Week 6: Breaking Down a Trip to Africa

In the spirit of our first group work day for our upcoming midterm project, I chose to research some tips and challenges to photography in Africa. In doing so, I came across this article on Outdoor Photographer: "Ultimate Safari! Preparing for and demystifying African safaris for American photographers." The writer of this article details acclaimed National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting's advice for the average traveler journeying to Africa. A frequent visitor of it's countries, Lanting breaks down planning the ultimate African safari into "three primary considerations: Where will you visit, how will you get there, and when will you go?"



I found this article extremely informative and immediately relevant to my project. Lanting discusses the spectrum of travel styles, from expensive luxury in high-quality camps with high-quality vehicles to less expensive minimalist camping with rental cars. He elaborates on guides and companions, who's leading you around and who's on the trip with you, and how they make a big difference in the experience. He advises traveling in the off season, staying away from the crowded, and more expensive, tourist season. Lanting suggests some specific camera equipment to take along, too, the necessities that you'll need for this type of excursion; "have all your gear in a photo pack that you can put on the seat next to you," he says. He also recommends the countries to visit for the first-time traveler, such as Kenya, Zambia, Botswana, Rwanda, and South Africa. Lanting's advice and suggestions provide me with a good starting point in planning our African safari.

   

Link to photos and article: https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/on-location/travel/safari/