1 Get rid of the rust

It’s surprising how often people say they haven’t photographed for a while when they join us on a trip. When we stop photographing our reflexes slow and our creative ‘eye’ dulls. It takes time to sharpen up again in the field, so clearly the less rusty you are from the start the higher your keeper rate. Photography’s like most things – the more you practise the better you get.

2 Know before you go

Double-checking the info your tour leader sends before you travel (especially if you’ve booked a couple of years ahead) goes without saying. You don’t want to be in a hide three metres from a drinking giraffe with mirror reflection at night, without a wide-angle lens because you didn’t read the email saying you’d need one.  For the best headstart we’d say go further. Find out all you can about the place you’re going, and the wildlife you’re likely to see at the time you visit. Knowledge is power.

3 Scrap the wish list

The African bush isn’t Amazon – you can’t order up the stuff you’d like. If you fixate on a ‘shopping list’ of shots, pushing your guide to waste time looking for something you’re unlikely to find, you’ll miss loads of great stuff that’s to hand. Trust in the knowledge and instincts of good, experienced local guides who know the place and the resident wildlife. Nature will provide.

4 Inform your guide about your interests

A good tour leader will pick up on the passions and photographic styles of their individual guests and lean into them as the trip progresses, but spelling these out at the start will help your tour leader serve you better, and fully, from day-one. Sometimes it’s good to share.

5 Try a new technique

A specialist photo safari is a great space for learning, especially once you’ve got a good stock of shots stored safely on your hard-drive. Set yourself the goal of mastering a different technique or have a go at something you’ve never tried. Returning home with a new ‘tool’ in your bag of tricks, along with some eye-catching shots you hadn’t bargained for, is a no-brainer. Nothing ventured…

6 Teamwork makes the dream work

Stay alert to your surroundings on game drives, engage fully in the ‘hunt’ and provide an extra pair of eyes for your guides. Undoubtedly brilliant spotters, they may miss stuff on occasion and will welcome you getting involved. Work with your fellow shooters too. Be mindful they won’t always be interested in the same things as you. Fostering positive energy in your group pays dividends. We swear the ‘photo gods’ pick up on it and will throw you a bone!  The more you put in the more you’ll get out.

7 Champion quality over quantity

You want a fair variety of shots, that’s a given, but approaching a specialist safari like a generalist tour, concerned with ticking off as many different species as possible, whether or not they are photogenic, is not the best route to winning images. You’ll lift your work to the next level where your goal instead is to search out the best photos. This means prioritising light, positioning, composition and other aesthetic choices as highly – sometimes even above – whatever species your lens is trained on. It means being patient, investing time, and even taking a gamble to capture a higher-standard shot. Better a bunch of corkers than a ton of so-so stuff.

8 Switch things up

Don’t photograph everything with a long telephoto lens. Try shooting wider sometimes, to bring in Africa’s sweeping landscapes and dramatic skies, to give compositions a classic elegance, to add dynamic impact where large subjects are very close – or simply zoom out on occasion to allow subjects more room to breathe in the frame. Switching things up adds impact and stops your results being one-paced. You might want to try some ultra-tight close-ups of small, telling details or a few texture and pattern ‘wallpaper’ shots too for good measure. Variety is the spice of wildlife.

9 Make it personal

Don’t be that ‘me too’ photographer all the time, simply recreating shots you’ve seen loads before when scrolling down your social media feed. Put a pinch of yourself into your pictures. Let your heart guide your choices as well as your head and don’t be afraid to play and experiment. Before clicking the shutter ask yourself ‘what do I want to say, convey or highlight with this picture?’ Once more with feeling – so they say.

10 Enjoy yourself

It’s just a photograph. If you overthink things or get hung up on perfection you’re probably more likely to fluff shots and you certainly won’t get the most from your safari experience. Don’t be so preoccupied with the photography you neglect to soak up all the wonderful wild stuff you’re witnessing as well. The are so many ‘pinch me’ moments on an African safari. Be sure to enjoy them.