Safari photography: light, lenses and patience

When is the best light for safari photography?

Early morning and late afternoon. Low sun gives warm colour, long shadows and texture in fur and grass, and many animals are more active then. Our approved 4 Days Maasai Mara Photography Luxury Safari is built around exactly this: long drives at the start and end of the day when the sun is low, and a rest in the middle when the light is harsh.

Midday is not wasted. Use it for close portraits in shade, birds near water, or to review and back up your images. Overcast days give soft, even light that suits forest and close subjects.

What camera kit should I bring on safari?

If you are buying or hiring a lens for the trip, practise with it at home first: learn to change settings without looking, and to follow a moving subject smoothly. On safari, a sighting can be over in seconds, and familiarity with your camera matters more than its price.

Working from a safari vehicle

Most safari photography happens from the vehicle, and the rules shape how. In the Maasai Mara, the Mara Conservancy allows visitors out only at designated points and does not allow standing on the roof or sitting in the window to photograph. Kenya Wildlife Service asks visitors to stay in their vehicles except in designated areas and to keep at least 20 metres from wildlife.

• Ask your guide to position the vehicle for the light before the action starts, rather than moving during it.
• Turn the engine off when you can, to stop vibration.
• Shoot at a fast shutter speed for movement, and keep shooting as an animal settles.
• Take turns at the best window, and agree with companions how long to stay.

Patience, and photographing a river crossing

The Mara Conservancy says crossings are frequent in migration season but hard to predict, and that the herds themselves are the spectacle. For photographers that means waiting quietly, well back from the crossing point, and never blocking moving herds: the Conservancy reports that herds pushed by vehicles have crossed at unsafe banks, and hundreds of animals have died.

A good safari photograph is usually the reward for staying with one scene a little longer than seemed necessary.

Drones, flash and primates

Tanzania National Parks prohibits drones in the Serengeti without special permission, so leave a drone at home unless you have that permission in writing. With gorillas and chimpanzees, the Uganda Wildlife Authority does not allow flash photography, and visits last one hour; a fast lens or a high ISO setting matters more than reach in the forest. Tanzania National Parks says it welcomes filming and photography in Lake Manyara National Park; ask about the rules for any park before you film.

Photographing people

Always ask before photographing someone, including in villages and markets, and accept a refusal gracefully. If you visit a community, your guide can explain what is welcome. Our responsible wildlife viewing guide covers the wider etiquette.

Camera settings and technique

• Use a fast shutter speed for movement, around 1/1000 s or faster for running animals and birds in flight.
• Set continuous autofocus and burst mode, so you capture the moment an animal turns or looks up.
• Focus on the eyes. A sharp eye makes a portrait, even when the rest of the frame is soft.
• Let the background breathe: a simple background makes the animal stand out, so watch what is behind it.
• Leave space in the frame in the direction an animal is moving or looking.
• Back up your memory cards each evening, to a laptop, a portable drive or the cloud when there is signal.

Do not spend the whole safari behind the camera. Put it down for some sightings and simply watch: the best photographs often come once you understand what an animal is about to do.

Where to photograph what