 The right gear is only a half of your success. What you should not forget is that the right moments are all around and all you have to do is be patient, attentive and ready to take the best shot of your life any second. That’s all in your skills and vision.
So be as ready as only possible to shoot. Your camera should be preset as closely as possible to what is the most likely focus and exposure. If your camera has automatic exposure, leave it set on automatic unless you are sure that conditions prove to be different. Once again, it is vital that you knew your camera completely so that you are sure what to do with it at the dramatic moment.
Do not stint in your use of film. Take several pictures, if something you see is especially worth photographing. Try several different exposures because too often film comes back scratched or spoiled in some way. Or you may just get your prints lost or damaged when you send your film in to have prints made. If something like that happens, you will then always have another copy.
If you use telephoto lenses, try to minimize camera vibration. Ask your driver to switch off the engine of your vehicle. Lean your camera against a window ledge or on the roof, using a bean bag, and fast shutter speeds.
Practice releasing the shutter without shaking the camera. Follow the classic rule of thumb, which is that you should not try to hand-hold a camera at a shutter speed slower than the inverse of the focal length of your lens. That is if you are using a lens of 200mm, you should use a shutter speed of 1/20, 1/500 or faster. If you are using a 50mm lens, you can manage with a shutter speed of 1/60, 1/125 or faster.
Consider the sunlight angle. Most of your shots will look best if the sun is behind you and your camera, and the subject directly lighted up. Your driver should know about this and try to put the vehicle at the best possible angle. But if you are likely to try for unusual effects such as backlighting, you should know how to set your camera’s exposure meter so that it isn’t fooled by the extraneous light in the background. Of course you will frequently use the roof hatch of your vehicle, but don’t ignore the view from the windows, as a lower angle of view may allow a more excellent view of a large animal like a giraffe or elephant.
The skill of photographic composition is among those which are almost impossible to teach. A feeling for the background in which animals occur is a common feature for all the outstanding photographers. They usually include something of the landscape.
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