Each place I visited in Africa had it’s unique qualities. Tarangire was woodsy with massive herds of elephants that liked to bathe in the swamps. Ngorongoro Crater had the high crater walls that created a dramatic dark background with layers of light that changed throughout the day. But my favourite destination was the third place we visited, the central part of Serengeti National Park, because it offered the possibility of making simple minimalist images.
I believe in minimalism in photography and life. It’s the principle that less is more. With my nomadic lifestyle, I have discovered the freedom that comes with owning less stuff and having the independence to travel. In photography, minimalism means creating images that are simple in design with plain non-distracting backgrounds and a simple but powerful message.
When I first saw the Serengeti I was struck by how plain and flat it looked. It was so flat that I thought it wasn’t possible for there to be so many animals there. Surely, if a giraffe was there I would be able to see it standing tall above the grasses. But it is amazing how the animals camouflage themselves. You can’t see them at first, but they are definitely there.
With the vast open plains of golden grasses and big blue skies, the central Serengeti creates a minimalist background like no other place I have been to. In fact, the word serengeti means “endless plains” and at over 14,000 square kilometers the plains do seem to go on forever.
When photographing wildlife it’s always tempting to get as close as you can and use the longest lens to make close-up portraits of the animals. You can do that here too. But those kinds of images could be made anywhere, even a zoo. In the Serengeti, you have the ability to use a wider angle lens and include some of the landscape in the frame to provide context without ending up with distracting elements.
There are some trees too, of course, but usually they are spaced apart allowing you to include them in your composition and create a design that has impact. In this photo of an elephant between two acacia trees, I saw the elephants heading in that general direction and asked the driver to position the vehicle so I would have a good angle to photograph the trees and hoped an elephant would cooperate and walk past them.
My Experience:
The Serengeti has a zen-like quality to it. Because of the openness of the area, and the simplicity of the scenes, I can imagine spending some time enjoying the peace and listening to the rustling of the grasses as they gently blow in a subtle breeze.
Unfortunately that’s not what happened. There was no peace to be had with the group I was with on this trip so I really felt like I missed out on the experience of the place.
Photography Tips for the Serengeti:
- Resist the urge to get in as close as you can. Use a wider angle lens to create a landscape composition with the animal as your main subject.
- Wait for the animals to space themselves out and look for separation between them.
- Watch for those times of day when the skies are dark and the light hits the grasses creating a golden glow. Blue and yellow are complementary colours and this combination will make a striking image.
In Part 2 of this series, I’ll talk about photographing animal behaviour and interactions, which there is plenty of opportunity for in the Serengeti.
For gear suggestions, check out my “Gearing Up for my African Photo Safari” post and video.
That last photo is really unique and stunning. I love the creative way you have the blurred zebra in the background, lending a strong sense of environment to the portrait of the bird.
What group were you with? i would have been so irritated if they were disrupting such an amazing place. still, you got some amazing photos. I have been on two mini safaris in south africa, long before I got into photography, unfortunately. But I still managed to get an amazing giraffe standing in a bunch of bushes! love your photos. love love love
Hi, Anne, I am so enjoying your images AND your commentary. Together they are very effective in conveying your paired-down emphasis and the beauty this style brings to us. My absolute favorite: the lone giraffe in the distance – truly giving a feel for it amidst it’s environment. I am learning from your comments and images – while enjoying them so much. There must be down times for you, but I encourage you in the important work you do of conveying images that speak to us of these beautiful animals and their land, – not to speak of the art you give us.
Very nice images Anne – I especially enjoyed the giraffe! 🙂
WOWWWWW
those are really cool goats
Reminds me of my last trip when we hit Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Arusha for the second time and the Serengeti for the first time! Stunning! We were surprised at how flat and open the Serengeti was until we got in farther to see streams, hills, huge rocks, and of course, animals!
We had a good tour group/company and will plan again next year 2016 to go. If anybody is interested we could set up a group of animals lovers and photographers to be together.
What really amazed us when we saw the Serengeti the month before you did, Anne, was how different it was there in the Central area, where it was flat and open, and the Northern area where we saw many hills and mountains, huge boulders, etc. Amazing place, so fabulous!
Absulutely beautiful…what a great place…heaven on earth. the Sarengeti and the Masai Mara are actually the same land devided by 2 countries(Kenya and Tanzania) sharing the most amazing peice of wild land…
We said, this is one of my favorite parks in Northern circuit. The serenity of the short grass plains and its mega fauna make it an awe- inspiring beauty of the Serengeti. It’s breathtaking. Great photos-thanks for sharing.
Hello Ann, I like many of the suggestions on your site concerning photographing wildlife in Tanzania. I was there last year Feb. in the central and southern part of the Serengeti. As far as the light was concerning not the best time to be there, but otoh the scenery was green in stead of yellow and that was nice.
I have one big problem: the transport of the gear by the air companies. Not allowed to bring more than 10 kgs of hand luggage and I didn’t want to check in my gear. On domestic flights only 8 kgs. My wife carried the personal stuff and some additional gear and I carried the photo gear.
I ended up with two bodies, the 120-400mm, the 18-200mm and a 35-105mm as a spare lens wich after all I didn’t use at all. I am sorry I couldn’t take the 12-24mm with me. During the game drives both cameras always at hand with the two telezooms; 18 mm is not the widest but very usable. Further all the cleaning stuff and my monopod with tilthead and indeed the manuals. No hoods, no flash.
We edited a photo book (in two parts) of the trip wich I sold to the travel agency (sneak preview: https://newhouse46.wordpress.com/boek-preview-tanzania/#jp-carousel-1080)
But my main question is: how did you bring all your gear into Tanzania by air?
Timelessness…thank you for portraying the world as it is
Love the last photo (with the colorful bird in focus) and the vertical shot with the giraffe and trees. Spectacular shots!
Great photography, like always…. I always come back for your photos.
Hi Anne,
Enjoyed reading your article on Serengeti wildlife visit, all the photographs are wide angle shots , however it’s natural for any person visiting the sanctuary to take close up shot with telephoto lens to have a nice close up shot of the animal.
We just returned from Tanzania 3 weeks ago and your description of the Serengeti certainly captures the pure essence of this amazing part of the world as do your photographs… well done!
Wow great wild life pictures! Thanks for sharing them. You just made my day better!