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Safari Wildlife Photography Top Four Tips

I've been practising wildlife photography on safari for over twenty years now in places like the Kruger National Park, Chobe, Okavango Delta, and Hwange game reserves and these four tips have been indispensable in making sure that I get some decent wildlife photographs.

1. The Right Equipment

I believe that you can't beat the quality of film but that digital offers wildlife photography practitioners more options at a better cost so for the purposes of a safari trip a digital camera is your best bet.

It should have some of the following characteristics to qualify as a good safari camera.

There should be little or no lag between the time you depress the shutter release button and the photo is taken. Some of the compact digitals on the market today suffer from this affliction and it's not ideal when you come across fast moving wildlife subjects.

It should be ready to take photographs at a moments notice because that is sometimes all the time you have before an animal disappears into the undergrowth. No long power up cycle.

Due to the fact that most of your nocturnal wildlife sightings on safari will occur during early morning and dusk it needs to be able to function well in low light conditions as well as bright sunlight during the day for the diurnal animals.

Lenses should have a focal length of at least 70mm for adequate wildlife photography and an image stabiliser is not essential but a great help in eliminating blur.

Another piece of equipment that is essential however is a deadrest in the form of a beanbag or a window mounted tripod that you can rest the camera on to help stabilise the long lenses. Handholding a long lens will often lead to blurring and the dead rest will prevent this. A tripod or monopod is impractical because you will be taking photos from the safari vehicle for most of the time.

2. The Best Wildlife Photography Areas

You can have all the right equipment and the best wildlife photography talent in the world but it won't mean much if you can't find any wildlife to take pictures of.

Some areas in Africa are better in terms of safari photography than others. The top five for getting excellent overall wildlife picture opportunities are:

Kenya - Masai Mara
Tanzania - Serengeti
South Africa - Kruger National Park
Botswana - Moremi
Namibia - Etosha

3. Patience and Luck

Everything comes to him who waits is a very relevant saying for wildlife photography. Patience will help you get better photographs because you will be able to take pictures of animal behaviour that you would otherwise have missed.

The role of luck mustn't be underestimated either. There is no guarantee of what you will encounter in a game reserve and whatever you do get to see and photograph is a matter of a little bit of planning and a lot of good fortune.

4. Light and Composition

Because you are at the mercy of the elements in wildlife photography, you don't have too much control over the light. Flash is of no use when the animal is at a distance and you can't wait for better light conditions because the subject could move off at any moment so you need to make the best of what you have.

And due to the habits of nocturnal species you will find yourself taking lots of pictures in low light conditions at dawn and dusk which is why a fast lens and a dead rest is essential. Using bracketing (changing the exposure by one stop up and down) will also help get the optimal exposure in the available light.

What you do have some control over is the position of the safari vehicle which can be moved to change the aspect of light that is falling on the animal somewhat but even that is sometimes not possible because in most reserves you are not allowed to go off-road and moving might scare the subject away.

Composition is something you do have more control of however and you can apply the rule of thirds and framing using the available vegetation just as well as in any other form of photography.

Be especially careful using the autofocus on your camera because it will cheerfully focus on a twig or tuft of grass close to your animal subject and spoil your composition.

You will also need to make your compositional decisions quickly as wildlife often doesn't hang about long waiting for you to make your mind up so it pays to have a solid foundation in the basics.

Collection of African safari picturesdepicting most of the animals you can see on safari like lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, crocodile, chimpanzee, baboon, gorilla, rhino and many more species.

The five best African lion safari destinations will give you some excellent opportunities to take photographs of the king of the jungle.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Photography is a diversified field of creating a spectral variety of art. It is a specialization that deals with different experimentations with colors, however it is also a fact that only shades of black and white can also do wonders in this zone of creative art. With the advent of the digital camera the scope of this wonderful business has opened up new horizons for the users and photographers who seek to explore new lands and trod the ground of innovative creation and thus it can be aptly said that black & white can become more creativity with the boon of digital photography and digital camera. This discussion is primarily aimed at exploring the incipient information regarding the blessing of the digital camera in black & white photography so that the novice as well as the expert photographers can become richer in knowledge!

The exploration can be further extended in defining that a lot of modern digital cameras contain a series of mono modes in the advanced menu settings. These can be used to become more creative with digital photography and in the areas of black and white too. For example some of the modes are as follows: Black & White that takes black and white photographs encompassing of a spectral range of gray tones. This gives the black and white photographs a serious and ethereal look with the richness and grandeur of the past, present and future captures in just two tinges! Another mode is Sepia that again takes pictures in varying tinges brown tones. Looking into a matter a bit more technically, it can be stated that as the digital camera is switched into any of these modes then the color LCD becomes grayscale. The technology proceeds as in the process the pictures are taken the color signals get recorded by the CCD, but the image is later de saturated when processed to remove all color.

A lot of interesting points exist in the area of black and white photography using the digital cameras. For example shooting in black & white becomes more interesting with the use of filters. Experimentations can be done by the enthusiastic photographers as to how a particular color would appear in black & white. This can be demonstrated by the fact that perhaps a red filter placed over the lens lightens any red color in the picture making them appear as lighter shades of gray in comparison to other colors like blue green. This process can be very challenging and in the same time very interesting! It is true that digital black and white photography can be used often for the purpose of portraiture and taking pictures of landscapes and can also become very effective in abstract shoots offering a graphical view of the subject to be photographed. The ultimate truth is that the black and white digital photography can make the world look complete different from what it is through the human eyes.

The graphics software from Adobe - Photoshop - with its more advanced options a person can edit each of the colors in the image to lighten or darken and provide the effect of brightness in varying intensity too. Becoming an expert in this can make a person versatile in techniques of adjusting the tonal range of a black & white image. This is the liberty that the digital camera provides in the field of black and white photography. Thus the users can make much more efficient and richer quality photographs.

The above lines of this discussion has explored the incipient ground of interest and information of black and white photography using the digital camera, however it has to be noted here that to get the real taste of the honey the users or photographers must not waste time and take up their digital cameras and get going into the cool new and most beautiful world of digital black and white photography! It is out there for everyone.

The world of photography is an amazing one. It's been with us for quite a while now but it is constantly changing. Cameras are changing and improving. Methods of developing are changing and improving as well. We have digital cameras that allow people to take a view of their pictures immediately without traditional developing. Another change in the world of photography is underwater photography.

What do you think brings us those great shots of saltwater fish and movies that film in the ocean and under the sea? What about shots taken in swimming pools? You see those in the movies a lot but may not have thought about how they take those pictures and videos.

You probably never thought about it because for a long time underwater photography was not really an option for everyday people. But now it is not just an option, it's really easy to achieve.

- What is Underwater Photography?

Underwater photography is as the name implies photos that are taken under water. This is pretty interesting since early cameras could not function if wet. But as people started discovering the wonders under the sea, they wanted to be able to share that with others or even just to prove what they actually saw. So we began creating cameras that could work under water.

It is no surprise that underwater photography is a favorite pastime for scuba divers. The idea could have come from those few people that were able to experience the joys and beauty of underwater life and a desire to share that beauty with others.

There are many different occasions where people use underwater photography. As we mentioned earlier, underwater photography is used in Hollywood for movies. You have probably also seen it used on documentaries and national geographic type programs about underwater life.

But it is still most commonly used by divers. There are many websites dedicated to all the ins and outs of underwater photography; which cameras and lenses are best, which film to use, and much more can be found on these sites.

- How to Take Underwater Photography

Equipment is an important factor in taking great underwater photography. Of course you will need an underwater camera but there is more than just that.

You can take some amazing pictures using underwater photography. There are now even disposable use underwater cameras and you can take them on vacation with you and get that great underwater look. Even an amateur can do it. Disposable underwater cameras can typically be developed at your local Wal-Mart or other film developing center. You can also purchase underwater cameras for more of a price but they last whenever you need one. Some people find this more economical than disposables, especially if they want to take these pictures often.

Just like other venues of photography, you will probably start off with a cheaper and less advanced camera and work your way up if you continue underwater photography for a long time. There are two basics kinds of cameras; the underwater or waterproof camera and the encased camera which is inside a housing that protects it.

When taking pictures, you are going to need to be familiar with:

- Your camera

- Your lens

- Your film

- Your flash

There are different things in your environment that will affect the quality of your underwater photography. Such as:

- Depth of water and transparency of water

- Light

- The angle of the sunlight on the top of the water

- The backscatter

- Water has a magnifying effect

These are some things to help you get started in the world of underwater photography. If you are lucky enough to be swimming in the sea, you should get some proof to share with others.

Looking for information about Photography? Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com 'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Landscape Photography - Capture the Beauty That is All Around

There are many different types of photography. You can take pictures of anything and there is someone out there somewhere who would like to see the pictures that you take. So, photography is a great field to get into.

- What is landscape photography?

Landscape photography is a great field of photography, especially if you love nature and if you love to travel. You can travel the world taking pictures of beautiful scenes across many countries. Of course, this is landscape photography on a big scale. Not many people are lucky enough to start off traveling the world.

But you can find beautiful landscapes right where you live. That’s the great thing about nature, it’s everywhere, and landscapes are everywhere. And that same sunset behind the mountain that you’ve seen everyday since you were a kid may look pretty amazing to someone who has never been to the mountains. Seeing the sun rise up out of the oceanfront may be absolutely astonishing to someone who has never been to the beach. It’s all relative.

What you may see every day is someone else’s treasure. If you can open your eyes to the beauty and see it, then other people can see it in your photography. It can be simple and everyday or it can be vast and amazing. It’s all about the great pictures you take. You may see a night city skyline, a series of lightening bolts or an interesting cloud; it’s how you take the picture that makes it beautiful to someone else.

- How to Learn Landscape Photography

If you are serious about landscape photography, you should take a course. You may have already had a course in photography but you will want to take one specifically for landscape photography so you can learn how to get the best pictures possible. You will want to learn what film to use and how to work with the sunlight or other natural light. You will also learn about achieving a sense of balance and scale, how to photograph running water and similar issues that a landscape photographer might face.

If you can’t find any appropriate classes in your area, you can find them on the internet. You can also find many groups and message boards designed for landscape photographers to meet, share photos and tips and ideas. You can get tips and advice for your questions if you join these groups. You can also view the work of others, some that may be much more experienced than you. You can learn from them and their photos.

- How to Make Money with Landscape Photography

If you are considering landscape photography as a career (even part time), the first thing you are going to want to do is learn as much about it as possible; read books, take classes, visit websites. Then you are going to want to practice, and build a portfolio. Your portfolio should be updated often and only include your absolute best work. You may want to send some of your best photos to photo contests or magazines. These are good ways of breaking into the world of professional photography when you have no experience.

Looking for information about Photography?
Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com 'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/