Photographic Tips
CAPTURE
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SUMMERTIME IN SOUTH LUANGWA
he green version of South Luangwa National Park, from November through to April when the rain falls, is no doubt the most spectacular time of the year. With October dust out of the way and crystal-clear air that is perfect for photography, how to capture summer’s lively nature at its best?
As a wildlife photographer, I often shoot at a faster shutter speed to ‘freeze’ a split-second scene or to fuse together an extended period of time. By: Kirsten Gottenkieny Photos: Peter Geraerdts
Puku: 1/1250 sec., f6.3, ISO 200 A faster shutter speed also helps when shooting from a safari vehicle – after all not the most stable location from which to shoot. In general I suggest shutter speeds ranging from 1/100 sec. for a static animal, 1/640 sec. for a slow-moving animal like a walking lion, 1/1000 sec. for a fast moving animal, 1/1250 sec. for a flying bird and 1/1600 sec. for small birds like bee-eaters. In any case, always try to use a beanbag for support. For hand-held shooting you might need a slightly higher shutter speed and you can achieve this by reducing your lens opening (larger f-stop) or increasing your ISO. To capture movement you can also pan the camera with the moving subject. Sometimes the blur of panning gives a better sense of the action than a ‘frozen’ picture.
Wild dog: 1/13 sec., f/3.2, IS0 100
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In order for your subject to really pop out from the picture use a wider lens opening (smaller f-stop) like I have done with this picture of the hamerkop. TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA
