5 Pro Tips for Tanzania Wildlife Photography for Beginners
There’s a reason why Tanzania is one of the top safari destinations in Africa. In addition to that, Tanzania is also a common destination for wildlife photography.
Tanzania is like heaven for wildlife photographers and wildlife enthusiasts. From the scenic beauty of the landscapes to the diverse fauna that gives life to the plains, Tanzania is a paradise for people who want to capture the wonders of mother nature through their lenses.
You might be wondering, is Tanzania really a utopia for wildlife photography? Read below to know why Tanzania is a great photography destination.
Tanzania and Wildlife Photography
Stretching over an area of 16,000 square miles, Tanzania is one of the world's famous biological hotspots. Varying landscapes ranging from mountains, savannahs, lakes, and islands have made Tanzania truly a utopia for every wildlife enthusiast out there.
Another notable reason why Tanzania is a preferred location to photograph animals is that you don't always have to be a professional to photograph wildlife. The landscape and scenery aid even an amateur wildlife photographer to take great photos, even from a phone. Thus, Tanzania helps in bringing the best of your photography skills to light.
Also, there are abundant and diverse wildlife subjects. Tanzania is very well known for its Big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and African buffalo). But it is also home to hundred thousand species of insects,mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Here are 5 professional wildlife photography tips to give life to your images.
Connect With Your Gear
Different terrains and climatic conditions demand different setups of the camera. Usually, Digital SLRs are preferred for wildlife photography. Cameras with a long lens and higher ISO values are more suitable for shooting wildlife in challenging lighting conditions, remembering that a long lens dims the light, so you need higher ISO to get better lighting, which sometimes results in more grains in photos. There are always trade offs.
Choosing the right type of lens plays a very crucial part in your wildlife photography. Telephoto lenses are the most preferred choice since they help you get a close-up shot of the subject while maintaining a safe distance, and providing a pleasant blurred background via bokeh.
A tripod stand is also an important piece of equipment to hold the camera and the long lenses steady to prevent any camera shake that might result in a motion blur. Also, it is always necessary to carry water bottles, proper trek suits, boots, and waterproof camera bags in case of encountering bad weather.
Another important thing to know is to understand every setting of your gear and its outcomes. Understand your camera settings like aperture, ISO, and shutter speeds and how to customize them based on your needs. You might not master them in a day, but learning about the features of your equipment can favorably enhance your photography skills in a shorter period of time.
Understand the Subject and the Landscape
This is one of the most underrated tips when it comes to wildlife photography and is often overlooked. Before you are a wildlife photographer, you need to be a wildlife enthusiast and a landscape architect.
Shooting wildlife through lenses needs a greater understanding of the animals and landscape, the seasons and weather, and the life rhythms of animals. Understanding the terrain and the subject you'll be shooting helps you to be prepared with your camera and equipment appropriately.
Consider a case where you plan on shooting lions near water holes. You might have to know about the location of water holes, and when lions come to drink water. Also, plan your gear accordingly like equipping yourself with a low-lying tripod and longer lenses with auto-focus and fast shutter speed to help you get quality images from a safe distance.
Similarly, if you are shooting insects, you might need to shoot under low light conditions, so opting for a wide-angle lens and a higher ISO could be more ideal.
Do your research on which animals to find in your vicinity and where to find other animals. Get in touch with your local guides, and wildlife experts and learn about them. Understanding the animal's behavioral patterns, habitat, sighting patterns, food, and water habits helps you spot the animals even better.
Timing is Essential
Timing is an essential factor for capturing a great image. Knowing the perfect time to capture the image and timing the shot to precision is necessary.
Knowing the timing of natural light as a wildlife photographer is a very important factor. Try to make the best out of the "Golden Hours". Golden hours refer to dawn and dusk when diurnal animals will be more active, and nocturnal animals start to get active, respectively, and consequent to the light, shadows and images are dramatized, not flat, like scenes shot at noon. Golden hours are when the sun is almost at the horizon such that it illuminates the whole landscape with dramatic shadows and colors, partly because at the horizon, the sun’s color output is changed more by the atmosphere of the earth. This is because we are getting a few of its rays in this time, not all, as we would at noon, when the sun can bleach the landscape.
Your image will tell a story when the front of the subject is lit, and a different story when the light is behind the subject. Usually, early mornings and late evenings provide an amazing backdrop resulting in sublime images.
Also, analyzing animal behaviors, if they're nocturnal or diurnal, will help you be prepared with the right equipment and piece your timings accordingly.
And most importantly, timing the perfect shot is everything. Patience is crucial. For some shots, you might have to wait hours upon hours in the same position. Some of the most beautiful occurrences happen within milliseconds. So, always remember to be on your guard. This is where knowing your camera settings by heart will help you capture the split-second shot resulting in the perfect moment. Your patience and your alertness are the keys to your once-in-a-lifetime shot.
Understand Rules and Expert Opinion
There are some rules to photographing wildlife. They help you get top-tier images with perfection. Also, following professional wildlife photographers like Nick Brandt and Sudhir Shivaram to name a few can help you get a real-time experience and idea about the field.
Setting up your ISO and exposure compensation based on the lighting affects your image. Nature is beautifully symmetrical. For example, if you're shooting an animal along with the landscape, you might need to use the "rule of thirds". That is, focusing the subject to one-third of the frame and the rest of the grid covering the landscape results in fascinating images emphasizing both the subject and the landscape.
Additionally, eye contact with subjects is a rare incident and is deemed to be one of the most beautiful shot techniques because it enhances the connection - the viewer sees that you saw that, and they see it too. They are immediately connected.
Based on the image, you can change the frame to be wide or close up. Wide-framed images with wide-angle lenses help tell a story about the picture as a whole, including the subject and the landscape. Whereas, close up, you only really see the subject. Both are valid forms of expression of the art of wildlife photography.
Also, try balancing your images with more colors and contrasts. Sometimes, monochrome images help portray a very powerful image.
Now, these are some rules you can keep in mind to bring out the best of your image. However, you need not pertain to these rules only. Sometimes breaking the rules and capturing images in your own style might lead to one-of-a-kind and wonderful images.
Find a Suitable Point of View
Another wildlife photography tip is to leverage the subject's point of view to our advantage or blend in to capture the subject.
Shooting wildlife from a higher or lower angle gives a different perspective to the image. Mostly, shooting from a lower angle gives more depth of field to the image and the subject.
Lions are considered relatively lazy animals as they tend to spend 18 hours a day asleep. So, capturing them in action requires huge tolerance. In such cases, it doesn't just pertain to shooting a photograph or video of the animal. Try to cover a different range of animals from critters to mammals. Even the most common animals might produce an amazing image.
If you are shooting a moving subject, make sure to click multiple images as it is easy to make errors while shooting, that is, you should never only click once. Because when you review your final output, if you only got one shot, and it’s not even good, you have nothing else. But if you took 4-5 or 8-10 shots, you’re probably going to find a decent or even good or great one in there. You can also use the burst feature and faster shutter speeds to capture better photos in a shorter time period.
Blending in with the surrounding can give a shot from the animal's point of view. Try not to attract attention or scare them away. Focusing on the animal's eye and capturing eye contact is priceless. However, take precautions not to interfere with nature's demeanor.
Some factors like natural lighting, wind direction, and landscape help align yourself to the subject to get the best image.
Conclusion
Tanzania is one of the most photogenic destinations on the earth. The rich wildlife and the diverse landscape give you a glimpse of the distinct flora and fauna that you may never find anywhere else.
At Sababu Safaris, along with other safaris, you can also choose to go on a wildlife photography safari that you have always dreamed of. You'll be guided by a professional photographer, who will help you capture incredible photos by sharing his expertise, and then help you edit those images so that you can return home with a jaw-dropping album of the Tanzanian natural world. Keep in mind the 5 tips for beginners that will help you get a headstart towards becoming a pro!
Here is a glimpse of the stunning images from our gallery taken on our wildlife photography safari. Feel free to get in touch with us to clarify any queries that you might have in regard to this awesome photographic experience. We would be happy to connect, plan and schedule what will surely be a trip of a lifetime.