Professional wildlife photographers and filmmakers make it look easy; elephant herds silhouetted against a red sky; savanna landscapes under deep blue skies and castles of clouds; the energy and flow of a wildebeest migration.

These professionals may have a certain advantage, but many of their secrets for success are basic and will greatly increase your chances of getting terrific photos and videos on your safari. Above all, be patient and be prepared. That special shot, whether of animals mating, fighting or making a kill, could happen at nay moment, and a better one might follow right on its heels.

The dust, heat and vibration on a safari in the African landscape can wreak havoc on a sensitive camera equipment. A few precautions can go a long way toward preventing damage and disappointment.

1. Use a filter to protect your still lens (and improve the color of your pictures).
2. Protect your equipment in zippered plastic bags and well-padded containers, especially on game drives. Simply covering your camera and camera bag with a shirt or jacket can help keep out some dust. Be sure your cameras and lenses are secured to protect them on bumpy drives.
3. Clean all equipment at the end of each game drive. Useful items include camera lens tissues, soft, clean brushes and cans of compressed air.
4. Never leave your equipment sitting in direct sun or in a closed vehicle. Store extra film in a cold box, or in the coolest possible spot.

The best light for any type of outdoor photography is right after sunrise and just before sunset. This is especially true for scenic footage.

1. If time permits, scope out the scene ahead of time and wait for the right light.
2. Beware of the intense shade and light-dark contrast of midday.
3. Light from the side or behind the subject renders more interesting shots than light from directly overhead or behind the photographer, but such dramatic lighting may fool your camera's light meter. For still cameras, switch to manual and take three or four additional shots at slightly different exposure settings.
4. Use a fill-flash for close shots either against the light or in the shade. Seeing an animal's eye enhances the shot. In bird photography, seeing the eye is often a must.
5. For video, filter the camera for the appropriate lighting using the white balance.

1. Select the right film speed, preferably 200 ASA for slides and 400 ASA for negatives. These will serve best for hand-held shooting in vehicles, on foot and in a majority of situations, allowing you to travel without the burden of too many films from which to choose. Slower speed, such as 100 ASA, will produce better detail and more intensely colored landscapes and portraits, but require a tripod in low light. Higher speeds, from 800 to 1,000, are good for night work, pictures in dense vegetation or long distance flash (beyond 40 feet).
2. Bring enough film for two to six rolls per day, and make certain that you aren't too close to the end of the roll before you shoot to assures you capture the entire action sequence.
3. Choose the right equipment. A 35 mm. single-lens reflex camera permits use of a powerful telephoto zoom, contains a good built-in exposure meters and may provide autoexposure and autofocus. A zoom lens in the 80 to 200 mm. range can capture most of what you are likely to want in the wildlife shots, although extreme closeups can require a longer lens (300 to 500 mm. range.
   Use a lens rest (small pillow or sand bag) for your telephoto lens, For general photos, a single wide-to-normal zoom, or a pocket automatic camera is good. Pocket cameras are good for nearly everything but wildlife photography - their telelenses are not powerful enough.
   
4. Bring plenty of batteries and replace them often. Become familiar with the low-battery indicator on your camera and flash.
5. Decide in advance what you want to include and exclude from the picture. Look at the background, foreground and objects at different distances. At the same time, don't frame the subject too tightly - leave space around it to show its environment. Beware, too, of autofocus limitations - if the subject does not fill the frame, your autofocus sensor may get distracted by objects in the background.
6. When the subject is moving, frame it with more space in front than behind. If the subject is not moving, leave only a little more space in front than behind.

1. Set the scene. When possible, take a moment before beginning to shoot to look around, consider lighting, sound and angle. Start with a wide establishing shot of the surrounding, then move in. When you are finished, move around your subject to catch it at different angles and distances. This gives movement and dimension to your video. When you start taping on a new day or at a new location, you might want to record the date and locale before you begin shooting.
2. Capture action. Show your viewers what you see as you're moving. Try to make people feel what it is like to be on safari. Don't be afraid to take close-ups when feasible.
3. Round out your video with behind-the-scenes shots of camp activity, meals preparing for the day, ending the day, etc. Interview your guide, driver, fellow travelers, getting them to recap the day, provide their impressions, tell stories.
4. Minimize zooms. With a light, hand-held camera, a good zoom may be hard to get. You can use a tripod, but even then, the zoom may still move too fast. You can get better close-ups by setting the camera on it widest setting and physically moving closer to the subject. This gives you a more personal, less shaky image. In addition you may find that too many zooms will be distracting later when you are watching your video at home. When you zoom, try to hold the camera very steady. Make sure to hold the shot for five seconds, or more, once you have zoomed in or out on a subject.
5. Minimize pans. With your camera stabilized, let your subject move into the frame rather than seeking it out through the viewfinder. If you do pan or tilt, move slowly and smoothly, pause for 5 seconds, then move back the other way if necessary.
6. Remember to point the microphone away from unwanted noise.
7. Make sure every shot, even if it is just filter, runs at least several seconds.
8. Leave the automatic focus on, so you are prepared for unexpected shots.
9. If you are in motion while taping (on horseback, hiking, moving in any way), think about setting the lens on wide angle to avoid jiggling. If you shoot with the telephoto lens while you are moving, the shot will be shaky.
10. Think about the composition of your picture - this is not a still camera. If you turn the camera sideways, you will have a sideways shot, not the vertical frame of a still camera.
11. Tape stock is somewhat fragile. At the start of each new tape, it is a good idea to run off 30 seconds before recording anything important.