Once you have booked your safari, in addition to obsessing over what to pack, chances are you will start considering what type of photography equipment you need. Now that you have a camera and a lens here are my safari photography tips from one amateur to another.
Cheetahs are my favorite animal to see on safari and one of the best places to see them is at Phinda Private Game Reserve where a thriving cheetah population increases the likelihood of spotting this graceful cat. With under 1,000 wild cheetahs remaining in South Africa and just 10,000 left worldwide, these cats are increasingly under pressure and seeing them in their natural habitat is phenomenal.
As I was preparing to move to Johannesburg in the summer of 2013, many of my friends wistfully spoke about going on safari and sipping South African wines in Cape Town, but there was only one person who I knew (without a doubt) would make the long trek, my friend Kaycee. When she bought a plane ticket to Johannesburg with the request to see Victoria Falls and loads of elephants, I began planning another adventure.
Whenever I have a spare couple of days, I escape to the bush to photograph wildlife and forget about the hectic pace of life in Jozi. I have accumulated thousands of photos – only a few of which I have posted on my blog. Recently I went back through all of my 2014 photos and selected a few favorites to post.
Over dinner on our last night together, I asked my parents what their favorite memories were from our six night trip to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. And, in no particular order this is what was mentioned.
There are places I keep returning to, despite having a long list of travel destinations I want to explore. In South Africa, with three visits in nearly seven months, the place I keep returning to is Phinda, a private game reserve in KwaZulu Natal. This trip like all the others was truly amazing. I don’t know when I will be back, but I know I will return.