Danielle Carstens

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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

First and foremost, a photo guide is not a field guide in posession of a camera. It is a completely separate career with a different skill set altogether.

A professional photographic guide has an intimate knowledge of the region or reserve where the safari takes place. In addition, a professional photo guide is highly familiar with the technical side of photography and the workings of all major camera brands. They help guests troubleshoot issues, fine-tune settings, and better understand their own gear, while also pointing out and setting up creative photographic moments as they unfold. They are equally comfortable guiding guests through post-production and editing, sharing practical knowledge that helps images truly come to life.

Above all, a professional photographic guide puts their guests first—ensuring great photographic opportunities while always prioritising safety, comfort, and overall wellbeing throughout the safari.

A photo guide’s deep understanding of local wildlife behaviour enables them to read situations and anticipate animal movements, significantly boosting the chances of capturing unique and memorable images. They also carefully position the vehicle, considering light, angle, distance, and direction, to ensure guests have the best possible photographic opportunities.

Beyond wildlife expertise, a photo guide is well-versed in local customs, cultures, communication, and safety. They act as a bridge between guests and local field guides, helping interpret local ways of speaking and doing things, ensuring a smooth, informed, and enriching safari experience.

Most lodges in Africa—aside from a few in South Africa—charge their rates in USD. This has always felt a little unusual to me, but it largely comes down to the fact that the USA makes up a significant portion of safari travellers. Using USD as a global currency also makes pricing more consistent and easier to standardise across the industry.

We take pride not only in offering top-quality photographic tuition but also in creating genuine, personal experiences. From a practical perspective, many photo vehicles have only four seats, and even in vehicles or boats with more space, larger groups limit how much room each photographer has for their gear and movement. With regards to walking safaris (i.e Gorilla trekking), we prefers four guests to be able to spend wuality time with every guest. Smaller groups mean fewer competing interests, putting individual attention at the centre of everything we do. For us, it’s all about connecting with our guests and watching them form their own connections with the wildlife. This level of learning and engagement simply isn’t possible with larger groups—small groups make the experience far richer and more rewarding.

If budget is a contraint, six guests will be the maximum in a group.

There is a significant difference between a photo safari and a regular safari. On a photo safari, the focus is on capturing incredible images, not just seeing the wildlife. This changes the entire approach: we leave the lodge at different times, prioritise light above all else, position the vehicle carefully, anticipate animal behaviour, and spend plenty of time observing. We’re also selective with our sightings—rather than photographing sleeping lions in the shade, we might focus on practicing ‘birds in flight’ at a bee-eater colony or following a hyena on its way to a carcass.

We’ve hosted many couples where one is a photographer and the other isn’t (and they are repeat guests!). If the non-photographer enjoys nature, wildlife, and observing animal behaviour, they’re guaranteed to have an unforgettable experience. They’re also always welcome to enjoy an ‘armchair safari,’ staying at the lodge to watch wildlife at their own pace—whether on the lodge’s doorstep or at the waterhole. Few things are as relaxing as sipping a coffee at sunrise while watching the bush come alive.

We make a concerted effort to include everyone, not onl photographers and if the conversation becomes dominated by shutters and apertures, Danielle is more than happy to change the topic to your dogs or cats!

Absolutely. We act as safari designers and would be delighted to create a tailor-made safari for you, taking into account your budget, timeframe, species wishlist, and accommodation preferences. With our extensive knowledge of regions, wildlife and lodges ideally suited for photographers, we can craft an itinerary that maximises your opportunities to capture stunning and memorable images throughout your safari.

No. We welcome photographers of all skill levels. That said, the focus of the safari is always the same—to help you become a better photographer. The only requirement is a desire to improve and to leave with incredible images. If your goal is simply to take photos of anything and everything, regardless of image quality, we can also design an unguided safari that allows you to shoot at your own pace, without guidance on how to capture truly exceptional images.

As mentioned in the “Why Choose Us” section, wildlife always comes first. Our passion for photography is rooted in our love for wildlife, and if our actions harm the very animals we aim to capture, we have failed as photographers. We never bait, manipulate, or force animal behaviour for a photo. We take a purist approach, believing that the most compelling images come from patience, careful observation, and respect for nature.

While it can sometimes be challenging to instill this philosophy in local guides—who have all been trained differently and encounter a variety of guests—we remain steadfast in upholding it. Ultimately, our role as photographers is to showcase the beauty of the natural world while leaving both the animals and their habitats unharmed, and ideally, in better condition than when we arrived. You will never find DC Wild hosting or advertising safaris in crowded, unregulated areas with 50 vehicles jostling for space at a lion sighting and placing the animals under severe stress. This is not our vision of sustainable tourism, and while private reserves and quieter parks may come with a higher price tag, this is a standard we never compromise on.

It’s all relative. It’s not when you’re in the right areas and with someone who knows the ins and outs of a place. There are two types of safety to talk about – animals and humans. Yes, Africa has a reputation of crime and unfortunately it’s not a complete lie. However, incidents often occur due to travellers visiting dangerous areas and being uninformed. This, however, is easily mitigated by seeking advice from a local agent (such as DC Wild). We provide our guests with all the information they require for a safe trip. We live here in Africa and are up to date with the latest requirements and concerns, should there be any.

In terms of human crime, the bush is by far the safest place you can be, isolated from cities and surrounded by wildlife. When it comes to wildlife, we are very fortunate to spend time with habituated wildlife – animals that are used to people – usually inside vehicles or boats although walking safaris are also offered at various destinations. Animals aren’t out to harm humans at all and when behaving respectfully, they are completely safe to view and photograph. Often wildlife documentaries – as incredible as they are – portray wildlife as being blood-thirsty and forever on the hunt, which they’re not. It is an absolute privilege to spend time in the presence of these creatures, where both parties respect the other. 

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