Photo Safari
I'm gearing up for my upcoming Botswana/South Africa photo safari – where I will be teaching creative composition, exposure and image processing. For my photo workshop participants, as well as for those going on a safari of their own, here are my gear recommendations:
Read MoreToday is the last day of the series here on my blog: Six Days of Africa Photo Safari Tips.
I am running this series in preparation for my 2016 Botswana/South Africa digital photography workshop.
We will get up early for our game drives (above), so you can get great photographs of back lighted subjects (below). I'll help you with exposure.
Our expert guides will put us in the best position for our photographs (below).
When you are in the best position, you can get the best photographs (below).
That workshop is filling up fast! Here's why – from a few folks who have signed up:
Eric McCartney: There are several reasons why I’ve signed up, but the biggest factor has to be Rick Sammon, quite honestly. I’ve always wanted to go to Africa; it’s been on my radar for more than two decades. I so thoroughly enjoyed the Fossil Rim experience and I learned more about photography and in particular about photo processing in just a couple of days than in months, if not years, of practice. I can’t begin to imagine what a real African safari would be like so to have the opportunity to learn from the best, whom I also consider a friend, can only be an amazing experience. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity.
Diane Eubanks: Well, as the workshop "record holder" I could say that I am just a slow learner ;-). But the truth about what keeps me coming back to Rick's workshops is his great teaching skills, his style of photography and processing, and the fact that I feel very "safe" while in his company. Susan Sammon is an incredible organizer and is always making sure everyone is taken care of and that no one is left behind. Rick and Susan make an awesome team. Africa has been on my bucket list for a long time. I can't wait to see what Rick and Susan have in store for us all!!
John and Evelyn Davis: It boiled down to knowing you and a Botswana photo workshop being on our bucket list.
Dave and Cheryl Wilson: We signed up for many reasons:
– We’ve always wanted to see the amazing animals in Africa.
– We don’t seem to be getting any younger.
– I love photography, and I'm tired of taking the same old Northern California photos.
– We need some adventure in our lives.
– I want the best photography teacher I ever met: my friend Rick Sammon.
Mark and Donna Burdette: An African safari has been on our bucket list since we created it. We are attracted to your safari in Botswana
and South Africa because we participated with you at Fossil Rim, and found your style of teaching and encouraging participants to be very helpful. We also like the idea of this region in Africa since it seems safer than the northern and eastern regions of the continent, while still allowing the variety of animals and experience that we want. Also, we like the small group nature, and the fact that you have teamed up with Kevin who also seems to have lots of experience in this type of safari. Also, after checking the camps online, it seems like they are of the high qualify that we would want and expect. But, mostly, we wanted this one because you and Susan are going along.
Chandra and Gregg Brooks: A photo safari to Africa has long been a dream for us, but when you consider a trip like this....it's not one where you want to come back with an average snapshot you could take at a zoo. What's that they say - go big or go home? Going to one of the premier game reserves, Mala Mala, with a reputation for incredible sightings of the Big 5 upped the ante. The chance to combine dream location, a small group size and learning from Rick with all of his talent, experience and inspirational teaching style - well, this is simply the opportunity of a lifetime.
• • • • •
Check out my Beauty of Botswana gallery to see more my favorite photographs from my two previous trips to this wildlife wonderland.
Also check out my on-line class: Capturing the Wild: Safari Photography. You can use my tips for making great pictures on a photo safari and at a wildlife park.
Today's tip: Be prepared with the right photo gear. All my gear is listed on My Gear Page.
Two camera bodies - so you can always have a telephoto lens and a wide-angle zoom lens at the ready. Currently, I am using Canon 5D Mark III cameras.
Telephoto lenses:
• 100-400mm zoom - for distant wildlife;
• 70-200mm f/4 zoom - for closer wildlife;
• 200 - 400mm IS with 1.4x teleconverter;
• 400mm DO lens with 1.4x tele-converter - for even more distant wildlife.
Wide-angle lenses:
• 17-40mm lens - for landscapes;
• 24-105mm IS lens - for landscapes and environmental portraits;
• 15mm fish eye – for behind-the-scenes shots.
Filters:
• Tiffen polarizing filter - to darken a blue sky and to reduce reflections on water
Accessories:
• Two battery chargers - for fast battery charging between game drives;
• Storm Jacket - to protect your camera from rain and dust;
• Blower - to keep your sensor clean;
• Head-mounted flashlight - for hands-free shooting on early morning and night drives;
• Plenty of memory cards.
All this gear does something very important for you on your photo safari: it helps you tell the whole story of your experience - as opposed to only taking lots of close-ups photographs of the animals.
I hope to see you in Botswana or on another one of my workshops.
If you like the composition of the photographs in this post, and if you want to learn how to make the best possible exposure, check out my Kelby Training Classes on my On-Line Classes page.
If you can't make an Africa photo safari, I offer wildlife photo safaris at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas. That's where I took the photos above. Shoot me an email for 2016 dates.
Explore the light
Rick
This post sponsored by Adorama - great gear at great prices.
Today is day three of Six Days of Africa Photo Safari Tips here on my blog.
I am running this series in preparation for my 2016 Botswana/South Africa digital photography workshop.
Check out my Beauty of Botswana gallery to see my favorite photographs from my two previous trips to this wildlife wonderland.
Also check out my on-line class: Capturing the Wild: Safari Photography. You can use my tips for making great pictures on a photo safari and at a wildlife park.
Today's tip: Strive for animal behavior shots.
Sure, portraits of wild animals are nice, and I'll share a few of my favorites tomorrow here on my blog. But behavior shots tell more of a story, such as the photograph above of a small herd of elephants on the Mara protecting their young.
For good behavior shots, you first need to be lucky, as I was when I took the opening photograph for this post in Botswana of a lion and lioness fighting. These are the same lions - relaxing after the fight!
But as lucky as you may be, being prepared to capture the behavior is a must - you must have a good understanding of light and composition, which I cover in my on-line classes.
And, of course, you must have the right lens. I recommend always having two cameras ready: one with a wide-angle zoom, say a 24-105mm, and one with a telephoto zoom, perhaps a 100-400mm lens. That's for starters. After that, you may want longer and shorter lenses in your camera bag. All my gear, including those lenses, is listed on My Gear page.
Planning can also help you get good behavior photographs. I planned one of my Kenya photo safari workshops so the group would be there for the annual migration of the zebra and wildebeest. Talk about getting good behavior shots!
When it comes to people pictures, portraits are nice, but behavior shots tell more of a story, such as the above photograph that I took of a Masai warrior in Kenya demonstrating his jumping skills.
Here's something else about behavior shots: they can make you smile, as I do when I look at this photograph of a mommy elephant and her baby.
I hope to see you in Botswana/South Africa.
If you can't make an Africa photo safari, I offer wildlife photo safaris at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas. That's where I took the photo above. Shoot me an email for 2016 dates.
Explore the light,
Rick
What’s New?
My 36th book: Creative Visualization for Photographers.
My on-line learning center, where you can download my e-books, including, Get Motivated and Stay Inspired.
Today is day two of Six Days of Africa Photo Safari Tips here on my blog.
I am running this series in preparation for my 2016 Botswana/South Africa digital photography workshop.
Check out my Beauty of Botswana gallery to see my favorite photographs from my two previous trips to this wildlife wonderland.
Also check out my on-line class: Capturing the Wild: Safari Photography. You can use my tips for making great pictures on a photo safari (and even at a wildlife park).
Today's tip: Go wide.
First-time Africa photo safari photographers often focus on getting super close-ups of the animals with super-telephoto lenses, and subsequently don't take wide-angle shots.
Taking wide-angle shots on your photo safari is also important. These shots give a "sense of place" to your photographs - and for sure add interest to your slide shows. After all, you can take close-ups of lions and giraffes in a wildlife park or zoo. Right?
Of course, you can also take "sense a place" photographs with a telephoto lens - as long as you include the surrounding area in the frame. Just shoot wide, and don't fill the frame with the subject.
Getting back to telling the story, pictures of wild animals and beautiful landscapes are not the only pictures that tell the story of your photo safari. Behind-the-scenes shots, like the one above, do that, too.
Behind-the-scenes pictures also bring back memories of your long safari drives and time with your guide - and how close the animals actually come your safari vehicle.
I hope to see you in Botswana/South Africa.
If you can't make an Africa photo safari, I offer wildlife photo safaris at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas. That's where I took the photos above. Shoot me an email for 2016 dates.
Explore the light,
Rick
My latest KelbyOne on-line photography class, Capturing the Wild: Safari Photography, has just been released. The one-hour+ class is not just a presentation of pretty photographs. For each of the photographs I share a photography, travel or processing tip.
The class (a live, in-studio narrated Keynote slide show) will help you "tell the whole story" of your photo adventure.
In addition, you can use many of the same tips when photographing at a wildlife park, nature center, on a photo workshop, and while traveling. Animal, people and landscape photography are covered, as well as planning and packing for a trip. Basic digital enhancements are also illustrated.
The class includes my favorite images from my photo safaris to Africa, as well a few photographs taken at my favorite wildlife parks, including Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas.
I hope you enjoy the new class. I enjoyed working with the KelbyOne creative team on producing it.
All my KelbyOne classes are listed here.
Here are my favorite photo safari lenses:
Canon 400mm DO lens
Canon 70-200 f/4 IS lens
Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS lens
All my gear recos are on My Gear page.
To help you find the best light on a photo safari, and on all your worldwide travels, check out my latest app, Rick Sammon's Photo Sundial.
The app also includes my best tips for photographing at sunrise and sunset. Other features include: Location Search, Weather, Moon Phases, Directions, Location Sharing.
Explore the light,
Rick
