Day 4: Six Days of Africa Photo Safari Tips

Left, original. Right, Photoshop's Oil Paint filter.

Today is day four of Six Days of Africa Photo Safari Tips here on my blog. Scroll down for previous posts in this series.

I am running this series in preparation for my 2016 Botswana/South Africa digital photography workshop.

Check out my Beauty of Botswana gallery to see my favorite photographs from my two previous trips to this wildlife wonderland.

Today's tip: Have some plug-in and filter fun during your downtime.

Try creating beautiful black and white and sepia tone images with Topaz Black & White effects.

Most of the animal action on a photo safari takes places in the early morning and late afternoon. What's more, when it's sunny, the light is not great for photography between 10 AM and 3 PM.

Little action and bad light means spending time, several hours a day, in your tent working on and playing with your pictures. On one Botswana safari, for example, we left our camp at 5 AM, returned at 10 AM, and did not go back out on safari until 4 PM.

Remove some of the from an image and you remove some of the reality, perhaps making a more artistic image.

Downtime is a good time to play with plug-ins. Plug-ins can help awaken the artist within; they can remove the reality from a picture for a more artistic image.

All of the plug-ins I use are on my Play and Save on Plug-ins page. You can save a bundle when you order a bundle.

Both photographs sharpened in Nik Sharpener Pro.

Removing the reality is fun, but of course, so is getting the most realistic image. That often includes getting the sharpest possible picture. I sharpen my images using Nik Sharpener Pro, being careful not to over sharpen, which can, indeed, be tempting.

Speaking of being in your tent, charging your batteries and laptop is important. Check with the camp management and find out when they switch generators, which can cause a power surge and zap gear. Don't have your gear plugged in during the switch.

Also bring a power strip/surge suppressor as an extra safeguard against power surges. Make sure the voltage of the strip you buy at home matches the voltage of the camp. You may need a voltage converter if the power does not match.

If you like the composition of the photographs in this post, and if you want to learn how to make the best possible exposure, check out my KelbyOne classes on my On-Line Classes page.

I hope to see you on my 2016 Botswana workshop. We'll shoot at the golden hours, and process our pictures during downtime.

If you can't make an Africa photo safari, I offer wildlife photo safaris at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas. That's where I took the photos above. Shoot me an email for 2016 dates.

Explore the light,
Rick

This post sponsored by Adorama - great gear at great prices.  All my gear is listed on My Gear page.

Day 3: Six Days of Africa Photo Safari Tips

Today is day three of Six Days of Africa Photo Safari Tips here on my blog.

I am running this series in preparation for my 2016 Botswana/South Africa digital photography workshop.

Check out my Beauty of Botswana gallery to see my favorite photographs from my two previous trips to this wildlife wonderland.

Also check out my on-line class: Capturing the Wild: Safari Photography. You can use my tips for making great pictures on a photo safari and at a wildlife park.

Today's tip: Strive for animal behavior shots.

Sure, portraits of wild animals are nice, and I'll share a few of my favorites tomorrow here on my blog. But behavior shots tell more of a story, such as the photograph above of a small herd of elephants on the Mara protecting their young.

For good behavior shots, you first need to be lucky, as I was when I took the opening photograph for this post in Botswana of a lion and lioness fighting. These are the same lions - relaxing after the fight!

But as lucky as you may be, being prepared to capture the behavior is a must - you must have a good understanding of light and composition, which I cover in my on-line classes.

And, of course, you must have the right lens. I recommend always having two cameras ready: one with a wide-angle zoom, say a 24-105mm, and one with a telephoto zoom, perhaps a 100-400mm lens. That's for starters. After that, you may want longer and shorter lenses in your camera bag. All my gear, including those lenses, is listed on My Gear page.

Planning can also help you get good behavior photographs. I planned one of my Kenya photo safari workshops so the group would be there for the annual migration of the zebra and wildebeest. Talk about getting good behavior shots!

When it comes to people pictures, portraits are nice, but behavior shots tell more of a story, such as the above photograph that I took of a Masai warrior in Kenya demonstrating his jumping skills.

Here's something else about behavior shots: they can make you smile, as I do when I look at this photograph of a mommy elephant and her baby.

I hope to see you in Botswana/South Africa.

If you can't make an Africa photo safari, I offer wildlife photo safaris at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas. That's where I took the photo above. Shoot me an email for 2016 dates.

Explore the light,
Rick

What’s New?

My 36th book: Creative Visualization for Photographers. 

My on-line learning center, where you can download my e-books, including, Get Motivated and Stay Inspired.

Day 2: Six Days of Africa Photo Safari Tips

Today is day two of Six Days of Africa Photo Safari Tips here on my blog.

I am running this series in preparation for my 2016 Botswana/South Africa digital photography workshop.

Check out my Beauty of Botswana gallery to see my favorite photographs from my two previous trips to this wildlife wonderland. 

Also check out my on-line class: Capturing the Wild: Safari Photography. You can use my tips for making great pictures on a photo safari (and even at a wildlife park).

Today's tip: Go wide.

First-time Africa photo safari photographers often focus on getting super close-ups of the animals with super-telephoto lenses, and subsequently don't take wide-angle shots.

Taking wide-angle shots on your photo safari is also important. These shots give a "sense of place" to your photographs - and for sure add interest to your slide shows. After all, you can take close-ups of lions and giraffes in a wildlife park or zoo. Right?

Of course, you can also take "sense a place" photographs with a telephoto lens - as long as you include the surrounding area in the frame. Just shoot wide, and don't fill the frame with the subject.

Getting back to telling the story, pictures of wild animals and beautiful landscapes are not the only pictures that tell the story of your photo safari. Behind-the-scenes shots, like the one above, do that, too.

Behind-the-scenes pictures also bring back memories of your long safari drives and time with your guide - and how close the animals actually come your safari vehicle.

I hope to see you in Botswana/South Africa.

If you can't make an Africa photo safari, I offer wildlife photo safaris at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas. That's where I took the photos above. Shoot me an email for 2016 dates.

Explore the light,
Rick