You can read all the advice on the net and you can practice with your camera until the settings are perfect, but sometimes, the best way to figure out how you want your images to look is to take inspiration from those who have spent a lifetime creating stunning photos.

Many amateur photographers, especially those who are just getting to grips with their very first DSLR camera, get all caught up in technicalities. While it is important to learn the ins and outs of taking technically perfect photos, no one looks at a photograph and decides it is important because it is technically good.

People judge the images they see based on how interesting and beautiful they are.

The best way to take epic photos is to get out there and practice. That is what has made these wildlife photographers masters of their craft and earned them the international recognition that has bolstered their careers and made them a popular source of inspiration.

To start you on your journey into wildlife photography, here are a few artists that you can look up:

1. Franz Lanting

If there is one lesson that you can take from Franz Lanting, it is that photography should be about storytelling and not just about what you see in front of you. Lanting has become an industry giant and he isn’t afraid of using vivid colours in the images that he creates.

1. Marsel van Oosten

A regular contributor to National Geographic and a photographer who is sincere in his love and passion for nature, van Oosten has been awarded numerous accolades for his intense wildlife photography. He contrasts the focal point of his images beautifully with the background and he doesn’t shy away from fully incorporating a detailed background.

1. Suzi Eszterhas

Known for her cute images of baby animals and the intimate moments often not seen by wildlife safari travellers, Eszterhas is an award winning photographer whose images have appeared on numerous magazine covers. Her photography can serve as an inspiration for those who don’t want to only take photos of big and showy wildlife scenes.

1. Melissa Groo

In the years that she has been taking wildlife photos, Groo has created a fantastic catalogue of memorable photos and in the process she has been awarded for her efforts. What makes her images so iconic is her commitment to making light a prominent factor in her work.

1. Ami Vitale

Another wildlife photographer rooted in storytelling, Ami Vitale is a one of a kind photographer whose work often brings tears to the eyes of those who view it. She takes a step into the conservation side of things, often photographing sensitive, heart wrenching moments.

Ultimately, the photography style that you adopt will be something that will come to you through the process, rather than something you can just copy from someone else. Give yourself time and lots of room for improvement, and be unafraid of making changes and experimenting with the way you work with your camera. 

Ready to get more hands on with your photography? Book an African photo safari today.

The landscapes of Africa are well-known for their otherworldly look and for the fact that they are exceptionally beautiful. While the wildlife of Africa is what inspires most photographs and they are certainly the main attraction for coming to the continent, it is the landscapes that make for some of the most interesting images.

Because of Africa’s stunning diversity, the landscapes in every country can look quite different from the next. Some landscapes are characterised by dry sandy deserts, while others are forested wonderlands, covered with emerald green trees. With the right knowledge and the right kind of lighting, the images you capture can be transformed from a boring basic snapshot, into an undeniable work of art.

To start with, when you are travelling to Africa and your goal is to take professional looking photos, it helps to travel with a professional photographer. At Wild Photo Africa, we offer our photographer travellers and those who are amateurs wanting to learn more about creating the best kinds of images, a range of interesting travel packages. Along with guiding our guests and teaching them the ins and outs of wildlife photography, we can also help you out with capturing epic landscape images. To get you going, here are a couple of tips you can use to up your landscape photography game.

1. The camera you use will make all the difference

It is true that you can take pretty amazing photos with a cellphone camera, but if you really want to improve your images, using a high-quality mirrorless camera or a DSLR, is preferable. Your more professional cameras have better sensors and allow you to interchange your lenses, which will instantly improve the landscape image you take.

1. Use a tripod

Image stabilisation is the difference between a crisp and sharp image and one that is blurred and out of focus. A tripod will be able to let you work with a slower shutter speed, which can help you add more detail to your images. Tripods are also a must when photographing at night.

1. Think composition

While getting to know your camera is essential to any kind of photography, composition is what will make the difference between a memorable image and just another photo. The image you take needs to stand out and be unique, and you can only do that if you are composing your images properly. This is something that comes from practice and a little help from a professional.

1. Focus your photos

Everybody wants to have that perfectly blurred foreground and background in their photo, with a solidly focused point of interest. To achieve this, you need to know your aperture, and you need a lens that is capable of giving you a wide open aperture of 2.8 or wider.

1. Include interesting elements

You can capture the whole landscape, but you can capture a section of it that looks interesting and visually appealing. A standout tree, plants, or strange-looking rocks can all make an image go from boring, to extraordinary.

The hot and humid summer season is in full swing. The African thunderstorms have made a most welcomed return and for the traveler enjoying an African photo safari, capturing some of that enchanting lightning display is going to be enticing.

Every photographer has at one time or another tried to capture a lightning bolt, but more often than not it is easier said than done. To get that image, you not only need to have the fastest trigger finger but you also need to know your camera and how to set it in such a way that it is ready for that fleeting moment when the sky lights up and the clouds roar.

Although the area we do our safaris in does occasionally get the odd storm in winter, they are nothing as majestic as the summer storm. For this reason, if you are hoping to try your hand at some lightning photography, it is important that you book your African photo safari at the right time, which would be during the summer months.

A summer safari, while not as popular as the winter one, actually has so much to offer, well beyond the chance to experience a storm. Travelling on safari during an African summer can be cheaper, quieter, and greener. It is also a wonderful time of year to travel if you want to see some of the newborn wildlife.

Getting to Grips with Lightning Photography

First things first; just because the storm looks amazing and seems to be far away, safety is still of utmost importance. Just like the wildlife, lightning is unpredictable and dangerous, so always be aware of how close the storm is by paying close attention to the intervals between lightning strikes, the wind (if it is picking up it is time to get out), and the rain. No shot is worth risking your life for.

When you are sure that you are in a safe location, the next thing that you need to know is if you have the right setup. Some will swear by having a tripod, a remote shutter and a weather app, but some of the best photos have been taken on cellphone cameras, so don’t overthink your gear. Make sure you have a camera capable of taking long exposure shots and have some gear to protect you and your camera from the rain.

The ideal lens would be anything between a 14mm to a 200m, and you need to make sure that you have the right settings.

You are going to want to put your camera into manual mode so that you have full control over your settings, and then you are going to set your shutter speed to between 5 and 20 seconds (if you are shooting at night), and set your aperture to f5.6 or f8. Your ISO should be as low as it can go. Day time lightning photography is a lot trickier what with the lighting conditions, but if you want to give it a go set your ISO as low as possible, your aperture to f16 or higher, and play around with your shutter speed making it slow but not so slow that the image is totally blown out.

Practice will make perfect and you should expect to take a lot of images while learning the ins and outs of this kind of photography. And remember, even the best photographers will often end up stacking their images in a post production programme so don’t expect your images to look like one of those shots with dozens of bolts.