Lion.
These magnificent cats are without a doubt one of the icons of Africa. I mean, and no disrespect here, but when was the last time you heard someone say ‘ I cannot wait for that once in a lifetime opportunity to go and photograph warthogs in the wild!’ Uhhh… nope. Not quite the same thing! 
Apart from being one of the key species in an African ecosystem lions have, and always will be (hopefully!), an icon when it comes to tourism. Seeing, and photographing, these animals in the wild is a fantastic experience. They exude a powerful arrogance, the kind only the apex predator in an area can. When you are with lions in the wild there is always a slight tension in the air as anything can happen. What if?
Later this year South Africa plays host to the FIFA Soccer World Cup and apart from complete sporting mayhem I reckon quite a few people will be heading out in to the wild places of Africa with all sorts of cameras. Imagine if you could have US$1 for every lion image that gets taken during the World Cup tourism boost…
There are certain things to look for when you are photographing the African icons. Lions. Elephants. Buffalo. Leopard. Rhino. Each of these amazing animals, and other like zebra and giraffe, are naturally photogenic but some of them you need to approach with a little but of technical skill, specific to each, in order to capture strong images. You need to expose differently for an elephant when it is wet and much darker than usual. Clearly capturing a lion’s pupil is non negotiable as it creates a much powerful image. And the list goes on. That is also the reason you need a photographic guide when you visit South Africa later this year but that’s a whole different story!
In time I will look at each of the African icons and what it takes to create strong images of each but before we get there, and I doubt the warthog is gonna come up as a contender for this title, which wild animal would you call the definitive photographic icon of Africa?
Which animal would you most like to photograph? Which animal would you most like to see photographs of? Leave a comment with your choice of the definitive photographic icon of Africa?
And just to show that there are no hard feelings…
Kinda cute, but an African icon? Let me know what you think!
Gerry
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Hmm…I kind of like the wartie!
Hard to choose just one that I would want to photograph over the other…so I would have to say… Cheetahleopardlionelephantgiraffe.
You are right that the lion is THE animal to which everyone wants a great shot. I am still waiting on my great lion shot after many ok lion shots. All that said, I get a real thrill our of capturing shots of a leopard in a setting without a distracting background. A rhino shot from a low angle also conveys a lot of drama. The warthog? Well, I have definitely photographed them, but … well it’s hard to get a ‘winner’ shot of an animal that walks around on it’s knees most of the day.
Quite right Buddy. I reckon we all sit with huge portfolios full of ‘ok’ images, waiting for ‘the one’! Gotta love the journey though!!
well, people come to see and photograph lions, true, but warthogs are shyer and run away, when disturbed, so a excellent warthog shot seems more difficult than a lion one… maybe we should dedicate a competition for the best warthog shot
In my eyes, the giraffe is a perfect example of an African icon. You see a photo of a giraffe, and you automatically think of Africa! And I kinda like the warthog as well, hehe.
Thanks Gerry, I’m coming back to SA in just over two weeks, so your blog helps to build up the excitement! Not that I really need any help….
Looking forward to seeing all of these animals in the flesh once again.
Agreed Kirsty! The giraffe must be one of the most quintessentially Africa looking animals out there!