For the Safari enthusiast wanting to collect all the species on Safari without having to kill them, then a Photo Safari is a must. For the African Hunting Safari, part and parcel is the taking of pictures of the Safari and the trophies hunted.
For the hunter going on a hunting safari in Africa, the pictures literally is worth a thousand words. This is the means by which the hunter captures the essence of his safari on film. Well nowadays it might not be film anymore but a digital storage device.
Like the hunter the Photo Safari enthusiast also hunts the game, but only with a different tool – his camera. It is argued that a single Elephant can earn more tourist dollars in his lifetime from photo safaris, then being hunted once. The more tourists embarking on a photo safari will ultimately produce the views held by non-hunters as stated. In this lies the seemingly unsuspected tourist trap. Game drive vehicles are loaded with 10 – 16 people and stops when there is an animal to be photographed. Eventually everyone having booked a Game Drive Photo Safari will end up with almost the same pictures with a small difference here and there.
Many a photographer wants to take the perfect picture of an Elephant or Lion while on Safari, being able to claim the “prize” for having taken a beautiful picture of these animals. It is all well if the Photo Safari enthusiast wants to compare his or her photos with that of friends and family when back home, trying to establish who has the best photos.
Well there is an alternative to taking pictures from vehicles, which will produce unique, once in a lifetime picture only possessed by the individual taking the photos. This is a typical safari like a hunting safari, with the only difference being that there are no rifles other than for the protection of the group by the Professional Guide.
In this way the Photo Safari Enthusiast are able to “stalk” the subject and get really close to the animal, having a different angle on the animal, when taking its picture. This also produces the unique photos, that no-one else will ever be able to reproduce again. The vegetation changes at that specific spot, the angle at which the animal is standing, the position of the sun all makes it special.
What should any keen and avid Photo Safari Enthusiast always keep in mind when booking a safari? Most importantly must be the question of wanting a “mass tourism safari” or a tailored individual guided photo safari. If the answer is the latter, then I guarantee the photo safari enthusiast an experience of a lifetime able to join in any conversation where hunters discuss their stalking of the quarry, as there is no difference other than the use of a camera.The Professional Guide would be able to sneak right up to the animals, allowing for the safety zone applicable to each species, never placing their clients in any danger. The guide will also be able to take into consideration the azimuth of the sun in relation to the animal that was to be photographed.
Finding these animals with the aid of a Professional Guide is made easy, as he understands the habits of all species, their routines and most likely location where they can be found during the early mornings through to the evenings.
The photo safari enthusiast will also be treated to animal interactions, not commonly seen from a game drive vehicle when on safari. Even the smallest of bugs, creatures and the African Dung Beetle makes for interesting photography when on foot in the veld during a photo safari.
Let me assure you as the photo safari enthusiast, book a single individual guided trail safari with a Professional Guide, such as a Professional Hunter having all the knowledge and experience from doing African Hunting Safaris understanding the African Game, and get your money’s worth. The value of the experience will be tenfold of any other previous photo safari ever done.
Be unique in what you do with the passion for photo safaris. Make your collection of pictures stand out from the rest, claiming the fame for taking really up-close, unique photos of every animal encountered.
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