In June 2000 Barbara Barnes and her husband traveled with us on our Ultimate Tanganyika Safari with an extension to the Selous Game Reserve. This was their second time to travel with us. Their first trip a few years prior was the Serengeti Wildlife Safari. We had no idea Barbara was an amazing photographer until she sent us a few of her photographs to pass on to the guide in Tanzania. It was immediately evident that she is an accomplished photographer with a good eye for an interesting shot! (Would you like to see her photography tips?) We contacted her about using a few of her photos in our new brochure and the results are spectacular.

We hope you enjoy her photos as much as we do. If you would like to reproduce these photos in any way, please contact us at and we will put you in contact with Barbara so that you can ask her permission.

Photography Tips from Barbara Barnes

Type of camera used for these photos: Nikon F-100 with an assortment of zoom lenses (200mm, 300mm, 400mm)

Tip: If you only can only bring one zoom lens, Barbara suggests a 100mm-300mm zoom lens as it is the most versatile. However, she cautions that you will not be able to capture the same type of detail with this as you would get with a 400mm zoom. If you want whiskers and eyelashes, you'll need to use a 400mm.

Type of film used: Ektachrome 200 - Kodak professional film

How many rolls of film used: 150 rolls of 36-exposure

Tip: "The secret", she says "is to take a lot of pictures and you are bound to get a few good ones."

Special accessories recommended:

• A sunshade for the lens
• a beanbag to use as a rest instead of a tripod when shooting from the vehicle
• cleaning equipment - a few cans of compressed air, brushes and optical cloth. Barbara cleaned her camera three or four times a day to keep dust from building up and interfering with the automatic mechanisms.

Tip: It is impossible to hand hold a 400mm lens and get good results. When taking photos from a vehicle, rest the lens on a beanbag and make sure the engine is turned off.

Tip: Bring an extra camera body. In case something goes wrong with the mechanisms of your camera (due to dust or dropping it or just general wear and tear) it's comforting to know you have a back-up tucked safely in your duffel.

If you are buying a new camera, make sure you shoot at least five or six rolls before you arrive in Africa. Get familiar with your camera and what it can and can't do. Make sure your photos are turning out the way you want them to. Barbara said she couldn't believe how many people she saw on her first safari who didn't know how to use their cameras and who missed many good photos opportunities as a result.

Tip: Practice using your camera when all the settings are on manual. If something happens on safari that affects the automatic settings of your camera, know how to use your camera in manual mode.

Processing the photos at home
Barbara has her slides developed at a professional lab then uses a Nikon slide scanner to convert to a digital image. She makes her own prints using an Epson 1270 photographic color printer. The results are stunning!