Secret Safari Travel Tips with Malickys Boaz

How to prepare for a photography safari

1. How did you get into photography and for how long have you been doing?

It has been a great journey and for the past 7 years of working for personal projects, Individuals and Companies has made me who I am today. I used to go to the studio and take photo after every fresh haircut. It’s funny how It started but I developed the interest through that regular routine. Few years later I bought my first camera (Canon Rebel T6) and the rest was history.

2. What do you do first when preparing for a photo safari?

First of all, I charge all my equipment and make sure all cards are formatted ready for a shoot. I go through my camera settings because every shoot has its own type of settings. After that, I read the itinerary of the safari and pack my bag accordingly. In terms of weather and mostly safari color outfit.

3. Do you always have a shot list?

Every location has something to offer, I can easily create my shot list based on the actual place. I don’t really like to be put in a box of shot list. Most of the time you’ll never have the best of me. With small brief of the project plus years of my experience I can make my shot list while on the field and I always come up with good results. 

4. What is the most important gear that you have?

Every gear I have is very important to me. But I can’t travel anywhere without my drone. 

5. Best safari experience?

I have been in so many safaris and each of them has its own uniqueness. I would say The Great Migration in Serengeti is some unforgettable experience not just to photographers only but also to tourists as well. 

6. Who wins, Serengeti or the Maasai Mara?

If size matters Serengeti beats Maasai Mara hands down. Serengeti is much larger than Maasai Mara.  I’m lucky to be in both Parks and in terms of wildlife density, Masai Mara is better for game viewing. Although Serengeti boasts massive wildlife populations the wildlife is spread across a far larger area because the park is so much bigger than Masai Mara. Both Serengeti Park and Masai Mara are home to the Great Migration. Every year the Great Migration follows an ancient route between these two national parks. So, I would say, there is no better or worse when it comes to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. These two world-famous safari destinations form part of the same cross-border ecosystem, and have much in common when it comes to landscapes and wildlife. 

7. Sony Vs Nikon Vs Canon

There is no doubt that Sony Cameras are by far better compare to Nikon. But it’s a close competition when it comes to Canon. Speaking for my experience Nikon got good color science when it comes to photos. Something you can’t get from Sony or Canon however both of these cameras (Sony and Canon) have some good video capabilities compare to Nikon. 

8. What’s the longest safari experience you have ever been to and how long was it?

It was around the migration period in Serengeti and it took me almost 10 days to get a perfect shot of Wildebeest crossing the Mara River.

9.Tips to aspiring photographers?

Keep shooting the more you mess around, the more you find out. Learning is an endless procedure.