Photographing African wildlife is the adventure of a lifetime. However, jumping the gun and getting right in there without knowing the basics can be downright dangerous. Avoid the hassle and worry, get educated and understand your surroundings.

When you're planning a trip to get some photographs of animals in Africa, it can be easy to get ahead of yourself. Everyone wants to get out there to start snapping some African animal pictures, but without proper preparation you could find yourself in any number of unpleasant situations. In order to get the best out of your wildlife photography in Africa there are a couple things you should make sure to keep in mind.

Know Your Equipment

Do you know all of the functions on your camera? If you don't you should absolutely take the time to become familiar with the equipment you plan to bring along. If you plan to buy some new gadgets specifically for your animal photography then make sure you get familiar with those before the trip as well. Nothing would be more painful than seeing the perfect shot of African animals, but failing to get it due to a wrong button click or wrong mode.

If you're a wildlife photography buff then it may be tempting to just bring your nice SLR camera in order to get the best shots. African Animals are quick though, sometimes you don't have the time to set up a bulky camera. This is why you should make sure to keep a point-and-click camera with you as well. Speaking of the quick, many animals in Africa are very skittish. If you have a loud shutter or any other equipment that makes a noticeable sound, disable it if possible. You don't want to chase away your chance at being a wildlife photographer.

Know The Area

Now nobody is expecting you to know the African Savannah like the back of your hand. But being generally familiar with the area can work greatly to your benefit. If you know where the African animals are going to be, then you know where to go for the best wildlife photographs. If you're not bringing along a camera with quick exposure, then it wouldn't do you much good to end up in an area with a bunch of gazelles that will all end up blurry. Plan where you want to go in accordance with what African animal pictures you'd like to have.

Even if you do a ton of research, it never hurts to bring some guide books along. Africa is hot, and doing wildlife photography can be a long and tedious process. You don't want to waste extra time just because you confused some information about where you wanted to get started on your wildlife photography. Letting your guide know what you're there for can also be very helpful. Often the person helping you get around know the most about the African animals, because of how often they are out there.

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