Best Animal Photographs In Kenya - Your Guide To Good Wildlife Pictures

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Photographing people remains sensitive issue in Kenya. Some tribal groupsrequest money for you to take their photo.

You should never get your camera out at border crossings or near governmentor army buildings; even bridges can sometimes be classed as sensitive areas.

Availability of Film and Equipment for your camera in NairobiKenya

You´ll find Kodak and Fuji 100, 200, and 400 ASA (ISO) print and slide filmwidely available in Nairobi, but even 100 ISO slide film is hard to find inMombasa. If you plan to use 64 or 800 ASA film, bring it from home. As anindication of price, 36-exposure slide film in Nairobi is about Kshs 400;36-exposure colour print film is cheaper at Kshs 250 to Kshs 350 but again, only100,200 and (less frequently) 400ASA are available. Watch out for out -of-datebatches.

Video animal photography

Both VHS and Hi-8 video film is available in Nairobi and Mombasa, but it´srelatively expensive. You may also be able to find memory cards and otheraccessories for digital and DV cameras, but again prices are high and quality isnot guaranteed. If you don´t have the inclination or resources to buy expensiveequipment but do know abit about photography, it´s possible to hire SLR camerasand lenses in Nairobi.

Film Processing in Kenya

Shops and booths offering film processing are popping up in small towns andvillages all over Kenya. In addition, there are plenty of one-hourfilm-processing labs in Nairobi and at least one in all other major towns. Theycan handle any film speeds, but results can vary.

Depending on the print size, processing and printing costs about Kshs 480 toKshs 650 for a 36-exposure film.E6 slide processing can only be done in Nairobiand costs around Kshs 450 for a 36-exposure film.

Taking Pictures of wildlife

As the natural light in Kenya can be extremely strong, morning and eveningare the best times to take photos. A plain UV filter can also be a good idea totake the harshness out of the day light pictures.

For serious wildlife photography an SLR camera that can take long focallength lenses is necessary. Zoom lenses are best for wildlife photography as itis easier to frame your shot for the best composition. This is especiallyimportant because the animals are almost constantly on the move.

The 70mm to 210mm zoom lenses are popular, and 200mm is really the absoluteminimum power you´ll need to get a good close up shots. The only problem withzoom lenses is that they absorb about 1.5f-stops of light, which is where 200and 400ASA film starts to become useful.

Best animal camera lenses

Telephoto (fixed focal lengths) lenses give better results than zoom lenses,but you´re limited by having to carry a separate lens for every focal length. A400mm or 500mm lens brings the action right up close, but again you need fastfilm to make the most of it. Another option is to carry a 2x teleconverter, asmall adapter that doubles the focal length of your lens.

Using zoom Lenses in Wildlife photographic safari

When using long lenses, you´ll find that a tripod can be extremely useful,and with any lens greater than about 300mm it´s a necessity. Within the confinedspace of the hatch of a safari minibus, you may be better off with a foldingminiature tripod, which you can then rest on the roof. Remember to ask yourdriver to switch off the engine to avoid vibrations affecting your photo. Ifyou´ve got a large lens but no tripod, lying your camera on a small bean bag orcushion can help reduce camera shake.

A decent bag is essential to protect your gear from the elements and therough roads-safari dust gets everywhere, particularly in parks like Samburu andTsavo. It´s also vital to make sure that your travel insurance policy coversyour camera gear should it get stolen or damaged.

Robert is a travel expert with Landmarksafaris.com Degreed intourism management, he has authored more than 1000 articles on Kenya East Africatravel. More on Kenya photo safaris and tours: http://www.landmarksafaris.com/tours/wildlife.php