Nature Photography Tips

Samburu Game Reserve

Ontdek Kenya safaris. is the leader of wildlife photo safaris in Kenya.Here are some nature photography tips for novices as well as confirmed aficionados of outdoor photography. The novices may strike out on the vintage brownie box camera or an "Auntie Sally" (you know them: all auto, no skills needed and manufacturers give a guarantee that every picture is National Geographic material – and the camera owners believe it!)

The veterans and those keen to upset the photography ranking file go out with the full works of super telephoto zoom lenses. You can can touch the enthusiasm in each photographer, but of course the results of the amateurs and the veterans are, different as day from night.

Samburu National Park is in the northern Kenya corridor and with good planning, you have this is one park that would truly interest anyone on a serious photo expedition to Africa.

Often overshadowed by the fame of Masai Mara, Samburu wins flat out on dramatic scenery; a big part is harsh desert with volcanic mountains and rocky hills and then there is the expansive Ewasa Nyiro river which is the life line for the national park. Fill it up with elephants, buffaloes, lions, elands, zebras (both the common and the rare Grevy's), gazelles and top of the bill here being the rare long necked Gerenuk. The nature photography tips on photo subjects list is incomplete without the numerous birds that are found in the park. Considering that Samburu is not as heavily visited by mass tourism as Masai Mara, you have one park that is truly worth spending on the minimum 4 days for a thorough wildlife photography.

To enjoy quality nature and wildlife photography in Samburu use these tips:

We can’t emphasize enough on the importance of having maximum time in the field. True, temperatures can be soaring high in Samburu but you must allocate more time for photography than the standard morning and afternoon safari game drives. That one-of-a-kind photo of elephants down in the river is more likely to be taken at 12 noon than at 7 a.m. You get the thread?

Choose your co-travelers with care: Okay, there are safari goers keen to log in how many giraffes they have seen and there are nature photographers who are very fine watching one giraffe for 15 minutes as they wait for the perfect photo moment when its tongue is sticking out. Don’t book into a open-group wildlife safari hoping that your needs for nature photography will be adequately accommodated.

Stay in the thick of action: in Samburu park, we highly recommend that you stay in the Ashnil tented camp which is bang in the park and next to the Ewaso Nyiro river. Action at Ashnil is 24/7, with the safety of a non-intrusive electric fence game will come strolling right in front of your tent. Have we yet mentioned the hills that are clearly visible from the tents and are the perfect easel for those sunrise and sunset pictures?

Competent safari guides: For a fruitful wildlife and nature photography safari, you need support staff (read drivers) who not only know where to find photo subjects but can interpret and anticipate wildlife behaviors for that magical shot. they must also be comfortable ( and enjoy) long hours out in the parks. So the morning and afternoon game drive type is no-no to wildlife photographers.

For a consultation on Kenya photography vacations contact Ontdek Kenya Safaris. We have 14 years experience in photo safaris in Kenya.

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