African wildlife photography

ORYX Wildlife Photography Safari Tour, Worldwide Expeditions (Best African Nature and Wild Life Photography Tours and Photographic Expeditions) is a professional photographic safari company specializing in exceptional wildlife, passionately prepared by photographers for photographers

Transcript

1. African Wildlife Photography One of the most commonly asked questions when preparing to go on an African safari is always, what equipment to pack? In an ideal world we would take everything we own, but the realities of traveling in Africa are that there are weight restrictions. These restrictions vary somewhat between the various countries and locations, but an average of 15kg or 33lbs TOTAL allowance usually applies! This is an alarming figure for wildlife photographers; usually our camera kit weighs that on its own! If you opt to not photograph in the nude, then the reality is that you will therefore need to reduce the weight of your camera luggage… If, however, you refuse to compromise on weight, then a very real solution is to book yourself an extra plane ticket for your internal African flights. This then doubles your allowance to 30kg or 66lbs, which is what most international carriers allow. Considering the total cost of your safari, this does not equate to an exorbitant amount. If you absolutely do not want to be bothered with weight, you can also charter a plane. ORYX can handle all of these arrangements for you. Being a seasoned African traveler and not always having the luxury of booking an extra seat, I have learnt to pack as sensibly as possible. Besides, I feel that having too much equipment can stifle creativity; instead of working on creative techniques, you are constantly fumbling with equipment! (As a side note, remember that most safari camps will wash your clothes for you so you only need two changes, and because the climate is moderate, you can pack very lightly.)
2. Below is a list of equipment that I recommend for an African safari. Please note that the list is intended only to simplify matters and therefore I am not going into detail about which lens is best or which camera body outperforms another. The list below is intended to give you a quick guide in terms of what equipment is needed to capture potentially award-winning imagery on your safari of a lifetime. It is intended to be just a guideline and not everything on the list is mandatory, nor is the list an exhaustive guide to equipment needed for wildlife photography. Rather, it is a practical guide and one that I have compiled after leading and hosting hundreds of African safaris and workshops. It is a general guide purposed to find solutions for all kinds of photographers traveling on all kinds of safaris in any African country.