourists. Spend more and consider staying in the adjoining Kiturua Conservancy and you get even better views with virtually not another vehicle in sight.

- Location Location Location - It MattersThere are so many countries in Africa with excellent areas for wildlife photography that it can be hard to know where to start looking. Each countryhas different strengths and each park or conservation area has its own particular features that make it a desirable location for photography. It’s themain reason so many of us go back year after year, one lifetime is not long enough to explore all that the extraodinary continent has to offer.• Choose one country per visit. You lose so much time navigating border crossings and transiting from one park to another, it just isn’t worth itwhen you have any kind of time constraint. Sometimes it helps to decide what your wildlife focus will be as that can determine the park andconsequently the country that you will visit. Countries like South Africa,Tanzania or Kenya have many differing options for guided safaris catering tothe serious photographer, but some of the other countries can take more work to find a suitable trip and the options aren’t as many. If you want tosee the wildebeest migration you will be visiting either Kenya (Masai Mara) or Tanzania (Serengeti). Mountain gorillas really require a trip to Ugandaor Rwanda as the DRC is a problematic destination at this time. • Private conservancies nearly always deliver a superior experience. • It’s possible to purchase film passes that allow off roading in some government run parks and reserves but the costs are high. It’s anotheroption to make sure that you get the most out of your trip providing the reserve itself justifies the costs. If you have a particular focus on onespecies for your safari, it can make the chances of getting the shots you want much higher.• Time of year will also have a major effect on the destination you choose. Not every park gives an all year round great experience whilst somewill have something of value to offer all year around, they are at their best seasonally. Others will be quite poor at certain times of year and it can bequite a disappointment to visit in the low season. There are some parks that are avoided outside the high season but that offer exceptional viewingand without the high season crowds. If you are considering a guided tour, it’s a good idea to look at the departure times and do some research.• Location also requires some understanding of the accommodation options that are available as they vary quite considerably. The bestexperiences will usually be had in small tented camps, but these do come at a cost. They are usually more flexible, more intimate, mostly unfenced soyou have the wildlife all around you and most often they are in prime areas. Great photography is all about feeling and experiencing so that you cansee more clearly and that is helped 100% by immersing yourself in the wilderness. Tented camps don’t mean less in the way of comfort, fine dining oramenities and in fact, usually offer better in all these things than most large lodges. That being said, if budget is an issue, stay in a lodge and spend yourmoney on guides and vehicles.

Illustration 11 - Zakouma National Park is one of the exceptions to the conservancy versus National Park rule. It’s worth digging deep and considering visiting this exceptional slice ofwilderness in Chad. You will be richly rewarded by the sheer volume of wildlife both mammal and avian, the diversity and unusual nature of the species to be found there and the vastness of land that you experience pretty much on your own. Night drives and walking in the Park are all allowed.

Illustration 12 - There is nothing quite like a luxury tented camp, sitting in its own piece of wilderness without another tourist within miles.Alex Walker’s Serian, Southern Serengeti which is outside Serengeti National Park,Tanzania and offers a conservancy like, private experience.

Illustration 13 - A critical consideration is the weight restrictions enforced on the small planes that fly into the parks and reserves. A charter flight to take all your camera gear from one location to the next. is well worth the extra cost.

- Extra thoughts -There are many considerations that come together to make an extraordinary photographic safari, one that not only gives you an exceptionalexperience but also delivers on the opportunities that you hoped for. Some additional thoughts that may help with choosing the right safari for youfollow.• You don’t need to book into an existing group safari, it is possible and in fact quite easy with the right sort of guidance, to create your owntrip that delivers everything you want.• Expect to pay for the privilige of exclusivity and flexibility that is the cornerstone of superior safaris and photographic opportunities. Forgreat general wildlife viewing, being part of larger groups with less exclusivity will still deliver a wonderful experience as the African continent rarelydisappoints. It is just much harder to get the exceptional photographs.• Be aware that small planes are used for transfers between most parks, reserves and conservancies across all the different countries and thesecome with severe weight restrictions. You will barely manage to fit your camera gear into the allowance without even considering clothes and othernecessities. The way around this is to consider either a charter, purchasing an extra plane seat or going by road, the later using up precious time ofcourse. Read the fine print on any photo tours that you’re considering as quite a few will include charters as part of the trip and you will have noproblem with excess weight restrictions whereas others will have a 15kg restriction on luggage.• If you are a solo traveller you will mostly be required to pay a single supplement. Occasionally, the tour leader will have negotiated with theoperating camp to include one or more single supplement waivers. Single supplements can add quite a bit onto the cost of your safari.• If you are a first time wildlife photographer, even if serious about your photography in other fields, it’s worth looking at what theprofessional wildlife photographers are doing. There are many books, both printed and online, that give worthwhile information about what to expectin the field, how to handle light, different scenarios that you might meet as well as technical matters such as cameras, lenses, settings to use amongstothers. Practising at your local zoo to get a sense of particular animals isn’t a bad idea.Ultimately, the experience of being out in the wild with all the diversity and action that an African safari gives, is life changing for most people and aonce in a lifetime trip often becomes the first of many.

Illustration 14 - A perfect start to the day at a secluded, private tented camp in Meru National Park, Kenya

Illustration 15 - A perfect end to the day walking with the elephants on the banks of the Zambezi River, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe