Adventure

Camping in a Tent

Things Not to Forget when Camping in a Tent

  • The Tent – This one is pretty much a no brainer. Be sure to set up your tent at home for a trial run before you leave. Double check for rips, broken zippers and missing parts. Be sure the tent poles and stakes are in the bag, along with a small hammer, just in case.
  • Flashlights/Batteries – Arriving at a campsite after dark, happens! We never plan it that way, then again, we don’t plan flat tires or getting lost. Life happens! Flashlights will serve lots of purposes and fresh batteries is a must. This LED   Flashlight comes with the batteries and can take a beating. It’s one of our favorites.
  • First Aid Kit – Accidents can happen no matter if you are at home or out camping. Keeping a well-stocked first aid kit on hand is a great idea. Band-aids, soap, water, tweezers, gauze and hand sanitizer will get you the basics for small wounds or until you can seek medical attention. You have to think like a scout and always be prepared. This first-aid kit we picked up has everything we need and then some.
  • Trash Bags – Obviously you can use trash bags to keep your campsite neat and tidy. They also make good makeshift wraps, keep your bedding and clothing from becoming damp and will hold lots of dirty clothes and shoes on the way home.
  • Sleeping Bag/Bedding – It gets cold at night, even in the middle of summer. Having padding between you and the ground is a must. Stay warm and hopefully dry in a good sleeping bag.
  • Matches/Lighter – You cannot start a campfire without a fire source and camping just isn’t the same if you don’t have the chance to sit around a campfire, make a barbeque and make some real camp food!
  • Duct Tape – Guaranteed you will have a need for duct tape. Keep a roll or two on hand. I am sure you will find something to repair it. It works great to fix not only camping supplies but the car, too. We never leave home without a good roll of tape.
  • Water – There are so many uses for water. Cooking, cleaning and staying hydrated will be a breeze if you bring your own clean water.
  •  Toilet Paper/Flushable Cleansing Cloths – Campground bathrooms can be a scary place. If you are lucky you find a place with flushable toilets. If you’re not so lucky, pit toilets will be your only choice. Supplying your own toilet paper and flushable cleansing cloths is a must.  Cottonelle on-the-go packs fit perfectly in a backpack, purse or pocket.
  • Keeping your Bum clean will prevent uncomfortable days and nights when your all up close and personal in a tent.

Once you set up camp, be sure to enjoy every minute that you can. Before you know it you’ll have to come back to the real world, the downtime will go quickly. RELAX! Have you ever gone on a trip and forgotten to pack something important??

Photography

Things to Avoid in Nature Photography

Can images really show the beauty of wild animals or the colors of an African sunset? Exceptional photographs give you a glimpse of nature. But even these excellent images don’t show all that’s out there. We can simply try our best.

By avoiding these mistakes I transformed the outcome of my photos.

Bad Backgrounds

Calm yourself.

I know you’re excited about the subject of your photograph. But the subject is surrounded with other features.

If you don’t take them into account you’ll regret it.

A busy background can attract attention. Whoever views the image may not even notice what you want him or her to see.

Make sure branches and grass don’t steal attention away from your subject. Because of positioning it may seem as if a branch is growing out of a lion’s ear. That’s not what you want people to focus on. Adjust your position or distance so your background complements the rest of the image.

Impatience

If you don’t have patience yet animals will help you discover it.

Wildlife models follow their own schedules and minds. You can’t tell them what to do.

Patience links with expectation. If you think you’ll capture the perfect image you’ll often be disappointed. The greatest photographers know it takes time.

You may have to camp out if you really want an exceptional photograph. Pitch your tent and wait for:

  • The perfect sunset
  • The animal feeding a baby
  • The animal being killed
  • The bird flying at an angle that gives you a great shot

Are you prepared for this much effort?

Lack of Respect

Humans have a responsibility to look after nature. Not all of us take up that responsibility.

As a photographer who uses natural spaces you should respect your outdoor office. Make sure you don’t leave residue such as litter or other garbage.

Your choices determine whether others can enjoy the same beauty in future.

A Tiny Subject

It’s tough to approach a wild animal – they are easily spooked. Because of this, many wildlife photos have more wilderness than wildlife, with the animal becoming a tiny speck in its environment. This can be effective in some situations, but for the most part you want the animal to be large enough in the frame to see the detail in its eyes. This is where a good telephoto lens can really help you out. Using a long focal length (over 200mm) will allow you to keep your distance while still filling the frame.

The Missed Moment

We’ve all been there. You see the perfect shot, frame it, and hit the shutter. But by the time the camera focuses and the exposure is made, the animal has moved and all you end up with is the second after the perfect shot.

There are two ways to avoid this heartbreak:

Anticipation

This is a skill that can only come with practice and a keen eye. If you can learn to see when the perfect moment is about to happen, rather than when it is happening, you can hit the shutter right before the peak moment and cause the camera to snap at just the right time.

Continuous Shooting

When animals are in motion, you’ll get the best chance at a good result by using continuous shooting mode (also called “drive mode” or “burst mode”). With this, you can take several images per second and choose the most successful.

Higher-end DSLRs and mirrorless cameras will have a much faster maximum shooting speed, but no matter which camera you have, there are a few things that will help get the highest continuous shooting rate.

Animal Attack!

We don’t call it “wildlife” for nothing – the biggest mistake you can make is accidentally getting mauled. Animals are not adjusted to polite society, and can be pretty rough customers if you catch them at the wrong time, or in the wrong way. They spend most of their waking lives foraging for food, and a spat over a meal can turn ugly, fast. Never get in the way of lunch, unless you want to take its place.

Don’t approach a wild animal directly, and if they see you, avoid looking them in the eye. This is usually a sign of aggression. If you need to get closer, keep low and move in a broad zig-zag pattern to avoid frightening the animal.

Be aware of when mating season (or “rutting season”) is for the type of animal you’ll be photographing. Male mammals are full of testosterone at this time of year, and can be aggressive, violent, and very dangerous. Avoid photographing at these times. Similarly, find out when animals are likely to be giving birth and raising their young. We all know how risky it can be to get in between a mama bear and her cubs. Whenever you’re dealing with wildlife, always remember that any creature can be dangerous when provoked, and it’s very important to treat animals and their habitat with the utmost care and respect.

Blurry Image

Blur comes in many forms. Your entire image could be blurry due to camera shake; a problem which is magnified by the longer focal lengths needed for wildlife photography.

In landscape photography, using a tripod is a good technique to prevent camera shake, but a tripod is not as practical when photographing wildlife. Wildlife photography requires a more active shooting style – you’ll be moving around constantly – so unless you are using a lens that is too big to hold comfortably, forget the tripod. Also, because the animals are always in motion, you’ll need a fast shutter speed anyway. That leads me to the first method to combat camera shake blur: using a very fast shutter speed.

In landscape photography, you normally use a shutter speed that is at least 1/focal length of your lens. But usually that isn’t going to be fast enough when photographing wildlife because the animals are always in motion (even when they appear to be standing still). To avoid disappointment, you’ll need to use a much faster shutter speed to freeze both your own motion and the motion of the animal. Here is my rule of thumb when photographing wildlife: if the animal appears to be still, use a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second. If the animal is moving, you’ll have to adjust the shutter speed based on how fast they are moving. I suggest a minimum of 1/1,000th of a second, or faster if the animal is moving faster.

Lack of Knowledge


Professional photographers study their subjects. It’s the only way to showcase the best features. This applies to children, food and buildings.

If you want exceptional wildlife photographs you must know what’s coming.

Animal behavior is unpredictable but you can learn traits and general features:

  • Which animals love sun bathing?
  • What time of the day do animals feed?
  • What trees attract the most birds?

These answers tell you where and when to sit & wait—yes patience—for the perfect shot.

This may also save your life. If you’re not accustomed to working with wildlife you may take too many risks. Wild animals’ unpredictability may result in dangerous situations.

Do you know:

  • What a safe distance is
  • How animals act when they’re frustrated
  • What they will do to protect their young

Make sure your lack of knowledge doesn’t bring harm to you or others.

All the best to the African wildlife.

what mistake you experience on wildlife photography?

blog Courtesy by: John Stuart and  Anne McKinnell

Wildlife Photography

Ten Tips to Get Started in Wildlife Photography

1. Know your subject.

Understanding Wildlife Photography behavior is key to being a good wildlife photographer, especially when your subjects are wildlife. Research and observation will give you a greater chance of capturing an interesting moment than just walking by and snapping a photo.

2. Know your gear

Don’t be discouraged by not having the most professional photography equipment. The best camera is the one you have with you. When you know the pros and cons of your gear you’ll be able to take advantage of what is possible with what you have, and be prepared when the moment arises.

3. Get up early

The best light for outdoor photography occurs an hour after sunrise, and an hour before sunset. In my experience the best time to have wildlife encounters is early morning.

4. Go Prone

Low to the ground is usually a great angle to photograph wildlife. Try laying down, or other angles that might seem awkward at the time. You will be impressed with the difference it makes.

5. Be Patient

One of the things I love about photography is the instant gratification I get from an awesome shot. Wildlife takes a little more time to get that shot. Take the time to follow tip 1 and observe your subjects behavior to be ready. Frustration can get the best of you if you miss a perfect moment, brush it off and remind yourself you’re getting better as a photographer because of it.

6. Find your style

Rather than just framing your subject within the photo, try shooting wider and closer and see what style you prefer. Although I can’t always get as close as I’d like without owning a massive 600mm lens, I prefer close shots; especially of insects and flowers.

7. Be Considerate

Setting up a shot is one thing – but being cruel to the wildlife you are admiring is another. Using playback (playing a bird call) to attract subjects is generally frowned upon and in my opinion makes photography less enjoyable. Have lines drawn in the sand for what you’re willing to do for the perfect shot and stick to it. For me I will move small subjects like insects or amphibians, to a nearby location (like a rock or leaf) but I will never put them in danger or handle them excessively.

8. Plan your shot

If you want to capture a moment in a unique way – be prepared with the right settings. I’ve been caught off guard when I wanted to capture the movement of a frog jumping with a slow shutter but it leaped before I expected, and my camera was still set to a fast shutter speed. Know what you want to capture before it happens.

9. Enjoy Yourself

Don’t forget to enjoy your time in nature. I bring my camera everywhere but sometimes I’m out and just want to take it in without a lens in front of me. Don’t feel bad that you’re missing out; any experience in nature will make you a better wildlife photographer.

10. Get Inspired

Visit Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit to see some amazing wildlife photography from around the world.

Wildlife photography

Wildlife photography: Tips and Tricks

Whether you’re trying to capture a photo of a cheetah hunting or a flying pigeon in your city, the most important thing is to be prepared and be ready for anything. You have no control over what happens in the wild. You can’t ask a bird to fly a little slower so you capture the shot you want or a lion to roar in front of your camera again because you were not ready the first time.

You have to use what’s around you and have your camera set and ready. You can spend hours without seeing or capturing anything, but once you do… you will witness something incredible!
Wildlife doesn’t ever disappoint us!

Character and Environment

Another thing to remember when photographing wildlife is the old “push/pull.” Animals have personalities, and you want to show that. But you don’t want to be working really tight with long lenses all the time. You need to show their environment too—habitat says a lot. Back off and use wide-angle lenses to give viewers a sense of where the animals live.

One More Thing

When you’re out photographing wildlife, don’t just pay attention to what are called the charismatic mega fauna—the big animals that get most of our attention. Of course we all want good photos of the big guys, but there are many other forms of life around. Some of them are really beautiful, and all of them are interesting. Whenever you’re out there, whether hiking or sitting in your car waiting for something to happen, look around. You’ll be amazed at what you might discover. Photograph that too!

Practice, Practice & Practice

While everyone would like to be clicking Wildebeests on the Serengeti, you really don’t need much to start practicing wildlife photography. Before you go to a safari, make sure you know how to use your camera. Go to the park and practice until you feel confident. Know your settings.

Composition

Make sure you pay attention to what’s surrounding your main subject in the frame. Try to have clear and simple background so the viewer can really focus on the bird itself.

When you focus your lens, focus on the eyes of the bird.

Wildlife photography shooting, try to tell a story. Some birds fly. An elephant dig in the mud. Some birds eat fish, some eat seeds and wild dog during their  social hunting (co-operative imperative). You can share all that information with the viewer through your photographs.

 

Good luck, and Happy Shooting!

 

Overgrown

Overgrown Vegetation on Bush

Overgrown tracks generally mean one thing, no one else has been down this track for some time.

This is where the 4WD will really get pinstriped (scratched and scraped). Once you have pinstriped your vehicle more than 10 times you will find that you stop worrying about it too much and just enjoy the fact that no one else has been where you are right now for some time.

Scratching your vehicle is a major reason why a lot of people just don’t take their 4WD’s off road. To go off road you need to get over the fact that you will pinstripe the 4×4 at some stage, it’s all worth it. A real 4 wheel drive is pinstriped. A sparkling clean scar free 4 wheel drive is just a SUV or soccer mum’s vehicle.

When driving through overgrown tracks you can minimize scratching and damage by sticking to the side that has the freshest vegetation (if there is a choice at all). Fold the mirrors in as they might go missing on those real dense tracks.

Get out and chop off the thicker vegetation, sometimes there will be branches too, these would be wise to cut off as you’re not out there to get pinstriped you’re out there to get to where you want with the least pin striping possible.

If you have taken the wrong turn down  a really bad overgrown track it can be near impossible to turn around and even worse reversing as it’s near impossible to see anything at all. Also the mirrors will be in danger of snapping off while reversing.