How I Photograph Animals From a Safari Vehicle

How I Photograph Animals From a Safari Vehicle

Photographing wildlife from a safari vehicle presents a very different challenge from photographing from a hide or while walking.

You are working in a restricted space, surrounded by other people, frequently using a long lens and relying on the guide to position the vehicle.

But safari vehicles can also provide extraordinary photographic opportunities if you use them properly.

I start with positioning

Before worrying about camera settings, I look at three things:

The animal.
The light.
The background.

The obvious temptation is simply to get as close as possible.

Closer is not always better.

Sometimes moving only a few metres can transform a photograph by changing the background or improving the angle of the light.

This is where communication with a good safari guide becomes so important.

An experienced guide understands animal behaviour. As a photographer, I am also thinking about where the animal might move and what the photograph could look like if it does.

Get lower when you can

Many safari photographs are taken downwards from a vehicle.

That can make the viewer feel detached from the animal.

Whenever circumstances and vehicle design allow, I prefer a lower shooting position.

Getting the camera nearer the animal's eye level can completely change the feeling of an image.

The animal feels more imposing and the background often becomes more attractive.

Some specialist photographic safari vehicles are designed specifically to make this easier.

Support the lens

Long lenses become surprisingly heavy after several hours.

I often use a beanbag or another form of support when possible.

This isn't simply about avoiding camera shake.

Supporting the lens means I am not physically fighting the equipment while waiting for something to happen.

I can concentrate on the animal.

If photographing handheld, I keep the lens relatively close to my body rather than extending my arms unnecessarily.

Don't photograph everything

One of the biggest lessons wildlife photography teaches you is when not to press the shutter.

If an animal is sleeping with its face hidden, I may take a record shot, but I don't need 200 photographs of it.

Instead I watch.

Is the animal likely to stand?

Is another animal approaching?

Is it listening to something?

Has the light changed?

Often the best photograph comes from recognising what might happen next.

Watch the eyes

Eyes are enormously important in wildlife photographs.

If I can see the animal's eye clearly, I will normally try to focus on it.

Modern animal-eye autofocus has made this considerably easier, but technology is not infallible.

Grass, branches and other animals can confuse even sophisticated autofocus systems.

I therefore continue watching where the camera is focusing rather than assuming the technology has got it right.

Leave room for movement

When an animal is moving or looking strongly in one direction, I generally try to leave some space in front of it.

If a leopard is walking from left to right, placing its nose against the right-hand edge of the frame can make the photograph feel cramped.

Giving the animal somewhere to move into often produces a much more natural composition.

Be considerate of everyone else

A safari vehicle is a shared environment.

Being a keen photographer doesn't mean everybody else should have to experience the safari through your lens.

Move quietly.

Be aware of other people's sightlines.

Don't repeatedly ask the guide to reposition the vehicle for tiny differences unless circumstances genuinely justify it.

And sometimes put the camera down.

There are occasions when the best thing you can do is simply watch.

A safari should remain an extraordinary wildlife experience first.

The photography should add to that experience, not dominate it.