How To Photograph Lions
Lions are known as the Kings of Beasts, it’s almost like they own and dominate the animal kingdom. The popularity of movies like The Lion King just goes to show how fascinated humans are with these large creatures.
If you find yourself falling into the category of people who interested in lions, you may wish to take yourself on a safari adventure where you can photograph these beasts on an up-close and personal level.
If this is the case, follow these few tips to make sure you get the perfect shots of the perfect poses
Lions Fighting
Go with a guide
There are some parks that allow private drives and hikes to have your own encounters with wildlife but if you’re looking to get the perfect shot of a lion alone or lions in a pack, then this is not recommended.
Instead, it is best to go on a guided tour or hire a personal guide to help you navigate your way around a park, region, or reserve. Why? Because guides simply have more experience than you do, and experience breeds intuition.
A guide will know the right time of day to set off on the adventure. A guide will know what it is safe to approach a pack, and a guide will know the exact moment you should try to take your shot.
Capture the Roar
If you’re looking to photograph a lion, what could be better than capturing a formidable roar?
In reality, though, most pictures of lions roaring are actually pictures of lions yawning because it is much more common for them to yawn than it is for them to roar!
If you’re looking to take a yawning picture of your own, you have to be patient. Often, lions lay around sleeping and once you and your tour group wait it is likely that they will wake up.
And what happens after you wake up? You probably yawn, and the same goes for lions. Be ready with your camera focused to zoom in and get the action shot. If you time it right, the lion’s sleepy yawn will look like a ferocious roar.
Lion Cub
Eye-to-Eye
Similarly, a shot of a lion looking straight into your lens is highly desired but seems so difficult to achieve.
Luckily, there is a nearly fool-proof way to get a lion to look you in the eye. You wait! It may be a long time. Lions often allow tour groups to drive through their habitat and get pretty close, and if this is the case for your tour then you are in luck!
Be ready with your camera set to high shutter speed and ready to zoom in and focus.
These are just a few tips for capturing the perfect photos of lions while on your safari adventure. Feel free to safely experiment with different angles and perspectives!
You may like visiting Nxai Pans National Park. You may consider donating to the Lion Recovery Fund.
