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I'm going on Safari in a couple of months, I've never really done any wild life photography in the past aside from going to my local park and photographing squirrels and water fowl.

I own a Nifty 50 an 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS and a 70-300mm f/3.5-5.6 I'm not going to be buying/renting any more lenses as the actual trip has sapped my bank account dry.

Can anyone provide me with advice that they have learned from similar experience, perhaps things you wish you'd known before you went out?

Also does anyone know of any articles that might be useful to read before I go?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Hi Omar. Could you put this in the form of a specific question of some sort? \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Jun 28, 2011 at 12:52
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    \$\begingroup\$ I think good running skills may be useful there... ;-) \$\endgroup\$
    – ysap
    Jun 28, 2011 at 16:36

3 Answers 3

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I went on a tiger safari in India last year and I didn't find shooting on safari that different to shooting in the park on a technical basis.

I took some amazing shots myself but my biggest regret (though not a big one) is that the photos I took of larger animals didn't give them any context. I took some full frame shots of tigers looking towards me and past me but I didn't manage to get many good ones of them in their environment. My suggestion would be to think carefully and try to take a variety of shots!

Oh and take as many cards as you can, you really don't know what you might see and you don't want to have to delete photos sitting in the back of a jeep!

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    \$\begingroup\$ Great advice about the environment. I wouldn't focus on a head and shoulders shot that you could replicate at the zoo. \$\endgroup\$
    – rfusca
    Jun 28, 2011 at 14:26
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Bring a tripod even if you'll not be using it in the car, you usually stop in the evening for drinks to watch the sun set and as it gets dark you can get some great shots if you have a steady platform.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Good point, I'll need to try and get a hold of one... Might be able to get a mono-pod. \$\endgroup\$ Jun 29, 2011 at 8:47
  • \$\begingroup\$ Even a mono-pod would be helpful, and probably much less hassle if you are only using it occasionally. From my experience we were not allowed out of the vehicles much. \$\endgroup\$ Jun 29, 2011 at 17:17
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If it will be a car safari a useful thing to take with you can be a bean bag. Some more details in this post.

I haven't tried it myself yet though.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I totally agree that a bean bag will be more helpful than a tripod. \$\endgroup\$
    – Rafael
    Nov 22, 2018 at 0:52

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