With striking sandy beaches, unique wildlife and a quintessential savannah landscape, you'll definitely want to bring along a camera for your South African adventure. Take a read through these four photography tips before you embark on your African tour from Australia.
1) Bring plenty of memory
Picture this: It's been a slow morning on safari but suddenly, emerging out of the early morning mist is a pride of lions, including a mighty male and adorable cubs. You raise your camera and snap a picture, only to find that your memory card is full! Avoid scenarios like these by making sure you pack extra memory cards on your trip so that you never run out of space, no matter how many pictures you take. The number you bring will depend on how long your trip is and how many pictures you take, but plan on taking at least three 32 gigabyte cards that each hold around 1000 pictures, just to be safe.
2) Ask for permission
While you'll most certainly spend part of your South Africa vacation on safari, you might also get the opportunity to interact with the country's locals. It can be tempting to snap pictures of people before they even notice, but it's always more considerate and better practice to ask for permission before you take a picture.
3) Consider investing in a variable zoom lens
On safari, you'll be able to experience some of the most exhilarating and exciting wildlife encounters in your life. Limpopo Province, Kruger National Park and Madikwe Game Reserve all provide prime opportunities for viewing African wildlife, whether you're on a traditional game drive or even on horseback. That said, there will be certain times when getting the perfect shot is dependent on the zoom capability of your camera. Investing in a long lens will allow you to get pictures of animals as if you're right next to them.
4) Tinker with your settings ahead of time
To get truly exceptional photographs, especially if you're using a DSLR, practise with the aperture, ISO and shutter speed settings. The aperture essentially dictates how large the hole is that lets light into your camera body. A larger aperture, which is represented by a smaller f-stop number, will bring the image in the foreground into focus, making the background blurry, so it's worth playing around with to see how this affects different subjects.
To learn more about booking your dream vacation to South Africa, contact the African travel specialists at Africa.
