Kenya's "hunting" - Introduction to wildlife photography

一、 First of all, we need to know what can be photographed in Kenya

Kenya's wilderness in the African Rift Valley is a paradise for animals, but the most exciting thing is the "five tyrants" in Africa.

In the early colonial period, white hunters were driven by fame and fortune to shoot wild animals. Eventually, the five most dangerous animals were targeted for hunting. They are the largest elephants, the angry rhinoceros, the king of beasts, the lion, the dangerous African buffalo, and the agile cheetah.

Now wild animals have been strictly protected, and hunting guns have been replaced with binoculars and cameras. However, the "five bullies" in Africa are still the main targets of people's "hunting". Many photographers are proud to chase the "five bullies". Amboseli under the snow peak of Kilimanjaro is a paradise for giraffes, where groups of elephants roam leisurely all day long; Across the river from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, Masai Mara Wildlife Nature Reserve is the habitat with the most animals and the most colorful wasteland. The sunrise and sunset are as wonderful as fairyland. Countless antelopes, giraffes, hippos, baboons and wolves wander on the grassland day and night. The tragic "crossing of heaven" takes place here.

The Nakuru lake, with an altitude of 1753 ~ 2073 meters and an area of 188 square kilometers, is a park established for the protection of birds. There are more than 2 million flamingos, accounting for one third of the total number of flamingos in the world. It is known as the "bird watching paradise". It looks like a rosy cloud from a distance and is very beautiful; On the way to Abdel, a mysterious bisector quietly divides the earth into North and South halves, which is the equator.

二、 Fully understand local customs and taboos for shooting wild animals

There are many taboos for photographing wild animals in Kenya, including 60million taboos:

1. Don't try to take photos of Marseilles by force. The tough Marseilles will hit you or your car with stones, and the most fierce will hit you with sticks and stab you with javelins;

Kenya's "hunting" - Introduction to wildlife photography

2. Do not wear red clothes. Animals have different feelings about color and taboos about color. However, animals in Kenya are particularly sensitive to red because it is a unique color of the Masai people. The Maasai people who live in the wild animal community have an ancient tradition. If a fierce lion or leopard attacks one of them, the "murderer" will be hunted down and executed. This jungle law has been maintained for thousands of years and has not been changed. This is the secret that a Maasai man dares to cross the jungle and wilderness alone with a small stick. The weapon that frightens the beast is the dazzling red cloth. You are going to shoot animals, not to scare them. Therefore, never wear red clothes;

Kenya's "hunting" - Introduction to wildlife photography

3. Do not try to carry ivory and other animal products out of the customs. On the one hand, the customs inspection is very strict, so it is difficult to break the law; Second, it will become a link in the chain of hurting animals;

4. Don't live alone. One person is quiet, but two people are company. There may be lions and hounds spying on you outside the window. Although there are security measures in the camp, what if? There must be someone crying for help!

5. Don't learn from ouyeni Grande. Many places in Africa have been colonized for many years. Local people have been used to asking for tips. Even if you buy his things, the businessman will ask for tips from you. The customs and police are no exception. They stop you for questioning without reason and rush to the express delivery to get tips. It's not necessarily too much. Sometimes a dollar or a Coke will do, Otherwise, stinginess will cause endless trouble on your journey. A small amount of tips can help you get good service.

6. Don't get out of the car. The lion in Kenya has evolved into the same color as the wasteland. It can't be found even if it lies in the grass a few meters away from you. At this distance, it can throw you down with a gentle leap.

三、 Choose the right time

There are two meanings in choosing time: first, the habits of wild animals must be fully taken into account when they are active, when they eat and when they rest; Second, it is necessary to consider the influence of light factors. Sufficient and infectious light is an important factor for good photos. Only by comprehensively considering these two factors can we capture interesting works.

As for the choice of time, the best time for light is two hours after the sun comes out and two hours before the sun sets. The light at this time is soft and warm. Many photographers like the morning time. Because there is less artificial interference in the morning, they have more opportunities to see wild animals or birds.

The light at noon is too strong. Most of the photos taken during this time period have very strong shadows. Usually, it is difficult to take good photos during this period. On the contrary, the time line on cloudy or cloudy days is relatively soft, which is more suitable for shooting than when the sun is very large.

四、 Choose different angles

Although it is difficult to choose many angles for shooting wild animals, sometimes you can still find many interesting angles. If possible, you can use the angle where the lens is level with the horizon, level with the animal's eyes and looking down from a high place. The photos taken by animals may appear rigid when you stand at the height of human eyes. Sometimes, photographing the back of animals can also produce strange and interesting effects.

Be sure to pay attention to the composition, avoid only one animal or bird in the picture, and take the natural environment of the subject as the background. The picture of wild animals should be "wild animals in the natural environment", otherwise the viewer will think you took it in the zoo.

Generally speaking, young animals lack vigilance to humans, while large animals have a heavy vigilance. Therefore, adult animals must not be disturbed when shooting, and it is appropriate to shoot with ultra telephoto lens at a distance; And shooting young animals can be a little closer, without using a long focal length lens.

The background is very important to a photo. The net background can naturally attract people's attention to the subject. Sometimes, the background itself can be very attractive. The larger the aperture and the smaller the depth of field, the better the background; Because the angle captured with the telephoto lens is very small, you can get a completely different background with only a little movement.