Comments on: How to Prepare for an African Photo Safari

By: African Safari Vacations

African Safari Vacations — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:54:25 +0000

This is a great website.I am interested in photography but was never quite sure about its details.Thanks for providing such good tips.

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:04:02 +0000

Can anyone recommend a good place to rent a camera in Jburg? I am in the market for a new camera and thought it might be nice to test one out while in South Africa and on safari in Kruger. Any suggestions?

By: andrea

andrea — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:58:25 +0000

One thing to point out: Lithium batteries are supposed to be carried in your carry-on baggage, each in individual plastic baggies. The airlines are worried that if the terminals make contact, they could create a fire, etc. That might not be the case on all the airlines, but most that I’ve flown on request that.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:55:27 +0000

Great article! I’ve wanted to go to Africa for many, many years on a photo safari. I hope to get there one day soon, and your article helped me immensly! Thanks so much!

By: Mike B

Mike B — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:46:56 +0000

i just return from an african safari photo shoot and here are the results with an Rebel XSi and 70-300 mm lenses

http://www.flickr.com/photos/de_mike/4082371110/in/set-72157622626830283/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/de_mike/4082369004/in/set-72157622626824865/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/de_mike/4081606207/sizes/o/in/set-72157622626818739/

By: Curt Weidner

Curt Weidner — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:53:32 +0000

Great article. I on my trip to Tanzania I found everything Robert said to be true especially the 2 camera bodies. Not only will 2 bodies save you from having from having to swap lens but if one body malfunctions as happened to me it will save your trip. Other tid bits I thought of include taking a photo vest ($30 fly fishing vest at Wal-mart) and cargo pants/shorts with lots of pockets were very handy while out all day on game drives. Small pocket packs of kleenex were a lot more functional than packing toilet paper rolls and had lots of uses. I also found dust to be the biggest issue. The suggestion about Op/Tech rain sleeves is great! To respond to Eric’s question on shooting with truck vibrations, on my trip they did shut off the vehicle any time we had a really good photo op. Most of the suggestions and comments apply as well to any big photo trip i.e. Yellowstone. f8 and be there! Curt

By: Wanda

Wanda — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:17:40 +0000

South-Africa has some of the best game reserves in the world and there are game drivers that will take you on guided tours to help you spot some of the animals.
Escpecially the Kruger and the Kgalagadi parks are great. It is a great opurtunity for photographing the big 5, but don’t get overhelmed by the lions and elephants there are small gems in our game parks that make for great photographic oppurtunities and you can enjoy it with even the smallest cheapest camera.

Happy trails
Wanda
Bloemfontein – South Africa

By: Pio Danilo P. Cuadra

Pio Danilo P. Cuadra — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:48:55 +0000

How about using a Lowepro Fastpack 350? It can accomodate a sigma 50-500 ex , a canon 70-200 2.8L and a 24-70 2.8 plus two(2) flash guns , a variety of accesssories and a 17″ laptop computer . Budget airlines are usually very strict on luggage limit but on regular carriers( ie., the established ones mostly flag carriers) they will allow you to handcarry your backpack inside the plane. On my flight from Manila to Beijing (and vice versa) , China Southern Airlines allowed me to hand carry the above backpack/gear without additional charges.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:32:51 +0000

Good article! I live in Kenya and go on safari every chance I get. Was so glad to see one of the previous commenters took the opportunity to squeeze in a couple of hours at Nairobi National Park, it really is lovely, esp. at dusk, and has some great game.

I would mention that some care and sensitivity is appreciated when it comes to taking street shots and photos of people generally. In my three years here I have noticed increasing hostility towards photographers, which I think is understandable. There you are in a poor country with a lot of expensive gear, and many people believe that you will be making money selling the pictures you take, even though that is not usually the case. I’ve had some really interesting discussions with local people about this, and often am then allowed to shoot, but sometimes not. I do not recommend being aggressive about this or just going ahead and shooting anyway — rude, and possibly dangerous!

By: Carl Nicholson

Carl Nicholson — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:03:29 +0000

Yeah great article even for someone still living here! :-0 The experience of seeing the animals in their natural environment is something I am privileged to enjoy occasionally (not nearly enough). I agree with the 2nd body 2nd lense. You should check with the game lodge or the forum below on lens recommendations for that particular area, some you can get away with 200+1.4X others you’ll need 400mm+.

If you do visit South Africa I can recommend 2 great camera shops – one in Cape Town (www.orms.co.za ) and one in Pretoria – Outdoor Photo (www.odp.co.za). They will not be cheaper than US shops, but are well stocked with professional equipment. ODP offer one of the best and complete rental options in South Africa.

The guys at Outdoor Photo run a magnificent website for outdoor photos http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/forum/photopost/ .