Tips On Taking Pictures Of Small Animals In Africa
Compared with big game animals, with little creatures you need to get much more close to get a full frame image. Regularly you have got to sit in blinds for hours, sometimes days, with a long lens and wait till the animal is sufficiently near to get a photo. Not so on the island of Madagascar, off the southern African coast. This massive island is home to a couple of the planet's most endangered wildlife, a lot of them tiny to downright miniscule. One of the best methods to photograph small animals there is by going on one of a few Madagascar tours which visit some of the finest places to photograph with a leader who knows the subjects.
In Madagascar it is comparatively straightforward to photograph wild animals because many of the animals, like the chameleons, don’t move very fast and are almost tame. The fun thing about photographing chameleons is they come in several colours and sizes. For some you want a macro lens because they’re the scale of your thumb, for others a short zoom lens will do. I like to find some grasshoppers and place them inside about 3 feet of the chameleon. The chameleon slowly moves closer and when inside striking distance, the tongue shoots out and catches the grasshopper. To capture this, you’ve got to set your camera on constant photographing and use the swiftest shutter speed or flash.
The lemurs are way more challenging! They frequently speed through the trees, leaping from branch to branch. I watch the groups carefully and go in the direction they’re moving. I look for a couple of trees that are a little apart so the lemurs will have to jump through the air to get to the other tree. This is superb for photography: the first animal jumps and you can watch what occurs and get ready for a perfect picture when the rest of the lemurs follow. One by one the lemurs will use nearly the same route and over the following few minutes you can capture the same action.
On the ground, you can get near to the lemurs. Moving extraordinarily slowly, avoiding sudden movements, I’ve been in a position to get almost in reach of them. With a 70-200mm zoom, everyone can get good lemur images.
Birds are always more troublesome to photograph. Fortunately , some of the lodges put out food to attract them and get them out into the open. With a lot of patience and a longer lens like a 400 or 500mm, you'll be ready to get some good photographs.
For me, Madagascar is an extraordinary place to visit. You have got everything from interesting local folk and landscapes to engaging wildlife. Frequently the smaller animals are overlooked. A lot of them are prey and have to cover or come out at night, such as the Glass frogs. I mostly try and find a Leaf-tailed gecko. This lizard has a great camouflage that it’s fun to photograph. Frequently spectators of the pictures can’t even find the gecko!
Good luck with your shoot and remember: When you are photographing animals — wherever you are , — remember the small blokes!
John Randall is a 1 leader of adventure travel. Read more detailed information about Madagascar as a photography destination in this Photographing Madagascar Tour.
January 21, 2012
|
Posted by Jam Man
Categories:
Tags: