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Photo settings on iPhone's Safari stuck on “Private Access” with iOS 17

In Settings>Privacy and Security>Photos, Safari shows Private Access as the only option and states "This app can show your photo library but can only access the items you select." I cannot find anywhere to select/deselect photos. All other apps show None, Limited Access or Full Access. I am missing something.

Can anyone shed some light?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 17

Posted on Sep 22, 2023 5:04 AM

Posted on Dec 8, 2023 10:20 AM

Hi Apple. iOS is tagging apps randomly with this Private Access setting which makes it impossible to upload pictures. Why this behaviour can not be controlled. Please issue a fix!

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Dec 8, 2023 10:20 AM in response to Saltie Dawg

Oct 24, 2023 1:15 PM in response to Saltie Dawg

Dec 17, 2023 10:40 AM in response to QV222

Has anyones been fixed already? And if yes HOW?? ts is so irritating because why in every app? Cant access my gallery nowhere

Nov 22, 2023 6:40 PM in response to Saltie Dawg

IS ANYONE FROM APPLE LISTENING?

Dec 11, 2023 9:50 AM in response to Saltie Dawg

I am having the same issue. Any of my Apps that are marked Private Access I cannot change. Maybe because it is not technically an option: Full Access, Limited Access, None. Regardless we need a way to fix this!

Oct 26, 2023 1:00 AM in response to Saltie Dawg

I started seeing this problem when apple introduced custom photos/posters in ios17. That time it was contact app which got private access to my photo. Now that is gone but it resurfaced for safari. Even resetting the location and privacy settings does not help.

i have my icloud access disabled overall and so icloud photo sharing but still i have it enabled and i have no means to disable it.

This is very critical security issue as I dont know what caused it enabled in first place and why Safari( which is the window to the internet) has unchallenged private access to it?

It is very frustrated and concerning.

Is anyone from Apple listening?

Sep 28, 2023 5:47 AM in response to Lissy_12

Hello Lissy_12,

Thank You for your reply but unfortunately the link you provided does not address the question posed as addressed by applepie's response.

I apologize in advance if my second query seems simplistic but I think I might not have posed my question correctly.

I was asking;

• All apps except Safari show 3 choices listed in Settings>Privacy & Security>Photos (none, limited access, full access)
• Safari only shows private access stating "This app can show your photo library, but can only access the items you select".
• I can find nowhere any select/deselect settings or any user settings for that matter for Safari/Photos.
• I don't have a privacy concern, just trying to understand the apparently new IOS 17 feature.

Dec 1, 2023 4:59 AM in response to Saltie Dawg

I has a very similar problem. When I check Settings>Privacy>Photos, I had a single app that only had two options available to select -- None, Add Only.

I was able to solve this problem, by going to Settings>General>iPhone Storage and selecting the app in question, and choose the offload option which deletes the app, but retains its data. After reinstalling the app, all options became visible.

Note, this only became a problem for me with iOS 17.01

Feb 23, 2024 9:06 AM in response to Saltie Dawg

Still an issue!! Anything on “private access” is stuck there. There are no other options to switch it back. Software updates needed!

Nov 28, 2023 6:59 AM in response to milemin

I’m having this problem as well. The issue for me is that I am also unable to SAVE any photos to my camera roll. I have a paid membership for Canva and need to download my designs to my phone for work. I am no longer able to do this as it’s set to “private access” with no other option and it restricts me. How does this issue get escalated to Apple to be fixed? This is a HUGE problem!!!

Nov 13, 2023 3:24 PM in response to Saltie Dawg

iPad Pro 17.1.1

I’m having the same issue since the last update. However, I figured out a workaround until Apple fixes this bug.

In order to post a photo or video to an App or a social media url webpage that has Private Access or an App that has the correct permissions but still doesn’t work:

1) In Photos, select the photo or video you want to post.

2) Hold down on the photo or video until a menu pops out.

3) Select Share then Save To Files

4) Select iCloud Drive

5) Save it to the Downloads folder

6) Posting on an APP or url website, Select Photo/Video icon

7) Select Choose Files

8) Select iCloud Drive

9) Open Downloads folder and select your photo or video

This is really a messed up way to share photos and videos, but it works. If anyone has a better solution, please share.

Oct 29, 2023 5:50 AM in response to milemin

I have the same problem, although I have selected individual photos I still cannot attach these to Outlook email. This has happened since the last update. It’s very annoying as I can’t change the settings from Private access to anything else at, there is no other option. I do wish they would leave things alone.

Nov 14, 2023 11:02 PM in response to vb_

The setting “Private Access” is perfectly fine. If you have trouble selecting photos from your Photo Library to upload to websites there might be another problem (like e.g. not seeing videos in the selector because the site would only take stills).

As the text for this “unchangeable setting” explains, it means that Safari and therefore websites by default have No Access to your Photo Library, it remains “Private”.

When you want to upload photos to a website from your Photo Library, you get a photo picker like the one for „Limited Access“ to select which photos the upload process will see at all. The only difference to „Limited Access“ is, that it does not remember your last choices but defaults to no photos selected for access every time. Hence the different naming „Private Access“.

This is by the way not new and exactly the way photo selection for certain apps like Browsers worked before (I assume since iOS 14). With iOS 17 only the presentation and wording of this function changed. Up to iOS 16 “Limited Access” showed as “Selected Photos” and Apps like Safari would be listed separately under the heading “Apps with One-Off Photo Selection”, see screenshot.

Dec 5, 2023 8:48 AM in response to ElsaEls

Thanks for the work around, but I should be able to adjust what level of access I want to give to each app, and currently I am not able to do that.

Jan 25, 2024 8:52 AM in response to Dislike_usernaming

Believe it or not, some of us WANT to save photos from Safari to our photos app and now that functionality is destroyed. Good job Apple. Break something that some of us find ESSENTIAL for use on our phones. In case the sarcasm was lost on you eggheads who clearly didn’t think this through, this is unacceptable behavior and needs to be fixed. If you make a change this drastic then also make sure the user can turn it off/roll it back/undo it. Don’t tell me that Safari is not allowed to share a photo to have it saved to the camera roll, that’s unacceptable and needs to be fixed and escalated. Wake up Apple!!!

Safari Not Loading Images on Your iPhone? 9 Ways to Fix It

Browsing in Safari can be frustrating when images aren't loading up. But instead of panicking, follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve it.

Are you having trouble loading images in Safari and finding a solution to fix this issue? Look no further.

Safari can fail to load images due to various reasons, but we'll discuss why and walk you through some troubleshooting steps to fix this problem.

1. Make Sure Your Internet Connection Is Stable

Let's start with a basic solution. Your unstable internet connection could be why Safari can't load images on your iPhone. Safari requires a stable internet connection to work properly.

You can check the speed of your cellular data or Wi-Fi connection by visiting one of the many speed test websites available. If your cellular connectivity seems poor on your iPhone, enable Airplane Mode for a few seconds and then turn it off to refresh your network or switch to a Wi-Fi network.

2. Force Quit and Relaunch Safari

If your internet works fine, another simple fix for solving images not loading on Safari would be to force quit the app and relaunch it. With this method, you can easily fix any minor bug or glitch that might be preventing Safari from loading images on your iPhone.

Swipe up and hold to reveal the background app on your iPhone's Home Screen. Look for the Safari app and swipe up to force close the app.

You can also try a different browser to see if the website you're trying to open loads correctly on it. It could be an issue with the website and not Safari, or maybe that website isn't compatible with Safari.

3. Disable Low Data Mode

Using your iPhone in Low Data Mode may help reduce overall cellular data usage by limiting the data your iPhone can access for background tasks.

Still, it can also prevent images from loading on Safari. Turning off this feature can fix the images not loading in Safari issue.

Here's what you need to do to enable Low Data Mode for a cellular connection:

• Launch the Settings app on your iPhone and select Cellular .
• Tap Cellular Data Options .
• Toggle off Low Data Mode .

Likewise, to enable Low Data Mode for a Wi-Fi connection, follow these steps:

• Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi .
• Tap the Info (i) button next to the Wi-Fi network you're connected to.
• Toggle of Low Data Mode .

Now, relaunch Safari and see if it loads images as intended.

4. Enable JavaScript

JavaScript is widely used on websites to display images and other dynamic elements. If you accidentally turned off the JavaScript option in Safari settings, this could be why images aren't loading in Safari on your iPhone. To fix this, follow these steps:

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone and select Safari .
• Tap the Advanced option at the bottom.
• Enable the JavaScript toggle.

Now, check if you're able to load images while browsing Safari.

5. Disable Ad Blockers

There's no denying that ad blockers are tremendously helpful in removing unwanted ads from a webpage and improving the overall browsing experience.

While these extensions can improve your Safari experience , they may result in photos not loading in Safari on your iPhone. To solve this, disable these ad blockers by following these instructions:

• Under the General section, tap the Extension option.
• Select the Ad Blocker extension from the list.
• Disable the Allow Extension toggle.

6. Remove Content Restrictions

The Screen Time feature on your iPhone lets you set app content restrictions and time limits. If you've enabled this feature, it might interfere with Safari and prevent it from loading images.

To remove content restrictions for Safari on your iPhone, here's what you need to do:

• Launch the Settings app and select Screen Time .
• Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions .
• Disable the Content & Privacy Restrictions toggle.

This method is also one of the best fixes when Safari isn't working on your iPhone .

7. Clear Browsing Data

If you frequently use Safari, it will accumulate data over time. This data can become corrupted and prevent Safari from loading images on your iPhone. Clearing your browser's cache is a common troubleshooting method and is well-known for resolving problems and removing temporary glitches.

Besides, if you haven't cleaned your browsing history in a while, it may impact Safari's speed and performance. To clear Safari's data from your iPhone, follow these steps:

• Head to the Settings app and select Safari .
• Scroll down and tap on Clear History and Website Data .
• Select All history and hit the red Clear History button.

This method will unclutter the browsing data and speed up Safari if it takes forever to load .

8. Disconnect Your VPN

VPNs are a fantastic way to hide your location and other private information from websites you visit. However, VPNs usually re-route your data through a succession of remote servers to keep it untraceable, producing network latency that can prevent pictures from loading in Safari.

Disconnecting the VPN might solve the issue if you're using a VPN while browsing Safari. You can either do this directly from the VPN app installed on your iPhone or go to Settings > VPN and toggle of VPN Status .

9. Update Your iPhone

iOS updates can sometimes carry bugs that could affect certain apps, but Apple is always quick to address such issues. So, if you haven't updated your iPhone in a while, now would be the right time to do so.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update and wait until your device finishes checking for updates. If a new iOS version is available, tap Download and Install .

Enjoy Safari Images on Your iPhone

It can be frustrating when pictures don't load in Safari, as they're essential to your web browsing experience. However, you can use the troubleshooting steps we discussed here to fix this issue quickly. If you're still out of luck, you should contact Apple Support or make an Apple Store appointment at a Genius Bar for in-person assistance.

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Eight Privacy and Security Improvements in iOS 17: Safari, Shared Passwords, URL Tracking Removal and More

The iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 updates include a number of privacy and security improvements that make your devices safer than ever, with Apple restricting access to photos and calendar events and cutting down further on how websites track you across the web.

Private Browsing Upgrades in Safari

In Safari, Private browsing windows are now locked and require secondary authentication to unlock and access. If you hand your phone over to someone and they attempt to open your Safari private browsing tab, access will be denied without a Face ID / Touch ID scan or a passcode.

Tracking URL Removal

Opening up a URL in a private browsing window automatically strips all tracking information added to the URL, plus unknown trackers are completely blocked so companies aren't able to track your browsing across multiple sites.

• Open up the Settings app.
• Scroll down to Safari.
• Tap on Advanced.
• Tap on Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection.
• Toggle on "All Browsing."

Turning this on will ensure that all URLs opened in Safari will strip additional tracking information that's pasted on to the end of a URL.

Shared Passwords

With ‌iOS 17‌, ‌iPadOS 17‌, and macOS Sonoma , you can securely share passwords and passkeys with friends and family members using a new shared password function. Using this feature, passwords for shared media accounts, utilities, bills, and more can be provided to multiple people.

Passcode Resets

If you change the passcode on your iPhone and then accidentally forget the new passcode that you chose, you now have a 72-hour grace period to fix it without getting locked out of your device.

When you enter an incorrect passcode after making a change, you can tap on the "Forgot Passcode?" option at the bottom of the display to use the "Try Passcode Reset" option. Tapping it allows you to use your old passcode to create yet another new passcode.

For protection in case someone has learned your passcode, there is an "Expire Previous Passcode Now" setting that you can turn on.

Photo Library Access

The Photos picker in ‌iOS 17‌ is designed to allow users to share specific photos with apps while the rest of the Photo Library stays private. Apps must ask to access the user's entire photo library, and users will be shown additional information on the photo information they are sharing, such as number of photos and videos and the metadata included like location and captions.

• Limited Access - Apps can see only the images that you can select, and you can review the selected images anytime either in the app or by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > ‌Photos‌.
• Full Access - Apps can see all of the images and videos in your Photo Library, and your device will tell you exactly how many photos and videos you're giving access to.
• None - No access to the Photo Library at all.
• Add ‌Photos‌ Only - The app can add images to your library, but not view them. This setting depends on the app, and is not available for all apps.

If you open up the Settings app and then go to the Privacy and Security section and choose ‌Photos‌, you can see the ‌Photos‌ access that all apps have access to. You can change the settings from here, and it's a good idea to go through the list to see exactly which apps can see your images. You can also opt to remove information like location and caption, and change photo format.

Downloading a new app that wants Photo Library access will bring up options to give limited or full access. In the past, apps had the option to just ask for blanket Photo Library access, which gave them the entire library, rather than just chosen images. There's much more control over what apps can see in terms of photos in ‌iOS 17‌.

Your ‌iPhone‌ will also periodically remind you about apps that have access to your full Photo Library, offering up the option to change access to limited.

Calendar Access

Apps can add an event to the Calendar app without being able to view your Calendar through the "Add Events Only" option.

Apps that have full Calendar access can see location, invitees, attachments, and notes, according to Apple.

‌iOS 17‌ automatically assigns a passkey to an Apple ID , which is a more secure password alternative. With a passkey, users can sign into an ‌Apple ID‌ with ‌Face ID‌ or ‌Touch ID‌ instead of their password, with the feature available on icloud.com, appleid.apple.com, and other Apple websites.

With ‌iOS 17‌, ‌macOS Sonoma‌, and ‌iPadOS 17‌, when you sign into an Apple website, you'll use biometric authentication rather than your password. Passkeys will eventually be adopted by many sites, replacing passwords.

Home Activity History

The Home app now includes an activity history for up to 30 days, so you can see who accessed door locks, garage doors, contact sensors, and alarm sensors, and when. It can be accessed by tapping on the "Security" button at the top of the Home app and then choosing "Activity History."

More information on all of the new features in the ‌iOS 17‌ update can be found in our iOS 17 roundup .

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How-To Geek

How to stop safari from launching apps on iphone and ipad.

Want to stop Safari from automatically opening apps on your iPhone or iPad? We've got some tricks for that.

Quick Links

Option 1: uninstall the app, option 2: long-press on a link, option 3: use safari in private browsing mode, option 4: lock safari with guided access.

Safari for iPhone and iPad will automatically open many web links in apps. For example, if you tap a LinkedIn, Reddit, or YouTube link on a web page, you'll be taken to the associated app. Here's how to stay in Safari.

Here's why Safari does this: App developers can choose to register their apps with URLs. For example, if you install the LinkedIn app, it will register itself with linkedin.com addresses. Whenever you tap a linkedin.com link in Safari with LinkedIn installed, Safari will take you to the LinkedIn app. Apple doesn't offer a way to disable this for individual apps.

If you really don't like using a service's app and prefer its website, you can uninstall the app from your iPhone or iPad. Safari won't open the app if it's not installed.

To avoid opening an app when opening an individual link, you can long-press it in Safari. A preview of the web page will appear. Tap "Open" to open the link in Safari in the current tab or "Open in New Tab" to open the link in Safari in a background tab.

This will bypass opening the link in the associated app, but you'll have to use the context menu each time. If you find yourself doing this all the time, uninstalling the service's app may save you some time.

In Private Browsing mode, Safari's behavior changes to protect your privacy. Safari will never open a private browsing link in its associated app before asking you first. This helps protect your privacy---after all, you may be signed into the app and it may reveal personal information.

When in Private Browsing mode , you'll receive an "Open in [App]?" prompt after tapping a link if that link would normally open in an app. Tap "Cancel" and Safari will open the link in a normal Private Browsing tab.

However, there is still that extra step after enabling Private Browsing mode---you have to tap "Cancel" rather than just instantly opening the link.

Related: How to Use Safari Private Browsing on an iPhone or iPad

Guided Access mode is a feature on your iPhone or iPad that lets you "lock" your iPhone to a specific app. For example, you might enable this if you want a child to use a specific app on your device (like a game or video player) without accessing anything else (like your email or online banking.)

This feature can stop Safari from opening apps, too: With Guided Access enabled, you can't leave Safari until you disable Guided Access mode. Safari won't even try to open links in other apps.

To set up Guided Access mode, head to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access. (You can use the search box to search for the Guided Access page in settings, too.) Activate "Guided Access" here.

Next, switch to Safari and triple-click the side button, as explained on the Guided Access settings screen. Tap "Start" to enable Guided Access mode. You'll be prompted to enter a PIN the first time you do this. You'll need this PIN to leave Guided Access mode.

You can now browse and Safari won't offer to open any apps. To leave Safari, you'll have to exit Guided Access mode by triple-clicking the side button once again and entering your PIN. You can tap "Passcode Settings" on the Settings screen where you enabled Guided Access to enable other authentication methods like Touch ID and Face ID.

None of these methods are perfect. You'll either have to uninstall the associated app or do some extra tapping around to avoid opening its links in Safari.

Ideally, Apple would offer a Settings screen that lets you control which apps can take over links just as you can control other app features like location access and notification permissions.

20 Easy Tips for Better Safari Photos

I hate to break it to you, but it’s impossible to get good safari photos with your phone’s camera . Yes, even with the latest iPhone or Pixel, what good safari photos require is physically impossible to fit into a phone. I mean, if we didn’t need to lug around big lenses, I’m pretty sure no one would do it?

So if you need to bring a “real camera” on safari, exactly what camera equipment do you need for safari? Which equipment is optional? And how can you make the most out of the camera equipment that you already have?

Here are the essential photography equipment for going on safari, including my personal recommendations for gear, ideas for how to save money on your safari photography setup, as well as safari photography tips to help you make the most of any gear you get your hands on.

Bring the right photography gear for safari

You don’t need to spend a fortune to get great photos, but you do need more than an iPhone to snag great photos. If this list sounds daunting and you don’t already have a suitable camera, consider renting a camera or lens if you are certain you won’t use it again. You can also buy gear used on eBay or Amazon to save some money.

• Camera – I used the Fujifilm X-T2 with great success.
• Zoom lens – For the Fuji system, I can recommend the Fujinon XF 50-140mm f2.8 + Fujinon 2x Teleconverter .
• Wide angle / mid-range lens – I took the Fujinon XF 16mm f1.4 + Fujinon XF 35mm f1.4 + Fujinon 56mm f1.2 .
• Lens cleaning equipment (lens pen, lens wipes) – I recommend this lens pen and these lens cleaning wipes .
• Spare batteries – Choose whatever fits the camera you have, fully charged! I usually bring two spares.
• Spare memory cards – You want something with a fast write speed, like this 64GB UHS-II 300MB/s SD card
• Camera bag – Bring anything with easy access. You’ll be sitting on safari so size and weight is not a big deal.

It might look silly, but you can bet I got the best photos!

Use the burst shooting mode

Burst shooting mode allows you to hold down the shutter, and take between 5 10 photos in a single second! This can be extremely useful on safari, when animals are moving quickly or simply when you know the animals are likely to disappear into the bush or an area you cannot drive to. That’s why it’s super useful to get a camera that supports this setting!

For example, here there are two water bucks, sparing with one another in the morning sun. Since they’re moving around quite a lot, there weren’t a lot of photos where I could see their antlers interlock. But since I could take a bunch of pictures, I could just pick the best one.

Here, the rhinos are not moving very fast, but it’s a super special moment to capture a baby rhino on camera! Owing to the vegetation, I knew I wouldn’t have a view of both the mother and baby for long, but burst mode saved me and I had a number of pictures to choose from. Thanks burst mode 🙏

Learn to use your camera in advance

Nothing is worse than trying to figure out how your freaking camera works while you’re already ON safari! You’ll just be frustrated trying to get the settings right, while an amazing wildlife moment just passes right by. Spend time practicing with your new camera. You’ll want to learn a few things like:

• How to make the shutter speed faster
• How to turn on burst mode
• How to change the focus point

That’s just for beginners, but these are really important things to have down second-nature before your safari 🍃

Enjoying the photos? Follow along on Instagram!

Follow @notanomadblog for beautiful travel photography and stories of our journeys

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Bring equipment for dealing with dust or fingerprints

When you’re driving out in the bush, there’s a good chance you’ll need to deal with some dust. How much dush depends a lot on where you’re driving and recent weather conditions (has it rained recently?). In any case, don’t forget to bring along a lens pen for cleaning smudges off your lenses (which can make your photos blurry!) and some lens cleaning wipes for more serious dirt or water droplets 💦

Bring back up memory cards

When you’re using burst mode, it’s easy for your memory card to fill up fast . Don’t get caught on safari having to delete photos just to free up space on your memory card. I personally filled up THREE memory cards during my two-week trip to South Africa, and about half of that was just safari photos. Be prepared, buy extra.

Bring a telephoto lens

If your goal is to take wildlife photos, then a telephoto lens (also called “zoom lens”) is the one piece of equipment you can’t leave behind. The question is always, how much zoom do you need for safari? For many systems, the most common zoom lenth is somewhere between 50-150mm and 100-400mm. In general, you won’t regret having plenty of zoom – it doesn’t go as far as you’d think. That said, be sure to complement your zoom lens with a wide-angle or mid-range lens because there will be times where you need to capture a landscape, a whole herd of animals, or a complete scene with multiple animals in it.

This crocodile was super far away, but I could capture him with my zoom!

Support your zoom lens to avoid camera shake

An interesting caveat to having a big zoom lens is that the more you zoom, the more likely you are to get blurry photos . That’s because more zoom means less light coming in, and your camera needs to compensate for it. If you already have the aperature (also called “f stop”) as open as possible, the next step for the camera is probably to slow down the shutter speed.

That’s why you need to be as still as possible and support your lens with your hand to keep camera shake down. You can also hold your breath during a shot, to avoid introducing shake, or balance your lens on a bag or something soft on the edge of the safari vehicle or hand rail. Anything to help the lens keep still!

Many zoom lenses also come with OIS (optical image stabilization), so look for that when you are picking a zoom lens!

This two-week South Africa itinerary can show you some of the best of the country, from wine regions to urban life, from safari to city, and from the sparkling Indian Ocean to the deserts of the Karoo. Here is how to spend two weeks traveling South Africa.

Bring a tripod for long exposures at night

Even though this isn’t strictly a safari tip, the fact is that if you’re staying in a private safari lodge , you’re going to have incredible views of the stars . Bring along a tripod for some very special photos at night!

Include the environment

Sometimes the environment with the animal in it is way more interesting than the animal itself! Here’s an example of that, with the hippo yawning as the sun sets over his favorite watering hole. These guys were so loud with their howling, it was a really memorable moment on safari while the sun was going down.

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Be prepared for low light photos

When choosing lenses for safari, make sure you find one that has the lowest f-stop number (meaning, the widest aperature) that you can find. For example, the lens I used was f2.8. That’s pretty good for a zoom lens. Many wildlife lenses will be f4, but that can also mean you get less light for the evening drives. Strive for a balance between zoomm power and f-stop.

At night, our tracker scans the landscape for the gleam in the eyes of nocturnal animals. On one night, we spotted this beautiful African barn owl who was patient enough to let me take his photo!

You can hover over any photo on this blog to see the camera and lens that the photo was taken with. Click on the information to see reviews on Amazon.

Don’t forget about the details

It can be really easy just to focus on animals, but safari is also about the overall experience, not just the so-called “Big Five”. On safari you’ll learn about the plants that animals feed on, and how it affects where they move to, as well as the smaller creatures that drive the ecosystem in the bush, like the venerable Dung Beetle!

Above: Mopane trees are a favorite food of elephants, and one of the reasons they come to the Timbavati Game Reserve. Below: A Dung Beetle crafts its ball of dung, intended to attract a mate.

Include people or other objects for scale

It can be incredible how big animals are on safari! But usually in photos it’s hard to convey how big they really are. By including people or other objects for scale, it can be easier to communicate visually how big something really is. For example, this Giraffe is totally huge standing next to a fully grown tree! No trouble getting to those leaves, eh?

Go to where the animals are

In most parks, this means watering holes! Especially during high sun, you’ll see animals coming to watering holes for a drink or to take a mud bath. Even if you don’t see animals right away, you can stay and sit at a watering hole for a while and there’s a pretty good chance that some animals will swing by in no time.

Watering holes are also a great place to see herds of animals. At Addo Elephant Park we saw herds of zebras and especially elephants congregating at the watering holes. The best part is watching the elephants chase the zebras away! 🐘

Going on safari is the number one item on top of many tourists' lists when visiting Africa. No matter what your budget is, there is a safari option that will fit your budget. Here are different ways you can get the safari experience and their pros and cons!

Wear neutral colors

There’s a reason why safari-goers tend to dress in neutral colors! That’s because animals are less likely to see it and run away. In most areas that are popular for safari, the animals know that safari vehicles are not to be feared, but plenty of prey animals are likely to run anyways. Dress neutral and keep your visibility to a minimum.

Dressing neutral usually means tan and olive-colored clothing. You’re meant to avoid white or neon colors in particular.

Join a bush walk

One of the best ways to experience the African bush is going through a bush walk! You’ll get a chance to see smaller animals and get up close to plants and insects you typically don’t get to take your time with when driving through. Check that your safari lodge offers a bush walk.

WARNING – You should never go on a bush walk on your own, or leave the safari vehicle without your guide telling you it’s fine. On a self-drive you should not get out of the vehicle at all. Only walk through the bush on guided tours, with guides who are usually armed.

Travel early in the morning or around sunset

Not only do you get some of the best photos possible during the “golden hours”, but it’s also the time when animals are the most active. Although we saw animals at all times of the day, you’ll see different animals active at each time during the day. Most private safari lodges will take you on early morning and late afternoon game drives, but be sure to verify that before you book!

Above: Hyenas venture away from their den for a late afternoon drink near our safari lodge. Below: A bull elephant eating his leafy breakfast 🍃

Talk to other safari-goers for tips on sightings

If you’re doing a private safari, there’s a good chance your guide and tracker are communicating with other guides and trackers about their sightings. That’s one of the big benefits of going on private game drives. But even if you don’t have the budget for that, don’t be afraid to slow down your car on a self-drive and roll the window down to talk to people! That’s how we got a tip about one of the best elephant herd sightings we had.

It can be really hard to pick a safari lodge in South Africa with so many great options. Here is my incredible experience at Motswari, a private game reserve in part of the Greater Kruger National Park.

Don’t just zoom in all the way

Sometimes the best photos include the full body of the animal, or even some of the environment. It can be so so so tempting just to use your zoom for animal portraits, but make sure you’re also getting some of the landscape in the picture too!

Focus on the eyes

Whether you’re photographing animals on safari, or you’re taking portraits of people, the principle is the same: set your focus point on the eyes! This is what makes the photo look sharp and feel engaging.

Make sure the settings on your camera are correct

Before heading out for the day, check that your camera settings didn’t get changed, or that they’re not the same settings you used when you were out at night! Nothing’s worse than having an awesome early morning sighting and screwing it up because you still had your ISO too high.

Don’t forget to enjoy the safari!

Photography is supposed to help you remember your safari experience, not to BE the experience in and of itself. Bring some binoculars to inspect the animals more closely, and enjoy whatever gifts nature has brought you that day!

Have you ever been on safari? What animal did you think was the most photogenic? What was the best spot you’ve been for viewing animals?

Share your experiences in the comments! I’d love to get your safari tips.

About the author

Hi there! I'm Monica, an American expat living in Germany for over six years and using every opportunity to explore the world from my homebase in Berlin. My goal is to capture my memories in photos and posts that show how easy it is to start from scratch and travel the world by working abroad.

Follow along on Instagram , Twitter , Bloglovin , & Facebook .

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Safari Photography Tips – How to Get Great Photos on Safari

Last updated: August 30, 2023 . Written by Laurence Norah - 4 Comments

A safari is a fantastic way to see a wide range of wildlife in its natural habitat. It’s also an opportunity to take lovely photos of that wildlife! However, there are some unique challenges to taking photos on safari. In this post, I’m going to share some safari photography tips to help ensure you get the best photos when you go on safari.

As a professional travel photographer, I’ve been lucky enough to take photos in a wide range of scenarios, including on a number of safaris in both Africa and Asia. Based on my experiences, I’m going to share with you everything you need to know to get great photos on safari.

Most of my examples used in the post are from taking photos while on safari in Africa; however, these tips will work for most safari destinations. as well as for wildlife photography in general. Many of these tips can help anyone looking to improve their wildlife photography and also for anyone wanting to take photos from a vehicle.

I’ll cover a few things in this post. I’m going to talk about some general tips and things to think about when going on safari from a photography perspective. I’ll also include ideas on suggested cameras and camera accessories for safari so you know what is important to bring along.

A safari is a big investment for many of us, and is often a once in a lifetime trip. So getting great photos to remember our experiences is important. Let’s get started with the tips!

Tips for Taking Better Photos on Safari

Plan where you want to go.

The first thing you are going to have to do is decide where you want to go on safari. It’s likely that you already have an idea as to what you want to see and photograph on your safari, be it specific animals or birds, or maybe you are interested in certain landscapes.

The main thing is that you pick a destination that will give you a good chance of seeing the things you really want to see and photograph. This is particularly the case with animals or birds that are rarer, like rhinos.

On a recent trip across East Africa, we knew that we wanted to see and photograph things like gorillas, chimpanzees, rhinos, and spoonbill storks. We picked the countries we visited as well as the time of year we travelled to ensure that we would have a good chance of seeing these particular animals.

We also wanted to see the Great Wildebeest Migration on that trip. This is always taking place, so it was just a question of researching where it would be at the time of year we would be visiting to ensure we would have the best chance to see and photograph it.

Planning your destination properly is definitely the first step to getting the photos you want to get on your safari.

Research Your Chosen Safari Location

Once you have chosen your safari destination, do some research to better understand your trip itinerary and the wildlife, landscape, and climate of the destination.

All of these things can affect how you will want to prepare for your safari and the type of camera equipment you might need.

For instance, if your main photography goal of the trip is take photos of lions, you will want to try to make sure that you spend a sufficient amount of time in places with healthy populations of lions to increase your chances of seeing and photographing them. Lions are often best seen in savanna areas.

However, if you are interested in malachite kingfishers, you’ll want to make sure that you spend enough time in wetland areas for a good chance to see these birds. These little birds are best spotted and photographed either from a boat or on foot.

This research will also help you decide on the equipment you will need to take with you. For photography of smaller birds for example, you’re likely going to need a longer lens. If you are more interested in landscapes, then a wide-angle lens will be an essential item.

Finally, check out the climate for the country you are visiting and the time of year you plan to visit. Having an idea of what to expect will ensure you bring the right clothing as well as any protective equipment like camera rain covers on your trip.

Choose the Right Camera for Safari

One of the main decisions you’ll have to make when planning your safari trip is what camera to take with you on your trip. This decision will have you weighing various factors, from your budget through to the size and weight of the camera.

When you are deciding how much to spend and how much you are willing to carry with you, consider what sort of images you want to get. If you are looking for amazing wildlife shots of fast action or in low light, then you will want to invest more money in a high-end set-up.

As an example, compare these two shots of a leopard taken in low light at the end of the day. Both are uncropped.

Both images are obviously of a leopard. However, the compact camera struggles to get a close up shot due to the maximum 70mm focal length, and even at ISO 800 the image ends up being quite noisy. The slow shutter speed, even with image stabilization, also means the shot is not too sharp.

The larger and more professional Canon EOS R5 mirrorless camera paired with a 100-400mm lens is still able to get a very usable image, even at 10,000 ISO.

If you are just happy to capture memories of your trip, then a compact camera or smartphone will likely do the job.

A good compromise for many users is a bridge camera , which offers a good balance between a long zoom, affordability, and image quality.

However, if you want the most flexibility and opportunity to get the best shots from your trip, then a higher end mirrorless camera would be my recommendation.

If money and size are no object, my recommended camera for safari would be a high-end mirrorless system. The latest mirrorless models feature excellent auto-tracking autofocus which can recognise and lock onto a subject very quickly, which can really help with fast moving subjects.

In this situation, I’d probably pick a Canon EOS R5, Sony Alpha a7r IV or a Nikon Z9. I’d pair it with a telephoto zoom in the range of 100-500 with stabilization and as wide an aperture as I could afford.

If you want something that offers a good balance between affordability, image quality, and zoom, then my suggestion would be a bridge camera.

I have a whole post on the best camera for safari which I would suggest reading if you don’t already have a camera you want to bring with you. It’s definitely important to choose the right camera for you.

In summary though, here are some recommended cameras that I suggest you take a look at, depending on the type of camera you would like to take on safari:

• Smartphone: either a Pixel 6 Pro or iPhone 13 .
• Compact camera Panasonic Lumix ZS70 or Sony RX100 VII
• Bridge camera:   Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80 / FZ82 or Sony RX10 IV .
• Mirrorless camera: Sony a6100, Sony Alpha 7c , Canon EOS R6 Mark II , Nikon Z7II , Canon EOS R5 , or   Sony Alpha a7 IV
• DSLR camera:  Nikon D3500 or Canon EOS 6D Mark II

For more on choosing a camera in general, we also have guides to the best travel camera , best compact camera , best bridge camera , best mirrorless camera and best DSLR cameras .

If you have, or plan to buy, a mirrorless camera or DSLR camera, you may be wondering what kind of lens would be best for safari. It depends of course on your photography goals and what you want to photograph, but I would generally recommend a lens with a focal range of 100-400mm. See my safari camera post for lens recommendations.

Learn How to Use Your Camera

Once you have decided on which camera to take with you, it’s important that you learn how to use it properly. This applies to whatever kind of camera you are using, be it a smartphone camera or a high-end DSLR or mirrorless camera.

A camera is ultimately just a tool to help you take great photos, and like any tool, it will only do what you ask of it. Understanding the various features of your camera and how to access and adjust key settings is vital to ensure you don’t miss a shot.

When you are on safari, great photography opportunities can arise very quickly and be gone just as quickly. For example, for the shot of the leopard at the start of this post I had just a couple of seconds to frame the shot and ensure all the settings were correct before he decided to sit up and slink away out of sight.

Had I not been able to nail the focus or adjust ISO, aperture, and shutter speed appropriately in time, I would have missed the shot. I would recommend checking out my guide to the exposure triangle , as well as how to use a mirrorless camera for detailed advice.

Understanding how to adjust the settings and set up your camera properly means you’ll have more control over the final look of your shots. For example, you could learn how to manually change the shutter speed so as to capture movement in different ways.

Here are a couple of examples of different shutter speeds to show the difference.

In the first shot, even though the fighting zebra are moving quickly, the fast shutter speed freezes the action. In the second shot of the wildebeest crossing, they are just walking over the road. But in 1/5th of a second, they cover a small amount of ground, and so they become blurry. The single stationary wildebeest remains sharp as it isn’t moving.

There are many features of a camera which can be used to adjust how the final shot looks, and understanding how to control them will help ensure you get the shots you want.

If you feel you need help with using your camera and would like to improve your photography, there are a lot of photography courses, books, and workshops out there. I run an online photography course that teaches all the basics as well as more advanced skills, and have proudly helped thousands of people improve their photography skills.

Understand the Limitations of Your Camera

Every camera has limitations as to what it can do. These limitations will vary, and even high-end cameras will have some sort of limitation.

Examples of limitations are:

• The zoom isn’t very big, meaning you can’t capture animals which are far away and will have limitations capturing smaller animals like birds
• The camera sensor is small, and so will produce noisier images when there is less light
• The lens is big and heavy, so you need to use a fast shutter speed to avoid getting blurry images due to your hand motion when hand holding it
• Big and heavy equipment is more difficult to pack and travel with

The important thing is to understand the limitations of your camera so you can work around them, or at least, know what to expect before you go on safari.

The most common issue is probably not being able to take photos of animals that are further away. We saw a number of travelers frustrated by this on our recent trip in East Africa. All cameras will have their distance limitations, just be sure to have a good idea of yours so you can have realistic expectations of what kinds of photos you will be able to take. You can simply go outside and take photos of local animals or birds to get a good sense of this.

Another common issue I see from safari photos and wildlife photos in general are images that are not as sharp as they could be.

This is usually because the shutter speed is too low, and the user is hand holding a larger lens. A slow shutter speed means that any movement in your hand is translated into motion blur as you take the picture. You can fix this by increasing the shutter speed and/or resting the lens on a steady surface.

Some limitations can’t be overcome though, and are usually down to the actual hardware inside the camera. For example, the maximum zoom, the sensor size and maximum aperture size will be fixed.

However, if you know what the limitations of your equipment are, then you will be able to either accept them and work around them, or decide on upgrading to a different camera for your trip.

I’d also add at this point that you shouldn’t compare your photos to those you’ve seen on TV, online, and in wildlife magazines. You have no doubt seen some amazing wildlife photos and videos on sites like National Geographic or the BBC , and might wonder why you aren’t able to get the same sorts of shots.

Whilst it is of course possible to get images like those photographers do, they often have a lot of advantages over the average tourist. Not only do they typically travel as a crew with tons of high-end equipment, but they often take photos in locations that are hard to get to with limited public access.

They also often have paid for special press / filming permits to get off-road access or shoot in private areas outside of national parks. They also often spend weeks planning and trying to get the right shots, and only share the best shots with the public.

So don’t be too hard on your gear or yourself. Just be aware of the limitations of your photography equipment and know how to get the most out of it.

Understand What Causes Blurry Wildlife Images

It’s important that your images are sharp. Two things can cause an image not to be sharp.  The first is using too slow of a shutter speed for the situation you are shooting. The second is not focusing correctly.

A slow shutter speed can result in blurry images for a number of reasons. If you are hand holding your camera, then any movements in your hands can translate to blurry images. Movement of the subject can also translate to blur, as can movement due to you taking photos from a moving vehicle or boat.

You can resolve the slow shutter speed blur problem by using a faster shutter speed, and ensuring you are as still as possible when shooting. Ideally, you’ll want to rest your camera on something totally stable when shooting. Then all you have to think about is the motion blur that might result from the animal moving.

For focus, the main issue is likely to come about as a result of the camera’s autofocus system picking the wrong part of the scene to focus on, leaving your subject out of focus. I’ll cover that in my next tip.

Master Your Camera’s Focus System

An important aspect of wildlife photography is knowing how to use your camera’s focus system.

It is important to be able to focus on the animal or thing that you want the viewers’ eyes to go to in the image. This means that you will want to be able to use your camera’s manual focus system (if it has one) and/or learn how to change the focus if your cameras autofocus gets it wrong.

A shot can technically be in focus and sharp, but if you have focused on the wrong part of the scene your actual subject will be out of focus and so you won’t end up with the image you want.

Nearly every camera on the market today has an automatic focus, or autofocus system. As the name suggests this system automatically focuses for you when you point the camera at a scene.

There is however quite a difference in the capabilities of these systems. At the more basic end, an autofocus system will allow you to select an area of the scene to focus on, and then focus appropriately.

More advanced autofocus system will be able to identify specific types of subject like animals or people, and track them as they move so you can keep focus.

Many cameras and lenses also feature manual override, so you can manually adjust the focus if you need.

For the main camera I use for wildlife photography, the Canon EOS R5 , this has a very sophisticated autofocus system which is able to recognised and lock onto a wide range of subjects. If it can find an eye, it will lock focus on that. Otherwise it will try to track a torso or head. Additionally, it can continue to track the subject as it moves, switch between subjects, and I can override the focus selection if necessary.

It took me quite a while to get to grips with this system, and also to get used to its quirks and limitations. For example, on some occasions it would prefer to focus on the grass in front of the subject rather than the subject. Other times it might focus on a marking on an animal’s hide, rather than the eye.

Results like this are why it is so important to both understand the various focus modes of your camera, but also understand how to override them.

For example, on my Canon EOS R5 I have a separate button set up for centre spot focus. This allows me to point the centre of the frame at the area I want to focus on, and know I’ll get sharp focus in that area when I press the focus button. I can also entirely override the focus with the manual focus ring on the lens.

Whilst I can rely on the autofocus subject tracking 90% of the time, it also means I don’t miss focus in those edge cases where the camera doesn’t get it right. Technology can be smart, but it can’t read minds quite yet, so it’s usually working off a best guess as to what you want to take a photo of.

Whatever your camera is, my recommendation is to spend some time learning the various focus modes, what they are, and how to quickly override the focus if necessary, either manually or by selecting a different focus area.

Ideally you’ll want the camera to be in a continuous focus mode so it keeps tracking a moving subject. Try to find some subjects like wildlife in your garden or a moving pet that you can practice on before you go on safari to master your camera’s focus features.

Try Shooting in Burst Mode

Most cameras have a range of shooting modes, which may also be called drive modes. The choices normally vary, and will include single shot and burst shot modes. The drive mode menu on your camera is also where you’ll often find the camera’s self-timer mode.

For wildlife photography, a lot can happen in a short sequence of time. For this reason, shooting in burst mode is usually the way to go when you have a moving subject. This means that as you hold down the shutter button the camera will keep taking images.

Alternatively, in single shot mode, you have to keep pressing and depressing the shutter button. This loses you time and you may miss the shot.

Shooting in burst mode will let you take a sequence of images and then pick the best one. For example, here’s a sequence to show a yellow-billed stork landing.

The number of images the burst mode will take will depend on two main factors.

First, the camera’s burst speed, which is the number of images per second your camera can take. For instance, a camera with a burst speed of 10fps (frames per second) can take up to 10 photos per second.

Second, the speed that your camera can write to the memory card inside the camera as it takes pictures.

Most cameras will be able to take a certain number of images at the maximum burst speed for a few seconds, and then as the memory buffer fills up, this rate will slow down or even stop until the images have been written to your memory card. These details should be made clear on the specification sheet for your camera.

When you shoot in burst mode you will definitely also want to have continuous autofocus enabled. This will mean that if your subject moves as you are shooting it will hopefully stay in focus.

The main disadvantage of shooting in burst mode is that you will end up taking a lot more photos and using more memory card space. However, memory cards and memory in general are relatively inexpensive these days, so this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Just be sure to always have an extra memory card with you.

Try to Shoot at the Best Times of Day

If you’ve ever read a photography guide, it will normally advise you that shooting in the earlier morning and later afternoon will give you better results. This is because the light at the start of the day and in the evening is softer and has that nice warm yellow glow.

In addition, the lower angle of the sun in the morning and evening produces shadows, resulting in images that have better contrast and depth compared to images shot in the overhead midday sun which can produce more flat images.

When it comes to safari, this advice is also true, but there are additional reasons to shoot earlier in the morning and later in the evening.

To start with, the majority of animals are going to be more active earlier in the morning and then towards the evening. The middle of the day tends to be hotter, and is a time when many animals are likely to be resting in a nice shady spot.

You will tend to see fewer animals in the hottest part of the day and those you see will tend to be less active during this time.

If you are looking for nocturnal species like genets, bushbabies, or aardvarks, your best chances to see them are on night drives or night walks, or to try to go as early in the morning as you can for a chance to spot them before they have gone off to sleep.

Just note nocturnal animals can be pretty tricky to see in most national parks given the hours that you are allowed to do a game drive. Getting good photos of them can be very difficult given they are often spotted at night.

We recommend trying to start your game drives as early as the park will allow. This will give you a better chance of seeing more wildlife, and also getting better images of that wildlife.

Another reason to avoid the middle of the day is that as the air heats up it gets more hazy. Think of the heat shimmer you see on a hot day—this is a real issue when shooting during hotter days and can negatively impact your images.

The haze will result in less sharp images, especially of further away subjects. In addition, as the day progresses, there will often be more dust in the air from vehicles driving around, which also reduces the clarity in the air.

Of course, I appreciate that I am talking about ideals. It isn’t always possible to pick the ideal time. Sometimes you will be out in the middle of the day. In these situations. Try to get as close as possible to your subject, which will let you avoid more of the heat haze. Where possible, shoot your subject so the sun is behind you rather than behind your subject.

The below two images are of the same black rhino mother and calf in Kenya. Both were shot in the middle of the day. In the first shot, the pair were quite far away and there was quite a lot of heat haze, meaning the shot ended up not being as sharp as I would have liked.

In the second shot, the pair moved much closer to us and the light was slightly improved, so there is some depth from the light and dark. It’s still not the ideal setup, but it’s definitely improved compared to the flat and slightly hazy look of the first shot.

See more on heat haze in photography here , including more tips for identifying and avoiding it.

This brings me on to my next tip for getting great photos on safari.

Any wildlife photographer will likely tell you that their most useful skill is patience. When doing landscape photography , I am certainly used to waiting for the right light, but wildlife photography definitely takes the need for patience to a new level.

Wild animals tend not to move to our schedules. They go where they want when they want. Being patient and quiet can reap huge rewards when it comes to photographing them in their natural habitat.

An example is of this leopard in a tree. When we arrived, it was asleep in the tree by its kill. However, we waited for around an hour and it decided to get up, eat more of its kill, descend from the tree and wander off. All these moments provided better photography opportunities than the initial one, and just required patience.

Another example would be a group of lion cubs we encountered in Tanzania. There were eight of them playing near the road, and as we watched two of them climbed up a tree. Shortly afterwards, one of their mothers returned, and we were rewarded by the sight of baby lions bounding across the grass to be reunited.

This is a story I could repeat multiple times across many wildlife encounters, but the overall message should be clear. Try to remember that a safari game drive is not an exercise in getting somewhere.

When you find an animal or bird you want to see, you will probably be rewarded if you spend some time just sitting and watching it rather than rushing on to try to find something else.

Prepare Your Equipment

If you already have a camera that you plan to take with you on safari, you want to make sure it’s in great working order before heading on safari. This is especially the case if you have older gear or gear that gets a lot of use.

Before you go, I recommend testing and cleaning the camera yourself to make sure it’s working. You’ll also want to make sure all the gear from your lenses to your camera straps are in good shape before your trip. Your trip is not a good time to learn about a preexisting scratch in your lens, a corrupted memory card, a fraying strap or a battery that doesn’t hold its charge!

You might also consider taking your camera to have a professional clean and check before your safari. Often you can do this at a local authorised dealer or repair shop for your camera brand, as they will have servicing options. Alternatively, your manufacturer might offer mail-in servicing options.

I try to get my cameras serviced every year or two, especially if I know I’ve been hard on them. As well as cleaning the sensor professionally, they check the camera over and make sure things like seals and screws are all in good working order. In my opinion this is well worth the investment, especially on high-end equipment.

Protect your Equipment on Safari

Safaris can be really hard on camera equipment. From dusty conditions to bumpy roads, there are all sorts of hazards that can either damage your equipment or cause it to function less effectively. In this section, I’m going to talk about common issues you can expect to encounter and how to overcome them.

Dust or Sand

When it’s hot and dry, the roads will be dusty. As your vehicle and other vehicles travel on the roads they kick the dust up, and it gets everywhere. If you have the top down or windows open, expect dust to get on your camera equipment.

If you are traveling to a place where sand is a concern, such as a desert or beach, be careful as blowing sand can get into your gear and can also leave scratches on your lens if you accidentally wipe them. Never put your camera down in the sand as it can easily work its way inside.

Cameras contain a lot of sensitive electronics as well as some moving parts, neither of which appreciate dust or sand. In addition, if dust gets onto your camera’s sensor it can cause unsightly spots to appear in your images.

There are a few things you can do to minimize the impact of dust or sand. First, a good camera bag that you can put your camera in between uses will help to prevent general dust getting in. So when you are not using your camera, I’d recommend securing it in a case or bag.

Also be careful about where you set your camera. Don’t place it on the ground or other dirty surfaces, and don’t leave it outside for any longer than it needs to be outside.

Next, remember to use a lens cap if your camera lens supports them as this will help to keep the front element dust free. Just keep the lens cap in your pocket and place it on the camera whenever you are not using it. If your lens supports it, then a lens hood and a UV filter can also provide much needed protection.

If you are using a camera where you can change lenses, try to change the lens in a dust-free location if possible, such as in your hotel or when stopped in a sheltered place. Try not to change your lenses more than you need to when in dusty situations.

In addition, I’d recommend packing a small camera cleaning kit so you can get accumulated dust off your gear as you travel. I’d particularly recommend having a lens cloth, a brush, and a blower with you.

Once you are done with your safari and you have gotten all the amazing photos you wanted, you might consider getting your camera professionally serviced and cleaned to get rid of any errant dust and to ensure it’s back to full working order for your next adventure.

Not all safaris take place whilst in a closed vehicle. Sometimes you might be on foot or trekking, or in an open top vehicle. In these situations, even when visiting a country in the dry season, there’s always a possibility of rain.

Whilst some cameras do offer a level of weather-proofing or rain resistance, the majority are not fully waterproof. So having a camera rain cover to keep your gear dry like this is a good option.

I’d also recommend having a good camera bag or backpack with a rain cover where you can put your camera in between shots.

If you have a smaller camera like a compact camera or smartphone, something like a resealable freezer bag or clear dry bag can also work well to keep it dry.

Bumpy Roads

As well as dust and rain, another issue you will have to contend with will be bumpy roads. Most roads in safari parks are unpaved, and some of them can be very bumpy.

You definitely don’t want your camera equipment flying around the inside of a vehicle as this can damage it, and could even cause injury to the other occupants. I have a few suggestions to help avoid this scenario.

First, I recommend bringing along a good camera bag or case. Camera bags are specially designed to provide padding and protection for your gear, and many of them also come with rain covers. This means that you have somewhere safe, protected, and padded to put your gear in between shoots.

Personally I use Vanguard photography bags and I’ve been an ambassador for Vanguard for many years now. If you see something on their store that works for your equipment, you can save money using our exclusive Vanguard discount code. This will give you 20% off everything in the  Vanguard store.

Just use the code  FindingTheUniverse for your discount! This code works in the Vanguard USA, UK, Australia, Spain, and Germany stores.

When you are actually using your equipment, I recommend having a strong and comfortable strap to keep it secure around your neck or shoulders. I use the Peak Design strap system which has reliably kept my camera gear comfortably slung at my hip for many years now. You’ll want to find one that is comfortable for you.

I left my DSLR camera on the seat of our Land Cruiser on a trip and it fell on the floor after hitting an unexpected bumpy patch in the road. I was lucky that nothing was damaged but it sure made me more careful about either putting gear away in my bag or keeping it around my neck.

I also recommend that if you are someone like me who enjoys standing up in a safari vehicle, that you sit down or at least put your camera in a camera bag when the roads gets really bumpy. If your guide tells you to hold on or you see that you are going to be crossing a river, it is probably best for both you and your gear to sit down. This way you’ll have a better grip on your gear and avoid banging your gear on something or falling.

Dress Appropriately

Packing appropriate clothing is going to ensure you are comfortable and ready for the weather during your trip. Whilst it might not directly help you get better photos, comfort is a really important factor. When you are comfortable you will be able to focus on getting great photos rather than the temperature or the insects.

When choosing clothes for your trip, consider the climate, weather, and insects of where you are going as well as the activities you plan to do. You are going to pack very differently for a cool weather destination than a tropical one. You also need to pack differently if visiting a country during its rainy season versus its dry season.

In terms of photography specific clothing, you might want to consider having lots of pockets so that you have plenty of places to store things when standing in a vehicle and when hiking. This will give you quick access to things like extra batteries, lens wipes, and your lens caps.

There are a range of different vests you can get, including specialised photography vests . I personally prefer something a bit more versatile that I can use in a variety in situations, and I like the Scottevest products which have a lot of pockets and are great for travel in general. I find them particularly useful for airport travel as they have so many handy pockets.

Generally though, on safari I wear the NosiLife long-sleeve shirts from Craghoppers . These have lots of pockets and also come with built in insect protection and sun protection. They also dry very quickly.

Jess and I mainly wore Craghoppers tops and bottoms throughout the days where we were either in the vehicles on safari or were doing treks. This is the most common brand we’ve seen people wearing for proper safari clothing throughout our travels. You can shop for them on their official store here , as well as on REI in the US here , and on Amazon here .

Depending on where you are going, you will probably also want to consider packing a hat, sunglasses, insect repellent , sunscreen, good practical shoes (we generally wear Scarpa or Merrell ), layers for warmth, and a rain jacket or poncho .

For more tips, check out our detailed guide to what to pack for safari , which has lots more tips and suggestions for your trip.

Pack a Photography Bean Bag

If you are traveling with a longer lens, I’d consider getting a photography bean bag or two for your safari trip.

For wildlife photography on safari, I find that a photography bean bag like this is one of the most useful photography accessories I have packed. Generally, I find I get a lot more use out of a bean bag on safari compared to a tripod or monopod.

This is because on safari you are often shooting from a vehicle, either from the window or via the pop-up top. And in both cases, setting up a tripod or even a monopod isn’t always going to be possible.

On the other hand, a bean bag can rest on the top of the vehicle or over a window, where you can then rest your lens or camera on it. If you are shooting with a larger camera and lens setup, you will definitely be thankful of having somewhere to steady it, as it’s unlikely to be practical to hold it up for prolonged periods of time. It also keeps you from putting your camera or lens directly on the metal edges of windows and roofs which could lead to damage.

Using a bean bag means you’ll be able to use slower shutter speeds for more stationary animals as well, so you don’t have to worry about camera shake so much. This is especially helpful when shooting with very big telephoto lenses from around 400mm and up.

Jess also found the bean bags useful for just using as armrests and for placing her elbows when using binoculars.

Bean bags are very light to travel with, and you can usually find inexpensive materials like dried beans to fill them with at your destination. My only tip is not to fill them with anything obviously edible, as some animals in some parks might sniff out the tasty treats within and decide to give them a nibble! Dried (obviously uncooked!) beans are a good option for this reason.

Be Specific About What You Want with your Guide

If you are doing a safari with a driver and/or guide, then being able to communicate about your goals and what you want to see is really important. It is also important for you to listen to your driver/guide for feedback and understand what is realistic based on their expertise. Doing this as early in the trip as possible is best.

If there’s a certain shot or composition that you want, it’s a good idea to let your guide know so you have a better chance of seeing it. Whilst there’s never a guarantee of seeing any wildlife on safari, if you specify that you want a shot of an elephant bathing for example, then your guide should have an idea of where the best places to get that shot might be on your trip.

If you aren’t clear on your interests, then you’ll be on more of a general safari and taken on the common safari drive circuits within the parks. Guides will almost always drive you to see things like lions or cheetahs if spotted, even without asking you. However, if you’d rather photograph elephants, eagles, or zebras, then you need to speak up so that you guide know what your wildlife sightseeing priorities are for the trip.

Whilst you will still likely get great photo opportunities (your guide is there to take you to see wildlife after all!), it might not be exactly the shot you want. So being specific will definitely help improve your chances of getting the shots you want if you have something specific in mind.

Another thing we discussed with our guide from the beginning was to have signals about stopping and when to leave after stopping for a wildlife sighting. So we asked our guide to just ask to make sure we wanted to leave an animal or we’d tell him, or he’d give us a head’s up if we needed to leave.

This not only helped make sure we felt we had enough time to get the photos we wanted, but it also made sure we were prepared for any sudden jerks from stopping and starting the vehicle.

Communicate with your Fellow Travelers

If you are traveling solo, then you will of course have a lot of autonomy in where you go and what you see on your trip. If you have a driver/guide then the two of you can set times and itineraries each day and be in sync about your wildlife spotting goals.

But, if like most safari goers, you are traveling with a partner, your family, friends, or as part of a group safari with other travelers, then you will likely have to be willing to compromise at times.

Common things you will likely need to decide on together will be what time to leave, how long to spend on game drives, whether to eat a hot lunch or a picnic lunch, and how long to spend watching each animal.

This can also affect your ability to get the photos you may want in terms of timing and views from the vehicle. With just one or two people in a vehicle, it is generally easy to find a good view, but once you have 4 or more people, it often becomes difficult for everyone to have a great view all at the same time, especially if an animal is not in an open area.

Generally, in these circumstances everyone will politely take turns and give everyone a bit of time and space to view the animal and take photos. But this does mean you will need to compromise and will sometimes miss the “best” view.

However, group safaris by far offer better value in terms of money compared to a private safari. But just note that they do come with some compromises.

I definitely recommend traveling with family or friends if that is an option, as sharing these experiences is probably worth more than taking a good photo. But it is worth talking about everyone’s goals and travel style before booking your trip to make sure everyone is likely to have a good trip.

Consider the Composition

As with any kind of photography, composition is key. Composition refers to how you place the various elements in your shot to create the final image.

It can be easy to get caught up in the moment when you see something exciting, and just to start shooting in an effort to get something shot. This excitement is very understandable!

However, if you are able to calm yourself down a bit and spend a fraction of time properly composing your shot, you will likely get better results.

There are a range of general composition rules in this post that you can read about, so I won’t rehash that. The main things I’d suggest just keeping in mind are the following.

• What’s in shot . When framing your shot, glance around the whole frame to see what is and what isn’t in the shot. For example, it can be very easy to frame an animal’s head, but accidentally crop out parts of their body or a tail. Whilst this might be the composition you are after, it might also end up looking a bit odd. Sometimes, zooming out a fraction and ensuring the whole animal is in the frame might be a better composition
• Eye contact . There are many different wildlife poses you can capture, but one of my favourites is when the animal is looking directly into the camera. In this pose, it will appear to be directly staring at the viewer. This is not always easy as animals tend to look all over the place. In these scenarios, burst mode and patience can be your friends.
• Animal Placement . When shooting from a vehicle, especially from the pop-up roof area, we can often end up above the animal. However, often animals look better when shot from eye level. So repositioning yourself to shoot from an open window lower down in the vehicle might give you a better shot, depending on the distance to the subject.
• Background and skyline . When putting your shot together, don’t forget to consider the background. For example, a deer against a brown rock face or tree will not stand out as well as one against a skyline. It’s not always possible to reposition yourself, but if there is the opportunity to wait for a better composition, or move the vehicle to a different location, take it.

Here are a couple of shots to illustrate my points above.

Don’t Forget the Landscapes

One of the main reasons people go on safari is to see the incredible wildlife of an area. However, it’s also very likely that you are going to be passing through some amazing natural landscapes.

Whilst it can be easy to get a bit single-minded about what we’re photographing, it’s important to step back and capture the landscapes as well as the wildlife.

If nothing else, this will serve as a reminder for you in the future as to where you were when you got the shots, and also the lovely scenery you witnessed. Capturing the wildlife with the landscape is also a good option, as it will give some depth and scale to your compositions.

Pack Spare Memory Cards and Batteries

The chances are that you are going to be taking a lot of photos when on safari. If you are shooting with anything other than a smartphone, your camera will likely have a battery you can change and a memory card slot.

It is definitely worth bringing at least one spare battery for your camera, and ideally two. In addition, bringing plenty of memory is also a good idea.

You don’t want to be half way through a busy day and run out of battery or memory card space, and then potentially miss some great shots. Modern mirrorless cameras in particular can eat through batteries, so a spare or two is definitely a must in my opinion.

Consider bringing a USB Powered Battery Charger and Power Pack

Accommodation options on safari can vary greatly, from simple campsites to high end luxury safari lodges. One thing we have found is that not every accommodation, especially the more remote and basic ones, will have AC power outlets. Or at least not one in your room (there is usually at least one public shared power outlet somewhere in a lodge or campsite).

If they have wall outlets, they will likely be 220V-240V, so you will want to check that all your equipment supports this if you are coming from a country like the USA, Japan, or Canada which has 110V-120V power. Many people will also need a travel adaptor to adapt your plugs, depending on where you are coming from and your travel destination.

However, rather than full power outlets, many locations offer USB outlets. These don’t use so much electricity, and are often powered by solar panels.

What this means is that if your camera only has a standard wall outlet charger for its batteries, you might not be able to charge them. Note that some cameras do charge via USB, so do check if that is the case.

So we recommend making sure that you are able to charge your batteries using both the local AC power outlets and via USB so you can take advantage of either charging option. We also recommend considering packing a power pack.

We personally travel with a USB battery charger for our Canon camera batteries. This is better than our standard charger in some respects, as it can charge two batteries at once, and charges over standard USB. There are a number of different models available , the main thing is to find the one that matches your camera battery.

As well as the USB battery charger, we also travel with a USB power pack . We can use this to charge all our USB powered devices, including our phones and the USB camera battery charger. This is helpful when we have periods of time without power.

Ask About Your Safari Vehicle

Before you go on safari, it’s a good idea to check with your safari company about the type of vehicle you will be in. There are a number of different models that companies use in different locations around the world, with Toyota Land Cruisers being the 4X4 vehicle of choice for many companies. However, there are many different models of Land Cruisers used for safaris so knowing the specific model can be very helpful.

The same vehicle model’s features can also be different across companies depending on the specific conversion. Probably the most important thing for most people is the number of seats, luggage space, and the configuration of the top.

We highly recommend a vehicle with a pop top. This means the top of the vehicle will pop up, allowing you to stand up inside the vehicle and get a better view, as well as better photos.

For the majority of these vehicles, the top pops up and remains over your head, providing much needed shade. However, in some vehicles, the tops actually come off completely, so you won’t have any shade.

We highly recommend a vehicle where the top doesn’t come off completely, as otherwise you are going to be in the sun a lot.

It’s also a good idea to check on the height. In some of the vehicles we have found that even when standing up, the lip is a little high for Jess to get a good view. So if you are shorter (or very tall) you should definitely check about this if you really want to be able to stand up for game viewing.

Another thing to check is whether or not the vehicle has charging points (some have standard wall outlets whilst others might have USB outlets). Some of our vehicles have had this, some didn’t, but it is becoming more common.

If you are planning a very photography focused safari, you can also ask if the vehicle has any photography specific features. Some of the vehicles we’ve travelled in came with photography bean bags for our use for example, which was very helpful.

Other special features might include special camera mounts, tripod mounts, the ability to fully open or remove windows, and even the ability to remove a door or two. I wouldn’t expect most of these features unless you are paying extra for a special photography trip.

Consider Doing Boat and Walking Safaris

Whilst most safaris are done from a 4×4 vehicle, there are other options depending on where you are travelling.

For example, in some locations you might be able to do a walking safari or a boat-based safari. These will give you some variety as well as present the opportunity to see different wildlife.

For instance, if you are interested in birds and small creatures (e.g., dung beetles, lizards), then walking safaris are often going to be better for getting close to these animals. Boat safaris are going to obviously be the best way to get closer to aquatic wildlife.

Of course, this isn’t always going to be possible depending on where you travel, but we definitely recommend signing up for at least a couple of these experiences if you have the option.

Shoot in RAW

If your camera supports it, and nearly all do these days, I highly recommend setting it up so it saves your image files in RAW format. Whilst this takes up more memory, and does require you to edit your photos, you will get a lot more latitude when it comes to editing your final image.

I go into a lot more detail in why to shoot in RAW in my guide to RAW in photography . For now, I recommend enabling it. Most cameras have the option to shoot in both RAW and JPG if you need a stepping stone, although this will take up more memory card space.

However, if you want to be able to share your photos instantly online during your trip, then you will probably want to also shoot in JPG/JPEG because you don’t need to edit them prior to uploading them.

Learn to Edit Your Photos

Photography involves a number of skills. The first two are in the field when you’re getting the shot, and require you to know how to compose a great photo and how to use your camera.

The third skill is photo editing. Photo editing is where you can get the most from the images you have captured. This doesn’t have to take a long time, even minor edits can make a big difference to an image.

Judicious cropping, adjustment of shadows and highlights, tweaks to saturation—these can all add up to really improve an image.

Of course, you can go a lot further with photo editing software. But as a starting point, loading up one of our favourite photo editors and learning how to use it can really help you get the most from your shots.

Keep Your Eyes Open

When you are on safari, the chances are that you will have a guide. Your guide will normally know what sort of wildlife you are likely to see in the areas you’re visiting, and they will of course be looking out for it as you drive or walk around.

However, the thing about wildlife is that you never know what you are going to see. And the more eyes that are looking for wildlife, the higher your chance that you will spot something. Your guide can’t look everywhere at once, and if they are driving, they are going to be at least a little distracted by operating the vehicle and keeping you safe.

In our most recent safari experience, we would often maximize what we could all see while on a game drive. So, generally our guide was seated in front in the driver’s seat, Jess would sit on the opposite side of vehicle from the driver, and I would stand at the back and scan for a different viewpoint. This way we were looking in many directions and had a better chance of spotting things. Although our guide was by far much better at spotting wildlife than we were, we still occasionally made some great spots that our driver had missed.

In my opinion, a safari should definitely not be a passive experience where you sit back and wait for something interesting to be pointed out to you. However, I have been surprised by the number of Land Cruises and Land Rovers full of bored-looking people who seemed to be spending more time on their phones or talking to one another than looking outside. They seem to simply wait for their driver to stop and point something out, take a photo, and then go back to their phones.

If you actively participate and spend your time searching for wildlife as well, you’re going to improve the chances of sightings and find more photo opportunities. You are also going to learn a lot more about the natural environment around you. And you are going to enjoy your trip a whole lot more!

Enjoy Yourself!

This might seem a bit counter intuitive in a guide to getting great photos on safari, but it’s important to remember. When on safari, it can be easy to become caught up in the need to capture every moment with our cameras, and not to miss a shot.

Whilst of course I want you to get those amazing shots, don’t forget that you came on safari also to witness wildlife in its natural habitat. So don’t forget to just step back from the camera every now and again and just take it all in. A safari is an incredible experience and you definitely want to try and enjoy it rather than being stressed over getting every shot on your memory card.

On our recent trip, Jess generally only took photos when animals came close, otherwise, she was content just watching them, either with a pair of binoculars (I definitely recommend packing a good pair of binoculars) or her naked eyes. She said she got much more enjoyment just watching them than when she was trying hard to get a good photo as she had in prior trips.

We highly recommend just sitting back and letting some moments go by unrecorded. I find you can often learn a lot more about animals if you just sit and watch them sometimes. Not every moment needs to be photographed!

Further Reading

That’s it for my guide to getting better photos on safari! If you found this useful, you might enjoy some of my other photography content. Here are some articles to get you started.

• We have a guide to the best safari camera , to help you choose the right gear for you and your budget. We also have a guide to photography bean bags for safari you might consider checking out.
• We have a detailed overview of gorilla trekking in Uganda as well as chimpanzee trekking in Uganda , both of which are an incredible experience
• We have a detailed guide to what to pack for safari , to help ensure you bring the right gear for your trip
• I have a guide to my favourite  photo editing applications , as well as the best  alternatives to Lightroom
• Wildlife photography can often result in noisy images. See my guide to the best noise reduction software for some ideas on how to get the best out of your photos even when they might be a bit noisy
• We have a guide to  how to use a compact camera ,  how to use a DSLR camera , and  how to use a mirrorless camera . We also have a guide to  how a DSLR works
• Knowing how to compose a great photo is a key photography skill. See our guide to  composition in photography  for lots of tips on this subject
• We have a guide to what  depth of field  is and when you would want to use it.
• We are big fans of getting the most out of your digital photo files, and do to that you will need to shoot in RAW. See our guide to  RAW in photography  to understand what RAW is, and why you should switch to RAW as soon as you can if your camera supports it.
• You’re going to need something to run your photo editing software on. See our guide to the best  laptops for photo editing  for some tips on what to look for.
• If you’re looking for more advice on specific tips for different scenarios, we also have you covered. See our guide to  Northern Lights photography ,  long exposure photography ,  fireworks photography ,  tips for taking photos of stars , and  cold weather photography .
• Color accuracy is important for photography – see our guide to  monitor calibration  to ensure your screen is set up correctly.
• If you’re looking for a great gift for a photography loving friend or family member (or yourself!), take a look at our  photography gift guide ,
• If you’re in the market for a new camera, we have a detailed guide to the  best travel cameras , as well as specific guides for the  best cameras for hiking and backpacking , the  best compact camera ,  best bridge camera ,  best mirrorless camera  and  best DSLR camera . We also have a guide to the  best camera lenses .
• If you want a camera or lens, but the prices are a bit high, see our guide to  where to buy used cameras and camera gear  for some budget savings options.
• We have a guide to  why you need a tripod , a guide to  choosing a travel tripod , and a round-up of our  favourite travel tripods

Looking to Improve Your Photography?

If you found this post helpful, and you want to improve your photography overall, you might want to check out my  online travel photography course .

Since launching the course in 2016, I’ve already helped over 2,000 students learn how to take better photos. The course covers pretty much everything you need to know, from the basics of how a camera works, through to composition, light, and photo editing.

It also covers more advanced topics, including astrophotography, long exposure photography, flash photography, and HDR photography.

You get feedback from me as you progress, access to webinars, interviews and videos, as well as exclusive membership of a Facebook group where you can get feedback on your work and take part in regular challenges.

It’s available for an amazing one-off price for lifetime access, and I think you should check it out. Which you can do by  clicking here .

And that’s it! I’d love to hear about your thoughts on wildlife photography on safari, and am happy to answer any questions you have. Just pop them in the comments below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

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There are 4 comments on this post

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Towab Muhammad Yusuf says

2nd April 2022 at 12:27 pm

Zebras is looking awesome, so natural looking

Laurence Norah says

3rd April 2022 at 10:28 am

Thanks Towab!

D. Hernandez says

26th March 2022 at 1:36 am

Hello Laurence,

Thanks for these wonderful photography tips and advice! I am not much of a photographer but found these tips very useful and will be keeping this page bookmarked to read again before my safari. My wife and I have a 2-week trip planned to South Africa in in the fall and about a week of that will be spent on safari.

I was given a Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR camera (used but barely used) last year but without any lenses. So my question for you would be what lens would you recommend I invest in if I was to choose to take just one for this trip? I would also of course want to use it around home and for taking photos of family events and future trips, but the main focus for now is getting some decent wildlife photos on our safari in South Africa. Would like to purchase it soon so can start practicing (as you recommend) now!

Thanks for all your time & help! D

26th March 2022 at 9:42 am

I’m glad you found the post helpful and I am sure you will have an amazing trip! So if you are looking at just one lens then you will want a lens that can go from quite wide to quite zoomed in. A lens like this is known as a walk around lens. I would probably recommend either the Tamron 18-400 f/3.5-6.3 or the Tamron 16-300 f/3.5-6.3 . These would both give you the versatility you would want in terms of range, from wide to zoomed in. The 16-300 gives you a slightly lighter lens that can take slightly wider angle shots, whilst the 18-400 is a bit heavier but you get more reach.

It is worth noting that of course if you zoom in at 100% and peer at the images produced by these lenses they won’t compare to a high-end lens costing thousands of dollars. However I think that for standard size prints and general use they are a good option at a reasonable price point.

Let me know if you need any further input, I’m happy to help. Otherwise, have a fantastic trip!

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How to automatically pause animated images when browsing the web on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Learn how to enable an accessibility setting that automatically pauses all animated images on a web page in Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Most people enjoy seeing animations, be it while navigating in the operating system or seeing GIFs and animated images on the web. However, some individuals who are sensitive to rapid animations or have vestibular disorders, motion sickness, and related health conditions can feel dizzy and unwell because of these animations.

If you’re one of these people, Apple has added a thoughtful feature in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma that automatically pauses animated images while you’re browsing the web in Safari. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to turn on this accessibility setting on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Note: Currently, iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma are in the developer beta phase. You can install them for free on your devices by following our step-by-step tutorials:

• How to download and install the official iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 developer beta for free
• How to install macOS Sonoma on a different partition of your Mac

Disable animated images while browsing the web

This works to remove motion from GIFs and other animated images.

On iPhone and iPad

• Open the Settings app in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
• Tap Accessibility .
• Select Motion .
• Turn off Animated Images .

• Open System Settings on macOS Sonoma.
• Select Accessibility from the left side.
• Click Display .
• Turn off the switch for Animated images .

From now on, when you browse the web, animated images will appear as still images. To check, visit GIPHY’s homepage , and the GIFs there will not animate and appear still. But if you go back to Settings or System Settings and turn on Animated images , all images will come back to life and start playing (animating).

Note: Depending on the website, you may be able to play the animated image by hovering your mouse over it or by hitting a play button even when Animated Images is turned off.

Does it also work in Chrome, Firefox, and other web browsers?

Turning on this accessibility feature on iPhone and iPad disables animated images in Safari as well as Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers. This is because Apple has made it compulsory for all third-party browsers on iOS and iPadOS to use Apple’s WebKit browser engine.

However, companies on Mac are free to use their own browser engine like Blink (used by Chrome and all Chromium browsers like Edge, Brave, and Opera), Gecko (used by Mozilla Firefox), or something else. Thus, this accessibility feature to block animations while browsing the web won’t work in Mac browsers other than Safari.

Tip: You can use extensions such as Animation Policy to block GIFs from animating on a web page in Google Chrome on Mac and Windows PC.

Does it block all animated images?

In my testing, I found it works well but it isn’t perfect. For example, it blocked all GIFs (animated images) on GIPHY’s home page, but the animated image in the sidebar continued to play (animate).

Additionally, images served as ads on websites were not prevented from animating.

But with all that said, this feature is a work in the right direction for people who get uncomfortable with animated images. Plus, as mentioned, iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma are still in the beta phase, with lots of scope for future improvements and developments.

Turn off system motion

In addition to blocking animated images on websites, you can also reduce system-wide motion (animations) on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

• On iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion and turn on Reduce Motion . You can also turn on Dim Flashing Lights to prevent seeing flashing or strobing lights in video content.
• On Mac: Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Display and turn on Reduce Motion and Dim Flashing Lights .

Check out next: How to control your iPhone or iPad with head movements

Related readings:

• The Verge: My war on animation
• A List Apart: Designing Safer Web Animation For Motion Sensitivity
• The Guardian: Why iOS 7 is making some users sick

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How to disable automatic picture-in-picture on iPhone and iPad

By Killian Bell • 3:00 pm, July 29, 2020

• Top stories

Picture-in-picture (PiP) makes it easier to watch videos while you do other things on iPhone (with iOS 14) and iPad. But it can begin to get annoying when every video you close ends up in a PiP window.

Here’s how to disable automatic picture-in-picture so that you have complete control over when it’s used.

Disabling automatic PiP doesn’t mean that you can never use PiP at all. You will still have the ability to watch videos in PiP mode; it will just be up to you, rather than iPhone or iPad, to decide when PiP is used.

After we’ve shown you how to disable automatic PiP, we’ll remind you how to activate PiP manually when you want to use it.

How to disable automatic picture-in-picture

Simply follow these steps:

• Open the Settings app.
• Tap General , then tap Picture in Picture .
• Tap the toggle to disable Start PiP Automatically .

Now, when you close a video playing in Safari, or inside a third-party app like Twitch, that video won’t appear in a PiP window automatically. It will instead close and stop playing.

To enable PiP when you want it, start playing your video wherever it is available, enter fullscreen mode, then tap the PiP button in the top-left corner. A PiP window will appear, and you can close the app.

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How to bypass CAPTCHAs online with Safari on iOS 16

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CAPTCHAs can be quite annoying when you just want to try to create a new account or log in to a website. They do serve a security purpose, but they are very rudimentary when it comes to security solutions. Apple hopes to solve the friction of CAPTCHAs with a new feature in iOS 16.1; this feature, called Automatic Verification, will allow websites to verify you’re logging in from a real device and are not a bot but without the manual process that comes with CAPTCHAs. Apple’s solution uses your iCloud account and a service Apple runs to issue a secure token to the website to verify you’re a real person.

While website support for Automatic Verification is still rolling out, I’ll show you how to enable it so that when you encounter a website that does offer support, you will get in quicker and without the inconvenience of solving a CAPTCHA test.

This feature is available in iOS 16.1 and can be turned on for Safari by following these steps:

• Open Settings.
• Tap on your name in the top banner and then select Password & Security.
• Scroll down to Automatic Verification and enable the toggle for this option ( Figure A ).

This feature is supported in iOS 16.1 and later versions and can be turned on using the steps outlined above. Once enabled, instead of needing to complete a CAPTCHA to log in or create an account on a website, Automatic Verification contacts a secure iCloud server and verifies both your device and your Apple ID account. After verification, a private access token is relayed to the website you’re attempting to interact with to prove you’re a real user.

You can also enable this feature in iPadOS 16.1 or later or macOS Ventura or later. Both of these use the same steps, except macOS Ventura goes through the System Settings app via Apple menu | System Settings.

Apple has security top of mind when it comes to this feature, too: Apple doesn’t know what website you’re attempting to access, and the website you’re entering cannot access your Apple account at any time. The token only tells the website if your device has passed the test and cannot relay information about your device or Apple account.

This feature only works on websites that support the automatic CAPTCHA verification system, so you might still get CAPTCHA puzzles occasionally, but a growing list of websites are now supporting this system to verify real users more effectively. You can read more about the system and how it works, as well as the security of the Automatic Verification feature, on Apple’s support note .

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21 Safari Photography Tips for Capturing Stunning Safari Photos

As a passionate ethical wildlife photographer and qualified safari guide, I've gathered some valuable safari photography tips to help you elevate your safari experience. Even if you've never held a professional camera, you can still capture the raw beauty of the wild with just a few tips and tricks.

Embarking on a safari in Africa is a magical journey, and capturing these moments through photography allows you to relive the excitement and share the beauty of the African wilderness with others. Photography on safari also encourages you to pay attention to other things that might have gone unnoticed. By actively seeking unique angles and observing moments to capture, you become more attuned to the intricate details of the wildlife and the breathtaking landscapes surrounding you. It helps you notice small details and appreciate nature even more.

Read my 21   safari photography tips for capturing stunning safari photos :

1. Immerse Yourself in the Experience

Each day on safari brings unique moments. Photography not only preserves memories but also encourages you to notice intricate details and appreciate nature. Seek unique angles and moments to capture, and let the beauty of the wild inspire you.

2. Be mindful of the Environment and Respect Wildlife

Patience is key to capturing natural behavior. Maintain a respectful distance, observe quietly, and avoid disrupting the animals' natural rhythm. Remember, you are a guest in their home and therefore this is one of the most important wildlife photography tips . Always respect local regulations, cultures, and environments. Your patience will be reflected in the authenticity of your safari photos.

If you approach an animal sighting, always be careful to not disturb the animal and minimize noise. How to show respect for the animals during wildlife photography? 

• Maintain a respectful distance
• Approach animals indirectly
• Avoid positioning yourself upwind from the animal
• Keep your voice extremely low
• Switch your camera to silent mode to avoid startling wildlife
• Don’t use your flash

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced photographer, adhering to a code of conduct ensures the well-being of wildlife, contributes to conservation efforts, and ensures a more authentic safari experience.

3. Utilize Your Guide's Knowledge

Collaborate with your local field guide who possesses invaluable knowledge of animal habits, territories, and behavior. Communicate your photography preferences, and leverage their expertise to position yourself for the perfect shot. Guides can anticipate lighting conditions and animal movements, enhancing your photography experience. For example, positioning the vehicle in a way that the sun is in your back instead of in your lens to have nice lighting on the animal or landscape you want to capture. However, on some occasions, it’s also great to photograph towards the sun to create a nice rim light around the animal.

As a nature and wildlife enthusiast, I encourage you to ask your safari guide lots of questions  to learn more about the behavior and habitats of the wildlife you encounter. This knowledge helps you anticipate movements and position yourself for the perfect shot.

4. Pay Attention to Composition

Crafting attractive compositions on safari is key to impactful photography. Be creative. Explore angles, perspectives, and framing techniques to create visually appealing images.

Rule of Thirds

Apply the rule of thirds by placing your subject off-center for dynamic images. Utilize paths, tracks, or natural elements like bushes, rocks or trees for depth and scale. These composition tips elevate your photos without requiring advanced technical skills. Most cameras also have a grid that helps you to better frame your subject. Also, always think of leaving an empty space in the direction the wildlife is heading or the direction the animal is looking. In some occasions, it's also a good idea to put your subject in the middle.

Shoot from a low angle

Shooting from a low angle (on the ground) can also make your composition more attractive. Safari in a game drive vehicle mostly doesn’t allow you to get out of the car to photograph wildlife, but on some occasions it might be possible. Another occasion could be if you’re on a walking safari . The advantage of getting low on the ground is that you are able to change the background in your scene. Being on eye-level with your animal also establishes a better connection.

Please consider the ethics of your framing – prioritize the well-being of the wildlife you encounter.

5. Show animals in their natural environment

Capturing close-ups of the Big Five is often popular among safari tourists, and wildlife photographers, but don’t forget the beautiful environment these animals live in.

Their natural environment is equally important as they form that bigger picture together. And it’s those areas that we need to protect to save wildlife from extinction.

Every part of the ecosystem is dependent on each other. That’s the beauty of nature, and it allows the viewer to understand where the animal lives and flourishes. As a conservation photographer, I also love to showcase the wildlife’s home that we need to protect.

6. Master the Exposure Triangle

Light is a fundamental element in photography, and understanding the exposure triangle is a fundamental part to master the art of safari photography. Understanding aperture , shutter speed , and ISO allows you to adapt to various lighting conditions. These three factors work together to determine how bright or dark your photos will turn out, as well as the level of sharpness and graininess.

Adjust aperture for light control and depth of field , use shutter speed to freeze or create motion of animals, and set ISO for sensitivity (lower during the day, higher when it’s getting darker).

7. Use Shutter Priority Mode for moving wildlife

If you’re used to photographing in automatic mode, it can feel like a puzzle if you want to photograph wildlife manually. Therefore, my best photography tip is to set your camera on shutter priority mode (S). It means that you only have to think about the shutter speed and the camera does the rest like your ISO and Aperture (semi)automatically.

This technique ensures sharp and clear images, especially when photographing animals in motion on your safari. Use a fast shutter speed to freeze fast-moving wildlife action, and try to practice with various settings between 1/250th of a second up to 1/2500s. Additionally, fast shutter speeds can help prevent camera shake, particularly when shooting handheld.

A rule of thumb: choose a minimum shutter speed based on the focal length you are shooting. An example: I often capture wildlife with a focal length of 400 mm, meaning my minimum shutter is 1/400s. If you are in a moving safari vehicle, boat or hot air balloon, and/or the animal you want to photograph is moving fast, then use a minimum of 2 times the focal length. So, shooting at 400 mm would mean a shutter speed of 1/800s. To capture moving birds in flight , you might want to practice choosing shutter speeds to up to 1/2000s.

8. Choose AI Servo (AF Continuous) Mode for moving wildlife

AI Servo  is the best mode to capture wildlife that is moving, to automatically keep track of and stay focussed on the moving animal.

9. Practice with Aperture Priority Mode for a ‘blurry’ background

Aperture Priority in safari photography allows you to set the desired aperture, controlling the depth of field in your wildlife shots. In situations where you want a blurred background to emphasize the subject, or conversely, a broader depth of field to capture more details.

Aperture Priority mode gives you this creative control. For example, when you want a close-up of a lion or a colorful bird with a blurred background effect, like the Lilac-breasted Roller in the above image. The more zoom and the lower the aperture number, the more you are able to eliminate the background in your image and create that nice compression.

On the other hand, if you want to photograph a group of animals like a herd of elephants, I recommend choosing an aperture of f/8 to get the whole group of animals in focus (and not only one).

10. Try Burst Shooting Mode in Safari Photography

Shooting in  burst mode is an important wildlife photography tip for safari enthusiasts, catering to both beginners and advanced photographers. Wildlife is unpredictable, and animals often move swiftly. Burst mode allows you to capture a series of rapid shots, increasing the chances of freezing dynamic moments, ensuring you don't miss critical actions or spontaneous behaviors.

Beginners benefit by having a safety net, capturing shots even if timing is a challenge. For advanced photographers, burst mode offers creative opportunities to select the perfect frame from a sequence.

11. Focus on the eyes of an animal

Always focus on the eyes of the animals ; that’s the cardinal rule of wildlife photography! This golden tip elevates your shots, creating a connection between the viewer and the wildlife subject. Instead of hastily snapping numerous wildlife images, wait for the moment when the animal turns its gaze towards you.

Focusing on the eyes provides viewers with a unique perspective. It creates a visual connection, as if the animals are looking directly through the photograph at the audience. This transformative approach adds depth and emotion, making your wildlife images more memorable and resonant, especially when capturing close-up shots of animals. This technique enhances the details in the eyes, showcasing the intricacies and expressions that might be missed in broader shots.

Aim for a shutter speed between 1/250s to 1/2500s, depending on the animal's movement, and an aperture between f/2 to f/6, depending on your lens. These settings ensure both eyes are in focus, capturing the essence of the wildlife subject.

Remember, the eyes are the windows to the soul , even in the animal kingdom. So when focusing on the animal’s eyes, you can create truly remarkable and memorable wildlife photographs.

12. Shoot in RAW if you can

Shooting in RAW format on a safari offers several advantages.

RAW images provide a higher dynamic range compared to JPEG, capturing more details in both shadows and highlights. This is crucial in the diverse and often challenging lighting conditions encountered during a safari.

RAW files contain more image data , allowing for extensive post-processing without compromising quality. This flexibility is valuable when adjusting exposure, contrast, color balance, and other elements during the editing process (I usually edit my wildlife images in Lightroom).

Shooting in RAW preserves the original quality and detail captured by the camera's sensor. This is especially important in wildlife photography, where preserving the authenticity of the scene is crucial.

13. Timing is Everything: The Golden Hour and Beyond

The golden hours of sunrise and sunset conveniently align with the typical timing of game drives during a safari when the animals are most active. The warm, soft light enhances the colors and textures of the African landscape, creating a captivating backdrop for your photos.

The advantage of photographing during the Golden Hour , sometimes called ‘Magical Hour’, is that the soft golden light reduces harsh shadows and creates a golden glow. Patience during these hours rewards you with captivating glimpses into the animals' daily lives.

14. Equip Yourself Wisely with the right camera gear

Ensure you have the right camera equipment for safari photography.

Bring a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera and zoom lenses with 200-600 mm range or a quality compact camera for versatile quality wildlife photos. Safari photography on a smartphone is not the best option to photograph wildlife, but it is, of course, a great option to create short videos, stories, and reels.

Zoom lenses for safari photography

I highly recommend a long lens with a minimum of 200 mm zoom to capture distant wildlife. A zoom lens allows you to effortlessly switch between photographing animals from a distance without disturbing them and capturing intricate details of flora and fauna up close.

More ideally, a zoom lens with a focal length of 300 mm+ is great for capturing wild animals or birds. If you’re using a full-frame camera, I would suggest a 400 mm zoom lens and if you are a keen birder a 600 mm long lens is perfect for bird photography on safari.

Wide-angle lens

Apart from zoom lenses, I always carry a wide-angle lens (for example 16-35 mm), great for capturing the beautiful African landscapes and its animals or magical sunsets.

Essential accessories

Don't forget essential accessories, such as memory cards, extra batteries, cleaning wipes, a charger, a camera bag, and a rain cover. Consider a beanbag for stability.

Hire photography gear for safari

Not having the right camera gear ? Nowadays, the quality of compact cameras is pretty good as well, and it’s also possible to hire photography gear .

15. Consider bringing a tripod and/or beanbag

Bringing a tripod and/or beanbag on safari is a crucial photography tip for the following reasons:

• Stability for Clear Shots: A tripod or beanbag provides stability, reducing camera shake and ensuring clear shots, especially when using longer lenses.
• Flexibility in Composition: Both tripods and beanbags allow photographers to compose shots with precision. A tripod is ideal for setting up shots in a fixed position, while a beanbag provides a more flexible option, allowing quick adjustments and movements.
• Support for Heavy Equipment: Professional camera gear, including telephoto lenses, can be heavy. A tripod and/or beanbag offers robust support for heavier equipment, preventing fatigue during extended periods of shooting.
• Long Exposure and Low Light Conditions: In low light or during sunrise/sunset safaris, a tripod is essential for capturing long-exposure shots without introducing motion blur. A tripod is also great to practice with star photography and photographing the milky way when you're back at the safari lodge .
• Silent Shooting with Beanbags: Beanbags are preferred for wildlife photography as they provide a stable base without the noise associated with adjusting tripod legs. This is especially important to avoid disturbing animals in their natural habitat.
• Versatility in Safari Vehicles: Safari vehicles often have limited space, and tripods may be cumbersome. Beanbags are more versatile, easily adapting to the contours of the vehicle and providing a stable platform for photography.

16. Make a back-up of your images on safari

I always back up my images while traveling. When my memory card is full, I back up my images onto an external hard drive. That is mostly enough, but for people who want to travel longer, I highly recommend backing up to a second external hard drive (kept in different locations). Hard drives I use are Lacie Rugged, Samsung, and Seagate.

If you are using your phone only, I also recommend backing up your images in the cloud, for example iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Photos, you name it.

17. Keep it Simple and Be Patient

Wildlife photography requires patience . Allow yourself time to observe and wait for the right moment, focusing on mastering basic techniques. Don't be overwhelmed by settings; simplicity often reveals the raw beauty of wildlife.

18. Edit your photos

Editing your safari photos is not essential, but if you want to step up your safari photography game, I highly recommend learning how to edit your wildlife images in, for example Adobe Lightroom (for both desktop and smartphone) and Photoshop . Especially if you are planning to print your photos, post-processing is an important step.

Get in touch for a private workshop on how to edit your safari photos or join me on a photo safari where I will share editing tips to improve your wildlife photography.

19. Know Your Camera

If you're a beginner photographer, all the settings on your camera can be a bit overwhelming. When I first started photography, my camera was a puzzle to me. I kept using the automatic mode until I learned the basics of photography during a volunteer program in South Africa . Having two game drives per day in Thanda Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal was the perfect way to start practicing shooting in manual mode and learn more about the best settings for safari. I highly recommend to start learning more about your camera and camera settings before you go on safari. Go through your camera manual to find the buttons and settings of some of the technical photography tips I mentioned in this article.

20. Embrace Learning and Growth

Whether you're a beginner or experienced photographer, nurture your interest in learning photography. Books about photography, online photography courses, workshops and guided photo safari tours with photography experts offer opportunities to enhance your safari photography skills; including my small group photo safaris . To master a new skill, learning by doing is often the most effective approach to get to know your camera better. So please remember, anyone can learn photography, and the wonders of a safari in Africa can ignite your passion for capturing the mesmerizing beauty of our planet's wildlife.

21. Join me on a photo safari to Africa

Do you want to improve your photography skills on safari  and travel with like-minded travelers? Join me on a small group safari to Africa . As a professional wildlife photographer, I can help to improve your photography skills on safari by sharing hands-on experience and valuable tips. Instead of rushing to tick off the Big Five, we will spend our time carefully during the beautiful golden hours around sunrise (morning game drive) and sunset (afternoon game drive).

It doesn't matter if you're a beginner, intermediate, or professional photographer. Having an interest in photography and and being prepared to learn are the most important aspects.

Safari Photography Tips to take the best photos on safari

These tips, coupled with the expertise on my photographic safari trip to Africa , will undoubtedly enhance your safari photography journey. Capture the essence of Africa's breathtaking wildlife and create lasting memories with every click of your camera (or even your smartphone).

See photos as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaigns for president

We can’t stop Highway 1 from crumbling into the sea. Here’s why

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Good morning. It’s Wednesday, April 17 . Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• Highway 1 update and why we can’t stop it from crumbling into the sea
• The Supreme Court casts doubt on obstruction charges against hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters
• See James Dean’s apartment and more on the new TCM tour at Warner Bros.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

You're reading the Essential California newsletter

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Built to spill: Why we can’t stop Highway 1 from crumbling into the sea

We have an update on Highway 1, which has been closed south of the Rocky Creek Bridge after a landslide sent part of the cliff and road into the Pacific Ocean.

State transportation officials closed about a mile of the highway March 31, initially stranding more than 1,000 tourists and residents. Supervised convoys have been running through the area ever since.

The California Department of Transportation anticipates that the affected section will reopen by Memorial Day , though with limited capacity. Drivers in both directions will take turns using the northbound lane via a 24/7 traffic signal.

Meanwhile, Caltrans crews will be reinforcing the road and cliffside with rock dowels — giant screw-like anchors used to stabilize weakened rocks — then fill the lost chunk by spraying shotcrete.

Roadway stabilization work on #Hwy1 at Rocky Creek now scheduled to be completed by Memorial Day May 27. Completion will allow for installation of temporary signal system and 24/7 alternating one-way traffic control. Crews at work this week installing stabilizing anchors. pic.twitter.com/pU78KxrybO — Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) April 12, 2024

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed the affected area and determined that the damage was caused by a common rockfall.

“The good news is that researchers didn’t see a larger landslide at work, which would suggest greater instability in the surrounding area,” my colleague Grace Toohey reported this week . “The bad news is that it’s an ongoing challenge to predict where and when another rockfall could happen along Highway 1 — the stretch of highway that the USGS considers most vulnerable to coastal erosion in California.”

That challenge was there before the highway fully opened in 1937. A Times reporter chronicling the progress of what was then referred to as the Carmel-San Simeon Highway said road builders had “invaded the last coastal frontier in California.”

“It will result in a masterpiece of highway construction,” the reporter wrote in 1935. “Our new scenic and spectacular coast highway … is destined to become a touring Mecca of America.”

But chunks of this “masterpiece” have a tendency to fall into the sea. A historical report presented to Caltrans in 2001 documented more than 50 closures on Highway 1 between 1935 and 2000. Most were for landslides and debris flows, plus a few wildfires.

Since 2009, approximately 50 slides have been recorded in the stretch between Monterey and San Simeon, according to Caltrans spokesperson Chris Clark.

The same features that give the Central California coastline its majestic views also make it volatile.

As Gary Griggs, a professor of earth sciences at UC Santa Cruz, explained, that is mainly because California is young — in a geological sense — and still settling in.

“It’s where two giant tectonic plates have collided for millions of years,” he told me this month. “We have a very active landscape, weak rocks and very steep slopes along the Big Sur coast that have been and will continue to be impacted by intense rainfall, often after fires, and also wave attack along the shoreline.”

It’s not as if Caltrans is not aware of this.

“Over a long period of time (from the mid-1930s to the present), road closures have been one of the few constants of life in Big Sur,” historical consultants noted in a report presented to the agency in 2001 . “The historic record suggests that closures will continue into the future on a reasonably predictable basis, with major closures coming in clusters that coincide with wet weather patterns and summertime fire events.”

So what is Caltrans doing about it? It will continue to rebuild and repair the parts of Highway 1 that crumble away, Clark said, but “make it more adaptable and more resilient to climate change.”

“There are few, if any, more iconic routes, not just in California but anywhere in the world,” Clark said. “It’s the Main Street of Big Sur. What this road means to the local economy, to the people of this region and to our pride as Californians is simply invaluable.”

What do those adaptive designs look like? Clark said Caltrans is installing larger culverts “to enable the passage of increased flows,” adding “debris catchments” to prevent clogged drainage systems and “looking toward nature-based solutions about designing ways to let nature do what nature wants to do safely.”

I asked Griggs, whose research focuses on coastal hazards and engineering responses, about the state’s solutions so far. He called Caltrans’ seemingly constant repair work “a Band-Aid” that will never fix the uncontrollable force that is nature.

“[Fixes] may last months or years, but failure will occur elsewhere during the next major storm,” he said. “A changing climate will produce hotter, drier summers, which makes the landscape more prone to wildland fires, and also more concentrated winter rainfall and runoff that will lead to more frequent landslides and debris flows.”

And the cost of all those repairs adds up. A list of nearly 50 projects shared by Caltrans totals more than $400 million since 2009. Storm repair work along Highway 1 in 2021 reportedly cost $11 million, while the major incident in 2023 that has kept a southern section of Highway 1 closed for more than a year has an estimated price tag of $88 million, Caltrans told the San Francisco Chronicle .

Griggs floated the idea of making Highway 1 a toll road, like what’s in place to access the similarly scenic 17-Mile Drive. Charging the millions of motorists estimated to drive Highway 1 each year “could raise some serious repair money,” he said.

And if Highway 1 is to stay open (sometimes) as the risks of its already-risky terrain intensify during a growing climate crisis, it’s going to need all the money it can get.

Today’s top stories

Housing for the homeless

• L.A. Mayor Karen Bass urges business and philanthropic leaders to help fund housing for homeless people .
• Sun Valley housing project offers stability to homeless families in LAUSD .
• A controversial landlord wants to buy six more troubled Skid Row properties .
• Coachella is bigger than ever. Where to find the best food spots for Weekend 2 .
• The best moments of Coachella 2024 in photos .
• The 15 best things we saw .
• Caitlin Clark is worth millions. Why will she only make $76,535 in the WNBA?
• The Clark show is coming to the WNBA : 36 of Fever’s 40 games will be on national TV.
• After Clark is drafted at No. 1, Sparks select Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson .

More big stories

• USC valedictorian’s graduation speech is canceled: ‘The university has betrayed me.’
• Renters across L.A. are under strain and many fear becoming homeless, survey finds.
• O.J. Simpson never paid the Goldmans the millions he owed them. Can they finally collect?
• Abortion ban has supercharged Arizona politics . What will GOP legislators do?
• Former L.A. Councilmember Jose Huizar is granted a delay for his 13-year prison term .
• He shot an 18-year-old in the back of the head. A jury couldn’t decide if it was murder .
• Women at a California prison dubbed the ‘rape club’ worry where they’ll be transferred .
• The Supreme Court casts doubt on obstruction charges against hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters.
• News publishers’ alliance calls on feds to investigate Google for limiting California links.
• The EV market is in trouble: The latest sign is Tesla layoffs .
• Disneyland’s plan to expand and reimagine the park with new rides and hotels goes to a vote.
• Carl Erskine , Dodgers pitcher in both Brooklyn and L.A., has died at 97.

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here .

Commentary and opinions

• Michael Hiltzik: With his Truth Social stock, Trump may be laughing all the way to the bank — but his investors have reason to weep.
• Anita Chabria: Paris Hilton came to talk about ‘abuse disguised as therapy.’ We both teared up.
• Editorial Board: If 10 straight months of record-breaking heat isn’t a climate emergency, what is?
• Meredith Blake: ‘The Golden Bachelor’ divorce turns a TV success story into a cautionary tale .
• Robin Abcarian: A disconcerting wave of crime in Venice, caught on camera .

Today’s great reads

This trans author toured red-state libraries. What she found might surprise you . “The goal of My Red-State Library Tour was to defend an institution I loved and to send the message that the book bans are a fascist-style campaign of cultural erasure, which our media has failed to grasp,” Diana Goetsch writes. “I don’t know if I succeeded, though I would love for there to be copycats — other authors who travel to libraries to speak, repaying the favors they do for us.”

Other great reads

• ‘It’s the best job ever’: ‘Family Guy’ cast reflects on 25 years of irreverent humor .
• Did you feel that L.A. earthquake? Here’s why you might be a ‘never-feeler.’
• It’s time for an Oscar for stunts. ‘The Fall Guy’ is the best argument for it .
• 1 million Mexican Americans were deported a century ago. A new L.A. audio tour explores this ‘hidden’ history .

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected] .

For your downtime

• 🌼 This iconic wildflower spot can be dazzling . Is it worth the trek from L.A. this year?
• 🍴The team behind Michelin-recognized Liu’s Cafe opens an ode to modern Korean favorites .
• 🎥 Classic film lovers: See James Dean’s apartment and more on the new TCM tour at Warner Bros.
• 📕He wasn’t a crier, but then his wife died — and the tears wouldn’t stop. How one father found his way forward .
• 📺 Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough shine in Hulu’s dark true-crime drama ‘Under the Bridge.’
• 🥦 Here’s a recipe for broccoli with pumpkin seed jazz .
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games .

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Christina House at the first weekend of Coachella .

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter Defne Karabatur, fellow Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor and Saturday reporter Christian Orozco, assistant editor Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

Check our top stories , topics and the latest articles on latimes.com .

Start your day right

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

Ryan Fonseca writes the Los Angeles Times’ Essential California newsletter. A lifelong SoCal native, he has worked in a diverse mix of newsrooms across L.A. County, including radio, documentary, print and television outlets. Most recently, he was an associate editor for LAist.com and KPCC-FM (89.3) public radio, covering transportation and mobility. He returns to The Times after previously working as an assistant web editor for Times Community News, where he helped manage the websites and social media presence of the Burbank Leader, Glendale News-Press and La Cañada Valley Sun. Fonseca studied journalism at Cal State Northridge, where he now teaches the next generation of journalists to develop their voice and digital skills.

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Wildlife Safari welcomes new Wallaroo joey

WINSTON Ore. (KPTV) - Wildlife Safari announced a new addition to the Australia walkabout. The new Joey was born in July, 2023, to mother Kari.

When born, Wallaroo joeys are less than one inch long and spend up to 270 days in their mother’s pouch.

“An interesting fact is that the joey crawls from the birth canal into the pouch on its own,” Dan Brands, Curator at Wildlife Safari said. “At just the size of a jelly bean, it follows a trail of the mother’s saliva, using scent to navigate to the pouch since its eyes are not fully developed.”

Around six months of age joeys begin taking trips out of the pouch and by nine months, they are out and exploring the world.

“We are overjoyed to welcome this new joey to our Wildlife Safari family,” Rachael Mohlman, Village Supervisor at Wildlife Safari said. “Now that the joey is out of the pouch, we are excited to see how its personality grows.”

In a statement, Wildlife Safari said, “This birth is not only a cause for celebration but also a testament to our ongoing efforts in wildlife conservation and education. It provides visitors with a unique opportunity to witness the beauty of nature up close and learn about the importance of protecting these incredible animals and their habitats. Wildlife Safari remains committed to providing a safe and enriching environment for all its inhabitants while offering visitors unforgettable experiences that foster a deeper connection with wildlife.”

Copyright 2024 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.

Timberline Lodge damaged in fire, closed until further notice

In-N-Out Burger may be coming soon to Beaverton

Grandmother on her way to grandkid’s graduation sexually assaulted at TriMet station, prosecutors say

Man stranded in boat after running aground in Ocean Park

Body found in clothing donation box, investigation underway

Latest news.

Three families displaced in Vancouver apartment fire

Abandoned SUV found outside Portland coffee shop after hit-and-run

MAX Blue, Red lines delayed due to downtown Portland power loss

Gaza war protesters shut down Golden Gate Bridge, block traffic in other cities

Demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza shut down San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge for around five hours Monday, as protests were also held in other cities in the U.S.

Demonstrators on the famous bridge held a sign that read “stop the world for Gaza” in capital letters. They used vehicles and chained themselves together to block travel lanes on the bridge, the California Highway Patrol said, adding that around 20 people were arrested.

NBC Bay Area reported that the bridge was closed for around five hours and that the traffic there was blocked beginning at around 7:30 a.m. The bridge reopened at around 12:15 p.m., the highway patrol said.

It’s not the first time pro-Palestinian protesters had blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge to draw attention to the war and their cause. A group blocked traffic on the bridge in February, calling for a cease-fire and demanding the U.S. stop supplying weapons to Israel.

On Interstate 880 in Oakland, protesters chained themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with cement, according to the highway patrol.

“They are actively working to remove these individuals and lanes will be reopened,” the highway patrol said in a statement. “These individuals will be arrested.”

In Chicago, around 40 people were arrested at O’Hare International Airport after a group of protesters obstructed traffic, police said.

“Stop sending bombs,” read the stop sign-like badges on the chests of protesters who blocked the expressway leading to O’Hare by connecting themselves to one another with pipes over their arms.

The group Chicago Dissenters said the protest date was picked to coincide with the April 15 tax filing deadline.

“O’Hare International Airport is one of the largest in the country, and there will be NO business as usual while Palestinians suffer at the hands of American funded bombing by Israel,” the group wrote on social media.

New York City police said they were making arrests after protesters blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge.

In Seattle, an expressway leading to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was also blocked, airport authorities there said.

The Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel's subsequent war against the group in Gaza have inflamed passions in the U.S. and in other parts of the world.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of civilians, according to health officials there. More than 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the Hamas attacks, and hostages were also taken.

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

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How a Black conservative activist arranged Donald Trump’s stop at an Atlanta Chick-fil-A

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, center, takes a photo with Michaelah Montgomery, left, a local conservative activist, as he visits a Chick-fil-A eatery, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, hugs Michaelah Montgomery, a local conservative activist, as he visits a Chick-fil-A eatery, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, greets a customer as he visits a Chick-fil-A eatery, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, center, visits a Chick-fil-A eatery, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump visits a Chick-fil-A eatery, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The scenes of Donald Trump being warmly greeted on Wednesday by a Black audience at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta electrified conservative political media at a moment when Republicans hope to make inroads with Democrats’ most committed voting bloc.

Those widely shared moments were days in the making, an alliance between the Trump campaign, local activists, and students at some of the nation’s most iconic historically Black colleges.

Trump and his allies have argued he can win greater Black support due to his messages on the economy and immigration, a notion President Joe Biden’s campaign rejects. Some of his outreach to African Americans has played on racial stereotypes — promoting $399 branded sneakers or suggesting that Black people would empathize with his dozens of felony charges — and has offended longtime critics and some potential allies.

But the campaign considered Wednesday’s photo opportunity at Chick-fil-A, a stop he made on the way to a fundraiser in Atlanta, a win that produced viral videos shared by his allies and widely discussed by supporters and opponents alike.

“People find it so hard to believe that there are young Black people who would have loved the opportunity to meet Trump,” said Michaelah Montgomery, a conservative activist and founder of Conserve the Culture, which recruits and educates college students and young alumni at Atlanta’s historically Black colleges and universities.

Montgomery, a former Georgia Republican Party staffer who regularly coordinates events for HBCU students open to conservative ideas to meet with politicians and activists, said she was notified earlier in the week that Trump would visit Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood during his trip to host a high-dollar fundraiser in the city. She notified a private group chat of students she uses to coordinate events and job opportunities about the president’s visit. She received immediate interest in appearing alongside him from around a dozen students.

“Everybody got together at around 9:30 in the morning and walked on over to the Chick-fil-A and then we sat there and waited until the president showed up,” said Montgomery, who can be seen embracing the former president in multiple viral videos. “It’s really disheartening to see that the media makes it seem like we just stumbled into a Chick-fil-A and he bought us milkshakes.”

Morehouse and Spelman Colleges are some of the foremost historically Black colleges in the nation, with long legacies of influential Black alumni in politics, business, religion and medicine. Martin Luther King Jr. and Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who pastors King’s former church, are both Morehouse alumni. Stacey Abrams, the influential Georgia Democrat, attended Spelman. Alongside neighboring Clark Atlanta University and Morris Brown College, the academic collective on Atlanta’s West Side has served as a bastion of African American politics and culture since before the Civil Rights movement.

Trump’s overture to students at the iconic Black institutions both underscored his eagerness to show any potential inroads with Black voters as well as the campaign’s strategy of partnering with local conservative groups to marshal a crowd in communities outside the GOP base, a common political tactic with a slight twist.

“The location was beautifully selected and I think it had an incredible impact,” said Bill White, a businessman and longtime friend of the former president who organized the high-dollar luncheon for the Trump campaign in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood the same day. “I just thought the day was a resounding success for him and for the people in Georgia who loved him and wanted to come out and show their support.”

White added that Donald Trump “is very relatable to anyone, really. Atlantans got a chance to see that and show their love back” and he anticipates Trump will make major inroads with Black voters in Atlanta and across the country due to events like his Wednesday visit.

Jasmine Harris, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, criticized the visit.

“Thinking Black voters relate to Donald Trump because he spent twenty minutes handing out freebies at a fast food restaurant is yet another insult to our intelligence – and perfect example of just how disingenuous Trump’s outreach to Black voters continues to be,” Harris said in a statement.

In March, 55 percent of Black Americans said they approved of Biden’s handling his job as president while 45 percent disapproved, according to a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Research. But a February poll found only a 25 percent favorability rating for Trump among Black Americans.

The visit was not met with fanfare by some on campus or the local community. Montgomery denounced the criticism some students who appeared in the viral videos alongside Trump have received both on campus and online.

“They are claiming that the students made a mockery of their institutions and saying that they are disrespecting their ancestors. It is really, really bad,” said Montgomery.