WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Wildlife photography tips from a professional

Ever since I was a small boy I have been fascinated with wildlife. It’s an obsession, really. One that has taken me around the world, searching for beautiful, rare and exotic animals. And what better way to multiply those encounters than by becoming a professional wildlife photographer and guide, a job I have now been doing for some 25 years.

I’m not alone in my obsession. The rise in popularity of National Geographic, Discovery Channel and David Attenborough programs, paired with an ever-growing global awareness of environmental issues, has made eco-tourism – and especially wildlife photo tours – a very popular holiday choice.

I, like many others, have climbed Rwandan volcanoes and met with gorillas. I’ve sat in safari vehicles and photographed wildebeest flinging themselves into the mouths of crocodiles. And I’ve travelled to the ends of the Earth for the opportunity to capture a polar bear or penguin on my camera.

Each and every one of these experiences was a life-changer, and there’s still so much more to see.

We used to be rare, we wildlife photographers.

But now we are legion, thanks in no small part to the prominence of photography in our everyday lives.

The dream photo

Mobile phones and technological advances in digital cameras have given us the affordable tools to capture images like never before, while social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat and Instagram inspire us to share the spoils of our travels. It’s little wonder then that wildlife photo tours have become one of the most popular new travel trends.

But what can a budding (or veteran) outdoors photographer expect when signing up for a wildlife photo tour?

Well, firstly, we have to make a choice as to where we want to go and what we would like to photograph. Online there are numerous companies, like ORYX Photo Tours, who offer specialist trips to Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, and from Pole to Pole, and just about everywhere else in between.

We can choose to immerse ourselves in a jungle and photograph orangutans and tigers, or else venture into the world’s deserts to snap camels and sidewinders. We can hop aboard a boat and focus on seabirds, whales and walruses, or even don our scuba gear and capture the denizens of the Great Barrier Reef.

Jaguars, elephants, Komodo dragons, king penguins, lions and wolves. Dolphins, lemurs, snow leopards, sharks and polar bears. These are just some of the bucket list ‘celebrities’ available to us.

Fellow adventurers

Typically, photo tours are small-group departures and comprise between six to 10 photographers. They will be led by a tour group leader (usually a world-class nature photographer) who will get his or her clients to the very frontline of where the photographic action will most likely occur.

If your trip is all about photographing bears catching salmon, then the guide will get you into the very best position next to the river, at the right time, to snap that awe-inspiring shot.

If your goal is to shoot cheetahs chasing down prey, then that’s exactly what the guide should facilitate.

You will be sharing the experience with likeminded people, all of whom should understand and appreciate that it takes time, patience and a healthy dose of photographic skills to get a photo worth a thousand ‘likes’.

But what if you don’t already know how to take great pictures? What if you don’t know your f-stops from your shutter speeds?

Photography can be a complicated game, and the gear even more so. A good photo tour leader will be able to teach and assist so that, come the end of the trip, not only will you have a beautiful portfolio of images, you will also have a greater understanding of how to operate a camera and how to compose that perfect shot.

Leave only footprints behind

Immersing yourself into the natural world is good for you. It’s what the doctors and psychologists advise. Using photography as an excuse to linger, observe and engage with nature is even more fulfilling and rewarding. And you needn’t worry too much about leaving an adverse ecological footprint either.

“Using photography as an excuse to linger, observe and engage with nature is even more fulfilling and rewarding”

01 A lion crossing a shallow river under the cover of darkness. A good photo guide will understand wildlife behaviour and will get you in the ultimate position for the best possible shots.

02 The author, Dale R Morris, chilling with penguins on South Georgia Island in the Antarctic zone 03 A gelada is a rare monkey that lives exclusively in the Ethiopian highlands. There are many photo tours available that specialise in unusual species and far-flung destinations. 02

04 A king penguin chick curiously approaches the camera 05 A young leopard posing purr-fectly in an acacia tree in Botswana.

As long as you choose an ethical company to travel with, your participation in a nature-focused photo tour can be as good for wildlife as it is for you. Not to mention, nature-based tourism creates jobs, boosts economies and teaches environmental awareness, which in turn inspire local communities and governments to take better care of their wild resources. There is a saying in conservation circles that if nature doesn’t pay, nature doesn’t stay; and the money generated through wildlife photo tours really does help nature pay its way. Happy snapping. oryxphoto.com