A Picture-Perfect Photographic Safari
- Need to know
With gorgeous light, diverse scenery, and an enormous rollcall of African wildlife, Sabi Sand Game Reserve is a photographer’s paradise. There’s the close-up encounter. There’s the dramatically lit sunset leopard sighting. There’s the vast landscape, rolling out to the far horizon.
From a nature photographer’s point of view, the shot is the result of patient observation and generous lighting. That means waiting… and knowing where to wait. Some of the safari lodges at Sabi Sand Game Reserve offer specialised photographic safari game drives in customised vehicles which are equipped specially for photography with swivel chairs, gimbals, camera mountings and removable roofs.
The field guide and tracker team will take you offroad, positioning the vehicle just right relative to the sun, and waiting patiently for the moment to happen. It could take moments. It could take longer. Either way, you won’t be pressured to move on to the next potential sighting. The team will also tailor the safari experience around your specific photography needs and interests, be they birding, botany, big cats, macrophotography, stars, landscapes, moods, etc.
Some safari lodges also offer guests the option of hiring DSLR cameras and lenses on-site, while some field guides have been trained to drive specifically with photographers’ requirements in mind, positioning the vehicle for the perfect shot. A few are also able to offer photographic tuition, if needed; with a specialised photographer on hand to help you with setting up and taking your photograph.
While safari game drives offer the best opportunities to photograph Sabi Sand Game Reserve’s animals in their natural habitat, the reserve’s safari lodges all have their own vantage points as well. Ask the lodge staff to point out the best vantage points – perhaps near the waterhole, or along the river, or down a quiet path.
All you need from there is a camera, a good eye, a little patience, and the right opportunity.
Curio Shops
Idube Game Lodge offers a photographic hide for guests.
