Preparing Yourself for a Wildlife Photography in Kenya   by Lucy Maruhi
 

When I first thought about doing wildlife photography in Kenya I was a bit stuck for inspiration. I was in the middle of the city with no wildlife in sight, unless you counted the people milling all around me, and I wasn't due up for another long vacation in Kenya for at least a few months yet. So obviously wildlife photography in Kenya, in the wild was out, but someone very helpfully pointed me in the direction that I'm about to point you in now. There is more or less all the wildlife varieties that I could want in Kenya, you just need to be where the action is.

Its the thought of capturing on film the big cats like the lions, the cheatah and the Leopards or maybe the elephants that brings me to Kenya. What about hippos, or zebras or even rhinos? You could even go for the birds at the Kakamega Game Reserve Deep in the indegenous rain forest with beautiful bird species that you could only marvel at.

And if you don't like the idea of going big, then do you like the idea of going small? Have you thought about monkeys, squirrels, butterflies and insects? What about the much maligned rodent varieties? As you can see there are many different types of wildlife photography in Kenya options available to you and you just have to reach out and take it.

In the wild, is where you get all the action, all the heart pounding terror of being in the wild along with the animals, knowing that you're in their home court and that your advantage depends entirely on the guide who's leading you around. This then is what many of the greatest photographers interested in wildlife photography in Kenya yearn to do and where they end up anyway. Whether the reality meets their expectation of the dream is another matter entirely.

They're there, in the wild, with the ability to get up close and personal with their wildlife subjects. Nothing at all like the zoo back home, but then again what did you expect right? However, it's also true that wildlife photography in Kenya shots, are natural, and don't have to be shots of the big game animals. wildlife photography in Kenya shots can be of anything that is considered wild. Take the wildebeest crossing the Mara river for instance. I consider the shots that I took of this phenomenon to be God sent. The sight of the Lions bouncing and bounding around like nobody's business and defending their territory with deep menacing growls is a sight to capture when doing wildlife photography in Kenya. The fact that they wouldn't hurt human beings is another matter entirely.

So although in-the-wild wildlife photography in Kenya is great and looks amazing, its not an easy job for the amateur photographer, at least in the beginning. The Kenya wild is preferably where you might like to take your wildlife photographs, but sometimes you just don't have the choice or the ability to do that. In that case I would recommend that you start your sojourn into wildlife photography at your local zoo. I am not Kidding! Going to the Masai Mara, Samburu, or the Tsavo National Parks will offer you the opportunity to catch some of the fiercest wildlife, in their habitats, then at their best and their worst. It's a bit like catching a movie star in their baggy sweat pants with absolutely no makeup on them! It's fascinating and you will absolutely get the chance for candid shots if you were in their natural habitat.

About the Author

Lucy Maruhi is a Tour Operator and has been researching and reporting on Travel, Tour and Vacation for years. For more information on Wildlife Photography in Kenya, visit her site at Wildlife Photography in Kenya