Samburu photography guide

Why Samburu rewards photographers

The red soil bounces warm light into shadows, dust in the dry season creates natural backlighting, and the doum palms give a graphic backdrop unlike anywhere in southern Kenya. Add the Special Five and habituated elephant families and you have a photographer's park.

Recommended kit

• Two bodies if possible: one with 100–400mm or 200–600mm, one with 24–70mm
• A fast prime (300mm f/2.8 or 400mm f/4) for low-light leopard and dawn river scenes
• Bean bag rather than a tripod — vehicles are the main platform
• Dust protection: sealed bags, a rocket blower and minimal lens changes
• Plenty of cards and battery capacity; charging is solar at many camps

Settings and technique

Shoot in aperture priority with auto ISO capped around 6400 and a minimum shutter speed of 1/1000s for mammals, 1/2500s for birds in flight. Expose for highlights in the harsh midday sun and use exposure compensation of -0.3 to -0.7 EV in the golden hours to keep the reds saturated.

Best subjects and where

• Elephants: the riverbed in late afternoon, when herds cross and dig
• Gerenuk: acacia scrub on the plains, standing to browse — shoot low
• Leopard: the doum palm forest and rocky outcrops at dawn and dusk
• Grevy's zebra and oryx: open plains near Koitogor in early light
• Vulturine guineafowl: around camps, superb in backlight

Light and timing

Leave camp before sunrise: the first 40 minutes give the best colour and the park is empty. Midday is harsh and best used for rest or black-and-white work. From 4.30pm the river becomes the place to be, and dust plus low sun make dramatic silhouettes.

Choosing a camp for photography

Look for properties offering private vehicles, photographer-friendly open sides, low hides and flexible meal times. Conservancy properties allow off-road positioning, which makes a significant difference to composition, while camps inside the park put you closest to the river at first light. Ask us and we will match you to the right base.