Lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard… the legendary Big Five species everyone wants to shoot. Thankfully these days that’s mainly with a camera. All five are thrilling to encounter…and photograph. But it’s not easy. It’s not for nothing these guys have a reputation for being the toughest to nail on the African continent.

To get great images of the bucket-list Big Five you first need to know when and where you’re most likely to encounter them when you’re on safari in the bush; you need the ability to anticipate their behaviour and next move, and you need to know the best ways to bring out those essential characteristics that give these subjects such VIP status in your captures.

We recently put some simple tips and tricks for getting the best shots of the Big Five together for the online ‘Extra’ edition of ‘Travel Africa’ magazine, which is published in the UK and celebrates everything about journeying to, and discovering, this wildlife-rich and beautiful continent. It’s a publication we’ve been contributing to now for more than 10 years.

Why not have a look at our hard-won advice on photographing the African safari’s best-loved species?  Visit Travel Africa Extra.

Incidentally, the leopard image above was captured at South Africa’s Madikwe game reserve. It’s not a reserve we currently lead photo tours to, but guests coming to the Chobe with us can arrange an add-on extension to Madikwe very easily.