Last Minute Tips for Photography on Safari in Kenya?

sapphire73

So life has been busy and the hopes to review photography books (on birds in flight, etc.) prior to our trip are no longer possible. Just a week after hosting a dinner in our home (not catered) for over a hundred guests, we will be heading to Kenya. We are visiting a school and orphanage for the bulk of our trip but ending up in Masai Mara before returning home. I would welcome any tips you may have for photographers on safari in Kenya. (I did search this forum and the Internet as a whole.) There will be six in our group and four of us will be hoping to capture a few photos along the way.

My husband is especially interested in bird photography and I am loaning him my Canon 7D (over his 50D) to use with his 100-400 lens but I'm not sure I'll have time to explore the best settings for him and he definitely won't have time to do this.

I will be covering the wider and mid-range shots with a 70-300 mm lens and a few landscape lenses and two camera bodies. Really looking forward to seeing our friends in Kenya again and supporting a rural school and orphanage (with our presence and some supplies). It will also be a pleasure to spend a few days in Masai Mara and soak up some of the natural beauty there!

Thanks for whatever help you may be able to provide!

Stumblebum

First, Congrats! Anyone who can cook dinner for 100 guests, can succeed at anything else in life!!!

7D + 100-400mm works great as I have it and swear by it. Settings bellow work for me:

1) AV mode
2) Spot focus (not zone)
3) Shoot at widest aperture, however, if you want 3-4 animals in frame to be focus, then use f-11
4) Keep ISO cranked up high enough to maintain 1000 shutter speed (no worries on noise, this setup is top notch and that won't be your issue)
5) AI Focus so both stationary and moving targets are covered
6) Higher FPS works if you are tracking a critter, however for stationary ones, single shooting focuses easier and better
7) Put the shutter release on focus priority
8) Always shoot RAW
9) Try and hit the critter's eye with AF
10) Take multiple shots even when you think you nailed it
11) Collecting more light is better than less light if you post process
12) Don't tighten the push-pull lens, it works just fine and flexibility of moving it around works....better to start out wide, get critter in sight and then zoom in
13) For critters far away, have it at 6.5m focusing distance it will find them faster and at 1.8m for stuff near by
14) Have sun at your back if possible
15) When multiple targets in sight, choose the one that will yield best background as crappy background means bad pictures
16) Mostly targets are far away (don't know about Africa) so center AF works fine and in post you can set up the composition as you desire
17) If critters are near by, try not to center and move AF to side in advance
18) Do not admire your own work while you are still out on the shoot as while you are checking your shots, something great would happen and you would miss it.....save that for hotel
19) All comps work better when you are at same level on the ground as the critter....but getting eaten by Lions is not a good option
20) Have fun!:D

sapphire73

Thank you! Your input is much appreciated! I am going to copy and paste your settings and tips to take with us.

Stumblebum wrote: »

First, Congrats! Anyone who can cook dinner for 100 guests, can succeed at anything else in life!!!

7D + 100-400mm works great as I have it and swear by it. Settings bellow work for me:

1) AV mode
2) Spot focus (not zone)
3) Shoot at widest aperture, however, if you want 3-4 animals in frame to be focus, then use f-11
4) Keep ISO cranked up high enough to maintain 1000 shutter speed (no worries on noise, this setup is top notch and that won't be your issue)
5) AI Focus so both stationary and moving targets are covered
6) Higher FPS works if you are tracking a critter, however for stationary ones, single shooting focuses easier and better
7) Put the shutter release on focus priority
8) Always shoot RAW
9) Try and hit the critter's eye with AF
10) Take multiple shots even when you think you nailed it
11) Collecting more light is better than less light if you post process
12) Don't tighten the push-pull lens, it works just fine and flexibility of moving it around works....better to start out wide, get critter in sight and then zoom in
13) For critters far away, have it at 6.5m focusing distance it will find them faster and at 1.8m for stuff near by
14) Have sun at your back if possible
15) When multiple targets in sight, choose the one that will yield best background as crappy background means bad pictures
16) Mostly targets are far away (don't know about Africa) so center AF works fine and in post you can set up the composition as you desire
17) If critters are near by, try not to center and move AF to side in advance
18) Do not admire your own work while you are still out on the shoot as while you are checking your shots, something great would happen and you would miss it.....save that for hotel
19) All comps work better when you are at same level on the ground as the critter....but getting eaten by Lions is not a good option
20) Have fun!:D

Harryb

I have shot in Africa 4 times and twice on the Mara. The best captures will usually come in the hours right after sunrise and right before sunset so expect to do some high ISO captures. The animals will often be quite close as they don't view the land rover as a threat. When framing a capture pay attention to the landscape. Frequently zooming back will result in a better image with the subjects' surroundings in it than a more clinical close up. If circumstances allow you to get out of your land rover safely do so for a lower perspective. The wildebeest migration will be starts in July so you will have loads of photo ops.

The birds are a tougher capture w/o a 500mm. Look for them on trees and shrubs along the road. The best chance for a flight capture will come from finding a subject and staying with it a bit. Before long it will leave its perch and you should be able to capture the take off. Streams and water holes frequently will have birds flying into and away from them.

Have fun.

sapphire73

Thank you, Harry. I was just rereading your Tanzania thread the other day and enjoying your photos! We had a couple of days in Masai Mara 4 years ago (also in July) but I was just getting back into photography then. Hoping for more keepers this time around as this may be our last visit there.

Did you ever have a great sighting after dark? We came across several leopards after enjoying "sundowners" in one of the northern conservancies, and were surprised with great sightings of leopards on the way home. The only illumination was the light the guide was using. Any suggestions if we experience something like this again?

Harryb wrote: »

I have shot in Africa 4 times and twice on the Mara. The best captures will usually come in the hours right after sunrise and right before sunset so expect to do some high ISO captures. The animals will often be quite close as they don't view the land rover as a threat. When framing a capture pay attention to the landscape. Frequently zooming back will result in a better image with the subjects' surroundings in it than a more clinical close up. If circumstances allow you to get out of your land rover safely do so for a lower perspective. The wildebeest migration will be starts in July so you will have loads of photo ops.

The birds are a tougher capture w/o a 500mm. Look for them on trees and shrubs along the road. The best chance for a flight capture will come from finding a subject and staying with it a bit. Before long it will leave its perch and you should be able to capture the take off. Streams and water holes frequently will have birds flying into and away from them.

Have fun.

puzzledpaul

I'd be taking some sort of bean bag for low / ground level shots + an angle finder.
Kneeling, using the 'finder is a different way of working from flat on the ground but you might find it more comfortable - I do.

I've read that others have taken the bag empty to save weight, filled with rice (I use bird seed in UK) on site, then given the rice to local help at the end of trip.


<< 14) Have sun at your back if possible >>

Depends what you're after, imo ... sometimes more evocative shots aren't lit in this way ... and I don't just mean silhouettes.

Don't see any mention of macro gear above ... I have no idea whether you / husband are interested in such, but there's no way I'd go back to Africa now without some sort of macro capable lens.

Standard mantra,(for me, anyway) couresty of Zoomer.

Light
Background
Composition
Pose

eg if in a situation where you have time to get the first 3 as desired, 4 will (obviously) make a heck of a difference ... even if it's only the slight turning of subject's head so you end up with a catchlight / looking at cam.

Have pointed to linked site before and some of the tips have already been mentioned here, but might be worth a look if not already seen.

Have a good time

pp


http://blog.northshots.com/2013/12/20-nature-wildlife-photography-tips/

sapphire73

More great tips and I skimmed through the website you linked. Look forward to reading it in more depth!

Hadn't thought to bring a macro lens and a 60mm macro is the only true macro I have. Trying to keep our gear light as we are taking a lot of materials to the school and orphanage, but I should be able to add the 60mm and can use that for portraits of the orphans as well.

I have a bean bag that comes with 2 magnets (to attach to the bottom of the camera) and plan on using that again. Not sure we will be out of the vehicle much in the Mara reserves apart from breaks for breakfast or time back at the lodge, but I will have a tripod at the lodge and a gorilla pod (and monopod for my husband) for game drives.

I won't be able to kneel as I had knee replacement about a year ago, but am paying attention to all the hints to vary perspective and try to get as low as possible. Thank you!

puzzledpaul wrote: »

I'd be taking some sort of bean bag for low / ground level shots + an angle finder.
Kneeling, using the 'finder is a different way of working from flat on the ground but you might find it more comfortable - I do.

I've read that others have taken the bag empty to save weight, filled with rice (I use bird seed in UK) on site, then given the rice to local help at the end of trip.


<< 14) Have sun at your back if possible >>

Depends what you're after, imo ... sometimes more evocative shots aren't lit in this way ... and I don't just mean silhouettes.

Don't see any mention of macro gear above ... I have no idea whether you / husband are interested in such, but there's no way I'd go back to Africa now without some sort of macro capable lens.

Standard mantra,(for me, anyway) couresty of Zoomer.

Light
Background
Composition
Pose

eg if in a situation where you have time to get the first 3 as desired, 4 will (obviously) make a heck of a difference ... even if it's only the slight turning of subject's head so you end up with a catchlight / looking at cam.

Have pointed to linked site before and some of the tips have already been mentioned here, but might be worth a look if not already seen.

Have a good time

pp


http://blog.northshots.com/2013/12/20-nature-wildlife-photography-tips/

Stumblebum

puzzledpaul wrote: »

I'd be taking some sort of bean bag for low / ground level shots + an angle finder.
Kneeling, using the 'finder is a different way of working from flat on the ground but you might find it more comfortable - I do.

I've read that others have taken the bag empty to save weight, filled with rice (I use bird seed in UK) on site, then given the rice to local help at the end of trip.


<< 14) Have sun at your back if possible >>

Depends what you're after, imo ... sometimes more evocative shots aren't lit in this way ... and I don't just mean silhouettes.

Don't see any mention of macro gear above ... I have no idea whether you / husband are interested in such, but there's no way I'd go back to Africa now without some sort of macro capable lens.

Standard mantra,(for me, anyway) couresty of Zoomer.

Light
Background
Composition
Pose

eg if in a situation where you have time to get the first 3 as desired, 4 will (obviously) make a heck of a difference ... even if it's only the slight turning of subject's head so you end up with a catchlight / looking at cam.

Have pointed to linked site before and some of the tips have already been mentioned here, but might be worth a look if not already seen.

Have a good time

pp


http://blog.northshots.com/2013/12/20-nature-wildlife-photography-tips/

Paul I agree completely. As simplistic rule, I mentioned sun at the back....but there are always opportunities in every light and some of the ones with most pop are with shooting straight at sun. Cheers!

Andy

sapphire73 wrote: »

Did you ever have a great sighting after dark? We came across several leopards after enjoying "sundowners" in one of the northern conservancies, and were surprised with great sightings of leopards on the way home. The only illumination was the light the guide was using. Any suggestions if we experience something like this again?

Harry was with me on this sighting in South Africa:

http://blog.moonriverphotography.com/2012/07/why-dont-we-do-it-in-the-road.html

it was after dark. ISO 3200, Canon. You want to have fast glass

PS: Getting my rt knee replaced on Wednesday!

pathfinder

For wildlife, I tend to shoot a fair amount in Shutter preferred ( Tv) with Auto ISO enabled. I was taught this by Frank and Barbara Gerlach, who are wildlife shooters from Idaho.

You did not mention your camera bodies, but if they are capable of shooting at ISO 3200 on up to 12800, that will be an advantage when you are chasing critters 30 minutes after the sun has set, back into the bush.

I remember Harry always saying he "only used ISO 100", and I reminded him that he shot white birds in tropical sunlight. But in Africa, shooting before sunrise or long after sunset, even Harry uses high ISOs.

This little leopard was caught at ISO 12800 in Tv with auto ISO - I would never have chosen 12800, but the file really looks pretty nice, and as long as you don't under expose you may be surprised. - f5.6 1/320th, ISO 12800 It doesn't look that dark does it ??

http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/Travel/Kenya-2013/i-5HPCpGX/0/L/leopard%20in%20the%20woods_V6P9560-L.jpg


In the middle of the day if you prefer to shoot in Manual or Av and watch your shutter speed, I have to quarrel with that, I do it too. But when the sun starts getting low, I find I prefer TV with auto ISO, and knowing that my shutter speed is pegged where I want it, and not drifting down to 1/15th or 1/25th with long glass.

I like the 70-300 lens for Africa too ( small and light if a bit slow optically ), I used mine a lot. But a 400 or 500 can be useful too, especially if you are after birds... Just saying. You can rent one from various vendors.

My wife uses a Canon 300mm f4 IS L, frequently with a 1.4 TC and she gets spectacular stuff with it with both a 7D and a 5DMkIII. The light weight is what she really likes, I have offered her my 300 f2.8 and she turns it down every time. Too heavy to take to Africa these days.

Bring one fast wide angle lens to shoot stars at night also - the night skies and the Southern Cross are not to be misses. 16 f2.8 or a 24 f1.4 or something similar.

I am returning to east Africa in winter 2015 and already looking forward to it.

AF single spot for stationary animals and AF Servo for moving critters - always. I prefer a single chosen AF point, but for Birds in flight and fast moving critters downtimes I have to settle for 3 or 4 point AF groups to keep my AF acquisition speed where I need it to be. If you can get down on the ground, do it, if your guide says it is safe, and you are comfortable there. But remember you are in Africa, be safe too.

While I agree that frontal lighting can be useful for animal images, sometimes back lighting is to die for ---

http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/Travel/Kenya-2013/i-Q5qQzWB/0/XL/2%20ellies%20sunset%20B%26W%203820-XL.jpg