Obviously, we couldn't forget the photography gear. Fortunately Kenya banned hunting in all the country in 1977, but our trophies will last in photographic prints or slides. Given that photography is a very expensive hobby, recommendations must be taken with moderation. From the wish to the fact there is a large gap, at least for me. Besides the hints you can read below, in the nature photography page of the links section, you will find some links to other websites published by excellent professionals that offer a lot of expert advice.

The basic wish is to use a good camera body (or two) and excellent lenses. Maybe more realistic is to use a regular camera body and good lenses. If you are thinking about buying a camera for field work, set your priority in the lenses' quality. Nowadays there are magnificent camera bodies with fully automatic functions, but purchasing an expensive camera and using it always in automatic mode is like buying a Rolls Royce just to drive through your backyard. It is preferable that everything can be configured manually: shutter speed, aperture and film speed (ISO). A very interesting function is the depth of field preview (depth of field is the range of distances in which you get sharp focus), very useful for wildlife photography, as well as the automatic motorised shutter release, that will allow you to take several shots in motion scenes. The possibility to adapt a cable release is other useful feature to avoid blurring when using a telephoto.

Lenses:

Lenses from first brands are generally expensive, and not always the best. Fortunately, Sigma and Tamron manufacture less costly lenses with good optics. Discard zoom lenses with an excessively broad range of focal distances, such as 28-200mm, since in general they do not provide enough sharpness. A zoom lens in the range 28-70/80mm is versatile enough for landscapes and animal groups. Another one in the range 70/80-200/210mm would fulfil a very basic equipment. However, 200mm is clearly insufficient for animal close-ups and birds. The wish is a fixed fast 500mm lens, but this is unaffordable for almost everyone. A 200-400mm f5.6 zoom lens may be a good compromise for focal distance and speed. In sunny days, you can even add a duplicator, especially for shooting birds.

Choose preferably a normal lens rather than a catadioptric (mirror) lens. The latter are more compact and cheap, but quality does not compare, since the "doughnut effect" surrounding every shiny point ruins any good picture.

Support:

Believe me, you need support devices for your camera. You will only come to realise their importance if you do not use them, but then it will be too late. You will shoot most pictures from inside a vehicle, which implies that a tripod is not the most useful support, though it is perfectly suitable for shooting sunsets or scapes from the lodge or camp. You can use one of those mini-tripods over the vehicle rooftop, but take care not to drop it, the lion might not be ready to hand it back to you...

For pictures from the car window, there are two indispensable accessories: the bean-bag and the window clamp. The former, as its name indicates, is nothing else than a cloth bag closed with a zipper or velcro, and filled with beans. Of course, any other loose material is equally valid, even diamonds if you wish. The operation is simple: you lay the bag on the window edge and the camera body or lens on the bag. Regarding the clamp, it is simply that, a clamp with a screw to fix to the window and a second screw to attach a head to the clamp. There are suction cups that perform the same job, but these require the window to be dust-free, which is not easy out in the bush. I use a Manfrotto clamp with a quick-release ball head, which I can also attach to my tripod. The bean bag offers greater mobility for changing the angle or switching from one side of the car to the other, while the clamp provides more stability. Of course and in any case, it is preferable to use a cable release for shooting.

Filters:

Personally I am not a filter fan. There are two reasons for this. First, nature by itself is wealthy enough in colours and shades, and it is our challenge to be capable of reflecting them. This reason is conceptual, and therefore subject to opinion, but there is a very convincing technical argument. Photo fans usually buy the best lenses we can afford, and afterwards we buy filters with the spare coins. But it doesn't make much sense spending a bunch of money in quality lenses for then clogging them with mediocre filters, does it?

My only exception to the former is the polarizing filter. I use it, and quite a lot. It doesn't break the first rule, since it just enhances the natural colours. But once more, be careful with the filter quality. A standard medium-priced polarizer attached to a 400mm lens can possibly affect sharpness, producing an undesirable effect of distortion or out-of-focus.

Accessories:

Don't forget a cable release and sunshades for your lenses. For cleaning, the best thing to remove dust is a blower bulb with a brush. Stains can be removed using a microfiber cloth, or cotton damped in diluted alcohol, drying the lens afterwards with a piece of cloth. Dust is among the greatest enemies of photographic gear. Dismount and cleanse your lenses frequently.

Finally, a flash unit is a very useful accessory, not so for night takes but for using as fill-in flash in daylight shots, when the sky is overcast or the sun is behind the subject.

Film:

Choose the brand of your preference, in general it is a matter of taste. I use 35 mm film, but APS has its followers. Try to stick to one single brand, it will provide coherence to your pictures and will allow you to learn how it behaves under different conditions. Slides give more brightness and life to colours, and quality is not affected by print processing. But if you prefer prints, it's your choice.

The main decision when choosing film is the speed (ISO). Most nature photographers use slow film, ISO 64 and ISO 25, but save in full daylight or with fast lenses, these speeds require the use of a tripod and shorten the possibility to shoot moving subjects. ISO 100 is a good compromise for general use. Faster speeds, like 200, 400 or higher, provide a broader range in low light (shaded subjects, overcast skies, dawn and dusk,...), but bear in mind that the grain size is bigger, which affects picture resolution, especially in enlarged prints.

In any case, carry in your bags all the film you may need, in Kenya you can purchase film but at higher prices, and sometimes slide film may be difficult to find. During safari, pictures are shot like fireworks in America on the 4th of July. Never bring less than one roll per safari day, preferably two.

Digicams:

And what about digital cameras? They can be a good option. But I insist, long telephotos are essential for photo safari, and unfortunately digital cameras with interchangeable optical zooms are still very expensive (the "still" is my hope that prices drop someday). If you can afford them, congratulations. Don't forget to bring spare batteries and memory.

Video:

Video can make a nice souvenir of your safari. Given that in domestic camcorders every available optical zoom is too short (and digital zoom reduces quality), digital camcorders are perfectly valid. Once more, don't forget spare batteries and memory. It is a very good idea to attach the camera to a tabletop mini-tripod, unless you wish to imitate Lars von Trier (and you are capable of achieving such a nice camera motion).

Hints:

Before you start shooting, you should know that it is forbidden to take pictures of the president of the Republic, military facilities, police stations, national TV buildings and uniformed policemen. There is also no need to photograph government buildings, just in case.

To take pictures from the lodge by night, for example in Treetops or The Ark, it is preferable to use ISO 100 or 200 film with a tripod rather than using faster film. Remember that the grain is bigger in faster films, resulting in a loss of sharpness and details. You'd better not use a flash unit, even if other people do, your pictures won't be better and you will scare the animals.

In fact, a flash unit is more useful for fill-in light in daylight shots, when the subject is shaded, has the sun behind, or is at a high position and not big enough to fill the frame. For instance, when photographing a bird on a branch, or the head and neck of a giraffe or ostrich, a flash improves the result notably.

Never take pictures of people without their consent. This might be true anywhere else, but in Kenya there is also a legal issue involved: law protects their privacy against photographers, and this applies especially to the Maasai and Turkana. If they say no, do not shoot. If they ask for a tip, give them some shillings regardless what they ask for, but always seek their consent.

If you are looking for a good nature photography guide, just one but The One, I recommend "The nature photographer's complete guide to professional field techniques", by John Shaw, published by American Photographic Book Publishing, New York, 1984.

Please, by all means do not harass the animals to take a good picture. Makers of wildlife documentaries must wait patiently for months before shooting the take they want. Bear in mind that the nature photographer must create his images solely with what nature gives, when nature gives. This philosophy is opposed to model photography, based on the manipulation (in the right sense) of the subject. At least in my opinion.

And remember the essential rule for nature photography: silence, silence, and silence. It is of utmost importance to keep yourself unnoticed. The slightest noise, like the sound produced by the autofocus system, can scare the animals away. In fact, with practice you may find out that the manual focus is sometimes much more handy.