Some Photographic Tips

• Light makes a big difference to the quality of pictures that you take. The soft, warm light of the early morning and late afternoon make for the best photographs. The mid-day African sun can be a bit bright, and leave photos looking 'washed out'. At any time of day, try to avoid taking pictures into the sun as this can result in lens flare; a lens hood is an invaluable piece of equipment that will shield the camera's lens from oblique sun rays (and provide a degree of protection from physical damage). If you are deliberately taking a picture with a sunset as background, increase the exposure by at least 2 f.stops if you want the subject to be visible (decrease by two f.stops if you want to silhouette the subject and emphasize the deep, rich colors of the sunset.
• Accurate focus + fast shutter speed = sharp photos. Using small aperture settings (high f.stops) to obtain depth of field works fine for creative landscape shots, but for people and animals, go for a large aperture and fast shutter speed. As a rule, your shutter speed should be the reciprocal of your lens' focal length; i.e. if you are using a 300mm lens, you should aim to shoot at a shutter speed of 1/300 of a second (this isn't always possible - in low light, just open the aperture as wide as it will go, and do all you can to keep the camera still). If your lens aperture is already at its widest setting, and shutter speed is still too low, adjust the ISO higher until you get a fast enough shutter speed.
• Wait until the vehicle has stopped, and the engine is turned off. Unless your subject is obviously going to disappear if you do not shoot immediately, wait! Don't rush your shots - wait until your guide has positioned the vehicle for the best photographs, stopped, and turned the engine off. This way you significantly reduce the risk of camera shake. If you feel that there is a better angle from which to be shooting pictures, ask your guide to reposition the vehicle - as long as it is safe and does not cause the animals harm or undue stress, he will happily oblige.
• For wildlife photos, set your camera to continuous shooting mode so that, by holding down the shutter release, you capture multiple shots of a subject. This will enable you to choose the one with the sharpest focus and/or capturing the subject in the best pose. To save yourself from being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of photos, use this feature somewhat sparingly, saving it for only the most important subjects.
• Get up close. Unless there are specific background features that you deliberately want to include in your shot, use your zoom lens to really focus in on your subject. This removes unwanted detail, and adds impact to the shots. In the immortal words of Robert Capa, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough". Using a wide aperture serves to put the background out of focus, further dramatizing the subject.
• Review your shots. One of the most fun and helpful aspects of digital photography is the option for instant review on the LCD screen. Most cameras will automatically flash the photo on the LCD screen a few seconds after it has been taken. If you're not happy with your first attempt, simply make the necessary adjustments and try again. If you are a serious photographer, and your siesta time is not taken up with bird watching, sitting in a hide, or catching up on sleep, review all the shots that you took on your last two activities to delete the less desirable ones and also to get feedback on how your exposure settings, composition, etc. are working. It's amazing how quickly one's photographic skills can improve with the ability to review results while the shot is still fresh in your mind.
• HAVE FUN! And remember that you are there to experience Africa in the first person, not just through a viewfinder or LCD screen.