Thanda Safari, a Big Five reserve in Zululand, KwaZulu Natal, is now offering complimentary i-Phone Photography Sessions to guests.
“Ninety percent of the people in a safari vehicle have a camera, and for 70% that camera is a Smartphone. The Smartphone-crowd is a very important part of safari today,” says Christian Sperka, Resident Wildlife Photographer and Field Guide at Thanda Safari.
Recognising that the ‘Smartphone crowd’ makes up the lion’s share of safari enthusiasts today, Sperka has tailored his complimentary photography sessions accordingly.
The sessions are on offer for guests staying two nights or more. Sperka’s 30- to 90-minute introduction to the basic rules of wildlife photography and the art of motion photography help guests to develop their wildlife photography skills, whilst providing specific advice on advanced functionality and apps, so that those with a Smartphone can improve their images as well.
In addition, Sperka also offers a wide range of instructional sessions. For a fee, guests can book private game drives in Sperka’s custom-designed vehicle, with special photography seats and arms to rest cameras on, fitted with full martini bar and Nespresso machine.
Below are Sperka’s top five tips for capturing striking imagery to those travelling light on safari:
- Private Game Reserve vs National Park? Stay on a private game reserve. Destinations such as Thanda Safari are ideal for Smartphone photography, as travellers can usually get much closer to wildlife than in a national park. Professional and experienced guides know how close they can get to animals – safely – for guests to snap a good picture. Get as close to eye-level with your picture subject, and you will create some great shots.
- Don’t forget the small things: Smartphones are excellent for macro-shots. Everyone wants to bag an image of a lion, but some of the best shots will come from something smaller scale. Anything from plants to small creatures can be captured very well with a Smartphone.
- Aim far: Clip-on tele-focus lenses are available for very little cost. Having a tele-focus lens for your Smartphone will make it possible to get good shots of faraway game. Binoculars can also serve the same purpose. Just be sure there is a short distance between the camera lens and the binoculars’ ocular and focus first with the binoculars before using your Smartphone camera.
- Shoot wide: Smartphones are very good for wide-angle pictures. Focus on beautiful scenery with wildlife and you will capture great images. Zooming in on pictures should be avoided as most Smartphones only provide digital zoom. Better to take the picture ‘un-zoomed’ and crop it later. Some very advanced Smartphones – including iPhone 7+, 8+ and X – have a second tele-focus lens, which provides optical zoom capability.
- Don’t worry about the weather: Smartphones are great in difficult light situations. Sunsets, sunrises and interesting cloud formations over beautiful scenery are often easier to capture with a Smartphone than with a regular camera. Combined with a good ‘enhancement app’ – such as the excellent Camera+ for iPhones – can yield amazing pictures.
