Helicopter Photography Tips | ON SAFARI in Botswana

That was refreshing, enjoyed this one as it was different :) Thanks

Important tip about the settings of the camera is have in mind longer lenses require higher speeds to avoid motion blur. Flying closer to the ground also requires higher speeds in your camera settings to avoid motion blur. If under a bright sunny sky a polarizer can be great to saturate color and sharpen shadows, but with overcast conditions or variable conditions the 2 stops of light you loose yo may lose the options of working at lower ISO or avoiding motion blur so only use a polarizer if you have clear sky during your time in the air. If flying with only one camera some lenses like all in one zooms can be great no wider than 35mm and no longer than 400mm. Canon had a 28-300 that was great to have something from a little to wide to a little shorter but perfect for 95% of your shots (Focal lengths for full frame cameras). All cameras on straps, dual cards if camera allows it 128-256 GB if posible with high resolution cameras (36-61 MP), low to medium motor drive modes for fast moving subjects on short bursts. Most important: Safety. Always use a harness with safety strap to the aircraft to secure you during the flight on a helicopter with no doors. If the pilot can't take the doors of better get on a hot air balloon because the glass of a window will ruin your shoots.

I certainly hope the helicopter option will be available on my Chobe-Okavango-Kalahari trip beginning Nov 7 this year. I've shot video and stills from copter with doors off and did some amazing work in Arizona. Hope it can happen. Would plan to shoot with 2 Sony A1 bodies with Sony 20-70 G and 70-200 GM glass. And a GoPro 11.

I tried "hands-off" photography while riding my motorcycle.
Didn't end well.
It was on side-stand and I fell off...

Hi William!
It's Fred here ..... hope you are fine. Back in the days I was fortunate to experience two scenic flights above the delta with a "Cessna-like" aircraft but it was almost impossible to stick the lens through the small top window-opening because of the windy conditions. Those pilots flew way too high and didn't give any advice. Helicopter flights were always on my bucket list at the end of a trip but every time my financial situation in the end just was not insufficient to book me one.
What I noticed during these flights I experienced, that the companies that managed them decided what time of the day they flew out, most of the time a tourist routine job. Later on I became aware the weather and the season of the year were also decisive for photographing wildlife. One time I did a morning flight when it was still freezing cold and a flight on the hottest hour of the afternoon a few years later. In both of the situations the animals were hiding under trees and vegetation or even under water so just landscape images was the result. You need a little luck as well and a pilot that knows how too find animals to take good stuff. Have the quality of these flight providers improved and have helicopter flight prices risen after covid? Thanks in advance.....grtz Fred.

Awesome! Thanks so very much!

Thank you, great video, do we need to use Image Stabilization when shooting at these higher shutter speeds?

It’s certainly one of the fun things to do in Okavango. I did it back in 2017. I used 24-120 on my Nikon D850 and 70-200 on my D 500 cropped sensor body. Auto ISO and f 8 with shutter speed 1/1000s or faster. Had good results.

I used to do commercial photography and lots of aerials, especially for construction companies and oil and gas. Totally agree about removing the doors and watching out for wind gusts. It can also get very shaky sometimes and I once had the front element of my Nikon 15mm lens vibrate lose and fall into the Houston Ship Channel. The world is very different and beautiful from up there!

Loved your video!

It was great experience and beautiful to see the world from different angles! Thank you for your recommendation!!

One word Brilliant ☺☺

EXQUISITE photos, really beautiful ... thank you ... brings back such memories! Gives wonderful perspective, but nothing quite beats the down-to-earth engagement/immersion of mokkorring thru the swamps, walking on the islands including Chief's Island panga in hand, sleeping in the open, watching out for hippo (so they don't tip the mokkoro) and lion (realizing that sometimes lions actually swim!) and wandering day after day in the wilderness from the shallow swamps to the deeper river courses!

Looks Amazing.

You are really brilliant Will. Will always remember my trip on your boat.

hi, im booking a flight for end of September, really looking froward to it but I actually don't have any of those lenses you suggest, only a 10-18mm, 18-55, or 70-300, or 50mm, out of those which would you suggest would be best on a crop sensor camera? thankyou

Beautiful view

Hi Will, we enjoyed the morning we spent with you in the Mara. Sorry you were sick the day we were supposed to be with you earlier in the week.

Are helicopter rides available at Kanana?

Is this something you have tried or would consider trying?