Masai Mara Photography Safari
It had been a very long time since I last went on a Safari. So long in fact that I was not a photographer on my last safari, and my dad lost our film camera during that trip. Couldn't have been more than 36 photos anyway.
I was extremely excited to join David Lloyd and Richard Peters on the African Big Cat Safari at Entim Camp in the Masai Mara, Kenya. Wielding my new Nikon D850 (with a grip!), and my D810 as a second camera with a 400mm F2.8, 70-200mm F2.8, 300mm F4, 24mm F1.4 and TC14, I was astounded by the photographic opportunities. True to the 'Big Cats' safaris name, we saw a Leopard, Lions and Cheetah all in one morning safari drive.
Doing a trip as a group of photographers really enhances the experience. We all knew that watching and waiting over an hour for a coalition of cheetah to wake up would be worth it. I will be looking over the many photos for a long while. I won't share how many photos I took, but its a long way from the roll of film that was lost with my Dad's camera in South Africa.
Below are a few tips that I would like to share with you if you have decided to go on a photographic safari trip in the Masai mara, Kenya and probably most places in Africa.
Gear
1. A beanbag is a must. It will save you from tired arms, it will save your camera and lens and it will save your photos. I went for a molar-type bean bag. Monopods, gimbals and clamps are not necessary, although this may depend on your vehicle
2. A telephoto lens makes a big (pun-intended) difference. At least 300mm, but 400mm gives great reach which can be extended with teleconverters
3. A second body is really helpful, attached to a mid-range zoom, and a less used wide-angle can be a bonus for a different perspective
4. The dust. It gets everywhere. The camp site provided cotton ear buds ... Don't change lenses with the car in motion. Ideally don't change the lens at all but if you must, do it when the vehicle has stopped
5. Equipment can fail! Someones 70-200mm wouldn't attach to the camera in the field. Someone else's laptop refused to switch on for the whole trip. So be prepared (if only mentally) for gear to stop working
6. Memory cards fail! Luckily it didn't happen to me. Either bring spare ones (which can also get lost sadly) or use the second slot as a back-up in camera, and back-up after each safari drive. A laptop is useful for this purpose
Clothing
1. You can wear pretty much any clothing. Colours or styles didn't really seem to make any difference. Although going for classic safari colours does add to the experience I suppose
2. A fleece (or similar) for the morning safaris is pretty much essential
3. A hat is useful but can get in the way of the camera viewfinder when the action happens quickly. I had to turn my cap backwards. I think I'm too old to look cool like that