Getaway May_2019

PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS

WATERHOLE

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MASTERCLASS

Take it yourself
Time, patience and a telephoto lens is what you’ll need

EQUIPMENT

Wildlife photography is an expensive hobby – think ultra-
zoom and very fast lenses. Entry-level cars cost less! For
photographing bigger game, such as elephants that may
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length or zoom lens of at least 200-300mm. Smaller game
such as impala and particularly birds require longer lenses
(up to 600mm). You also want a DSLR camera that can shoot
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SETTINGS
Start with shutter speed – to reduce the possibility of a
blurred image, shoot at a speed two to three times the focal
length. For example, a 300mm lens needs a speed from
1/800 or 1/1000 sec to truly freeze a moment.
An aperture of f/2.8 is extremely handy when available
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result in either the foreground or background being out of
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In low light, don’t be afraid to push your ISO very high to
get the desired image. A good DSLR can go up to ISO 1600
without losing too much detail in the grain. After all, a grainy
image of a spectacular moment is better than no image at all.
For action shots, set your camera to high-speed continuous
shooting (burst) mode on AI Servo AF (auto focus) as you
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PRACTICAL
Arrive early at the waterhole, when it’s cool and the light is
good. Be patient, even if there are no animals in sight.
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in dull lighting may not create a memorable image.
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dawn or dusk, when colours are mirrored on the water.
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behaviour to anticipate possible action.
:DLWDVORQJDV\RXFDQto capture a moment. Once your
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to the trigger.

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position than bang in the middle of the frame. But make sure
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arresting optical illusion that demands a second look.

Izak says...

The photo was taken at Nxai Pan in Botswana during

the dry season, when the park’s main waterhole becomes

a traffic jam of animals queueing for a drink. Afternoon

photography here is good for backlit images and the dust around

the waterhole creates a beautiful effect. This elephant was

splashing around in the water, so I repositioned my vehicle to

include the giraffe and ostrich in the frame for a balanced

composition – and to tell the story of life around the waterhole.

I used a very shallow depth of field to put the elephant in sharp

focus, with the rest of the scene softly faded.

Equipment Canon EOS 1D X MkII, Canon EF 400mm,

ISO 125, f/2.8, 1/2 500 sec

26 MAY 2019