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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 speeds of up to 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, lying between two national parks - Zimbabwe's Mana Pools (a World Heritage Site) and Lower Zambezi in Zambia - has little river traffic. There are also many 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 On these canoe safaris it's advisable to have your camera gear insured in case you take a dip. This quite often happens as you're stepping on to land from deepish water or, worst-case scenario - when you're tipped over by a hippo. 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 and more expensive SLR body and lenses. To find out more about hippos, try the search box further below.
Use of our Hippopotamus Images
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Home / Gallery / Stock Pics / Wildlife 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. See our Privacy Policy for more. This site accepts advertising and other forms of compensation - see Disclosure and Advertising for details. Site updated: February 2010. Copyright © 2002 - 2010 Scotch Macaskill |
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