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Hippo PicturesHippo pictures are best taken while on the water, preferably from a canoe or watercraft of some form.Although it's possible to photograph hippos from land, they will usually be some distance from the banks of the river or lake, so you'll need a longish telephoto lens, preferably 300mm or more. If a hippopotamus is near enough to allow a shorter lens, watch out! These massive animals are deceptively agile and can be out of the water in a split second, charging you on land at 40 km/h. |
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Best Way of Getting Close
But it's not advisable to try this on your own. Instead, join a canoe safari where you'll be led by an experienced river guide who understands hippo behavior and knows the river intimately. The lower Zambezi River is renowned for its canoe safaris, operated from both Zimbabwe and Zambia. This section of the river, between two national parks Mana Pools and Lower Zambezi, has little river traffic with lots of channels and islands, making for excellent game viewing. The biggest drawback of photographing from a canoe is that it's almost impossible to remain totally stationary because of the current. So you're always shooting from a moving position, making it difficult to frame and focus your subject. Shaky Hands It also helps to have your camera gear insured in case you take a dip - which usually happens when you're stepping on to land from deepish water. On a recent canoe safari on the Zambezi, I opted to take only a small Olympus digital camera with a good zoom lens, rather than a bulky SLR body and lenses. To find out more about hippos, try the search box further below.
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Home / Gallery / Stock Pics / Shop / Downloads / Wildlife Info / Photo Info / Safari Info / Wildlife Art / Blog / Contact Contact Details: Scotch Macaskill, 18 Strawberry Fields, 36 College Rd, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Tel: +27 33 3422811 Privacy: Your privacy is guaranteed. No personal information will be sold or passed to third parties - see our Privacy Policy for more. Updated: April 2008. Copyright © 2002 - 2008 Scotch Macaskill |
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