Believe it or not, we have clients arriving in Botswana sometimes with their cameras still in their original packaging and they can be found scouring the manual just before the game drive. This is such a waste.

Knowing your camera and how it works is an essential part of becoming a better wildlife photographer. You need to know where the buttons are and how they work or react to your inputs. You should be able to change a setting without your eye having to leave the viewfinder as that second or two not concentrating on your subject can ultimately be the difference between great shots and missed shots.

Even if you simply practice your photography skills on small birds in your garden or photograph the family pet you have to spend time with your camera in your hands. There are no shortcuts here.

We suggest figuring out five go-to shutter speed choices that will cover all of the situations that you might encounter on a photo safari. You can read more on that in our shutter speed tips for wildlife photography here.

You need to understand exposure settings and know which mode you are going to shoot on whether that is Aperture or Shutter priority or perhaps even full Manual mode – and stick with it.