The A-listers, the headliners, the bucketlisters and the wishlisters, the iconic, the classic, the must-sees and the Big Five. There’s no doubting the magnetism of Africa’s celebrity species. But sexy as they are these superstars are by no means the whole show on a photographic safari.

Roll the credits and you’ll discover a large cast of supporting characters in the African bush ready to put in a winning performance at any moment. Quite often the surprise encounters you have with the smaller stuff, the lesser-known, the rare or the often-overlooked critters can turn into rich photographic opportunities in their own right.

The moral of our tale is keep your camera close at all times and always be ready to use it wherever you are – whether it’s the new-to-you species you bump into en route to photographing the legendary ones, the scene-stealers that turn up totally unscripted, or the wildlife that breaks the invisible boundaries between scheduled photo sessions and your R&R (by this we mean the birds and animals that show up to perform and delight around your lodge and when you’re in transit).

To give you a taste of what we mean here’s a small highlight reel of some recent cameo appearances on our trips…

Toad in the hole takes centre stage at one of Zimanga’s night hides
Why focus on the small stuff? Well, there are those occasions when the better image comes from breaking with convention and making the little guy or underdog the star, as here. Instead of making the two massive Cape buffalo – card-carrying members of the Big Five – the main point of this shot, the image is more arresting precisely because it places the tiny toad as the star of the show. It’s an engaging juxtaposition of scale.

Spotted necked otters on the Chobe river. Who knew?
Admittedly spotted necked otters are not unheard of on the river, but they’re by no means a common occurrence and were new to us and our guests when we stumbled across them one morning, hunting fish for their breakfast. Playful and engaging the small family group kept our photographers enthralled and clicking from the photo boats for a good half hour – netting us a haul of wonderful, up close and certainly unexpectedly different safari shots.

Ssssnakes alive – paying respects to a puff adder
Snakes are not commonly seen on safari. It’s a shame, but they tend to stay out of the limelight. They’re also tough to photograph when you do because it’s difficult for obvious reasons to get close and low enough to frame them well. So when a snake caught by staff was going to be returned back to the wild by our guide it was a gift we could not pass up. In a fairly torpid state (after being cooped up in a special snake container overnight – think elongated Pringles tube) the reptile was slow to slink away when released, allowing our safari guests to approach fairly close (with caution) and get the low angle needed to get a cool portrait.

Not strictly for the birds – banded mongoose at a small bird hide on Zimanga
The infinity pool reflection hides on Zimanga have been custom-built to maximise photography of the beautiful and diverse array of small birds that fly in to drink and bathe. However, the other wildlife on the reserve did not get the memo that’s it’s not really for them and from time to time whatever’s in the area can turn up there to drink as well. Don’t be surprised to see other stuff pop their heads over the drinking edge during a session whether it’s a mob of sneaky banded mongoose, a cheeky monkey or even a pride of lions.

Water monitor slithers into shot at the lagoon hide on Zimanga
Geared up for great waterbird photography, whether it’s the lofty goliath heron or the diminutive malachite kingfisher, Zimanga’s specially-designed lagoon hide regularly plays host to some rather interesting interlopers that visit when you’re least expecting. One of our favourite gatecrashers is the lengthy, languorous water monitor, a large lizard that loves hunting around the edges of pool, keeping our guests in business between the bouts of bird action.

Surprised to see you – the eastern rock elephant shrew of Northern Tuli
The Northern Tuli’s vast, arid wilderness landscape – backdrop to our Mashatu trip – conceals a characterful critter that’s hard to locate unless you’re in the know. Spending their days shading from the hot sun in crevices among their rocky habitat, they’re not the normal photographic fare on a safari, but if you are fortunate enough to find them they’re a delight to watch and a challenge to photograph. Be warned, they move faster than a clockwork mouse with fresh batteries. Check out that lizard sneaking into shot on the left. Perhaps the reason why this charismatic shrew looks so startled.