Photography Tips
While many who visit this site are accomplished photographers, the lighting conditions and photo opportunities on safari offer challenges that deserve comment. Examples are: Recommended exposure shooting into the sunset, what to do when you are shooting into the sunset, but have a dark subject (elephant or hippo) below the shooting horizon, shutter speed for capturing a fast moving fish eagle diving for prey, best times of day to shoot, where to be to use the light correctly within Chobe National Park, ISO and exposure setting to expect at park sunrise and sunset, shooting settings from helicopter, challenges of keeping the sensor clean in the park, settings for shooting the night sky/Milky Way, settings for shooting star trails, scenic overlooks inside and outside of the park …. and there are many more subjects to cover. Over time, this category will attempt to aid you in these challenges.
Canon To offers Safari Lens Many Have Dreamed For
Many Canon shooters have always wanted a lens similar to Nikon’s 200-400 f4 lens. The Nikon lens is fast and takes a tele-converter well, making it a very nice safari lens. To date, the Canon options have been : the 100-400 f4.5-5.6, which is compact relative to the other options, but known for some dust... »
2010 Safari Photographer Gift List
It is time again for the annual list of holiday gift ideas for the photographer. This was a tough year to put together my list for ChobeSafari as I was tainted by some personal needs. That said, I have tried to keep this focused on tools that I think should be valued by African... »
Flash photography and Wildlife – Comments from Frans Lanting
We recently added an article that featured Nick Nichols, a National Geographic photographer. Within the article there were numerous comments regarding using flash as a tool. ChobeSafari decided to look into one of Nick’s favorite photographers to learn a little more about the use of flash in wildlife photography. So you don’t think lighting is... »
Printing your work: Dye vs. Pigment
Many of you are aware … and many of you are not, but ChobeSafari and team had a serious electrical fire at out house last week. This is why articles are a little slow at the moment. No one was hurt. The big issue is serious smoke damage to the house. For this reason,... »
Photo Tip: Backing Up – 10 Steps to Peace of Mind When Traveling in the Digital Age
You will spend a lot of time and money planning the trip. You will see sights you may never see again. Take the time and thought to set up a process for transferring images and backing them up. Today’s guest article is by Greg Downing, co-founder and head guy at www.NatureScapes.net, which is one... »
Photo Tip: Capturing the Entire Herd
One of my Facebook friends, The Safari Photographer, has written an article on his site (also known as The Safari Photographer) that gives a really important tip for anyone traveling to Chobe or on safari in general. In prior tutorials, I have commented how one will often see elephants, hippos or buffalo in large... »
Photo Tip – Add ‘aged look’ or save a mistake using texture effects
Today’s article will be short, but pretty powerful. Have you ever wondered how others create aged looks or background textures in their images? You may think this can only be achieved by purchasing plug-in tools. I know I thought there was some technical challenges to creating this effect without purchasing something. Well, it’s much... »
Travel and Photo Tips: Things NOT to do on Safari
I think it is important to remind folks of things to avoid when on safari. Some of the items I will list have to do with personal safety, some with respect for wildlife and some are to help us preserve the natural environment of the park: Personal Safety Do not get out of the vehicle: While... »
Photo Tip – Find the Three words that convey your photographic message
This week, I had the chance to visit B&H Photo in New York City and hear my friend Andy Biggs talk on ‘a day in the life of a professional wildlife photographer’. As usual, Andy did a great job of connecting with the audience. During the presentation, he shared ‘keeper’ shots as well as the... »
Photo Tip: Photographing Fireworks
In the US, it’s 4th of July weekend, which means there will be many fireworks displays. While I have never seen fireworks on safari, I am still going to post the general info on how to photograph fireworks. Which camera? All you really need in the way of equipment is a camera on which you can... »