Okavango from the sky
Since becoming a wildlife enthusiast, I have heard about two major African ecosystems: the Serengeti and the Okavango. As soon as I could afford to travel to another continent, I made a beeline to the Maasai Mara in the Serengeti ecosystem. Since 2011, bar a year or two, I’ve been to some part of Africa each year, but part of the dream was always incomplete. I had to visit the Okavango.
As it turned out, though, I’d always been a pampered traveller, as I’ve written earlier. So, my searches for trips to the delta often resulted in packages, lodges and camps that’d cost an arm and a leg. Always a salaried man, I’ve baulked at the prospect. But in 2017, things changed a bit. I started self-driving to new destinations, and the experience opened my mind to new possibilities. But self-driving to Botswana wasn’t for the faint of heart, or so I’d heard.
After many years of contemplation, I finally made my way to Botswana this year with my two best friends, i.e. my wife and Anuroop. Our first wilderness experience had to be a doors-off helicopter flight over the Delta! Well, enough talk; here are some visuals to describe the experience.
How to book
Reach out to Helicopter Horizons from their website. An hour-long scenic flight costs $325 per person. I recommend the R44 helicopters, where two photographers can shoot from the same side of the craft. That makes it easier for the pilot to position the chopper.
Video and photos
For those who prefer video, Anuroop has put one together on YouTube. Be sure to check it out.
And here are some images to tell the story. Look for the photographic advice I share at the very end.
Taking off
Over and out of Maun
A chopper flies over the delta
A bird’s eye view of the classic delta landscape
Big mammals stand out in the landscape
A lone elephant walks through a maze of age-old pathways in the delta
A crocodile rushes to the water’s edge
Smaller animals break the pattern of the delta-scape
A spell of golden light
And elephant crosses a water body at sunset to end our flight
Photography advice
I loved flying over the delta. It was a dream come true in many ways, but I don’t think I made the images I’d have wanted to. I have a few reflections about the photography experience that you may find handy if you choose to fly over the Delta.
Schedule the flight right. While shooting in the last hour before sunset feels intuitive, I reckon a couple of hours before sunset may be more productive from a photography perspective. You’ll benefit from some long shadows, a bit of directional light and maybe extra shutter speed for whatever gear you carry. With the speed at which these helicopters move, shutter speed is crucial for getting decently sharp images.
Choose the right gear. Most images I shot and shortlisted are under 200mm on a full-frame camera. I suggest ditching the long lens and simplifying your setup. In hindsight, a 70-200mm lens for telephoto images and a phone for wide-angle and videos will not only reduce your cognitive load but will also be a productive setup for the widest variety of images during your one-hour flight.
Watch your technique. I suggest removing your lens hood if you plan to lean out of the helicopter. That reduces the wind drag and gives you more stability. If you’re like me and are concerned about banging your glass somewhere, keep your lens barrel within the helicopter. That way, you’ll avoid the wind drag. Trust me, the extra foot outside doesn’t give you much advantage. The reduced wind drag, on the other hand, is a big deal! One way or another, aim for a shutter speed of at least 1/1000th of a second, if not 1/2000th.
Plan your perspectives. Helicopter Horizons has skilful pilots who’ll get you into the positions you want if you know what that position is. I’d suggest not getting too close or on top of animals in nine out of ten cases. Most animals look like misshapen dots on the landscape that way. Instead, stay at a slight distance - almost parallel to the profile of an animal so that you can get decent animal scapes.
Pick productive subjects. From the air, all animals look small. In an animalscape, you need sufficiently large subjects for your image to stand out. Here are some animals that can make great aerial subjects.
Large mammals like elephants and giraffes are conspicuous against the busy terrain of the delta. It’s easy to pick them out in all of nature’s clutter. Elephants walking down their well-worn paths can create their leading lines, too.
Herd animals can stand out against the landscape. Think of a dazzle of zebra or a herd of lechwe against a contrasting backdrop, such as water or a green grazing area.
Animals with distinct shapes, such as crocodiles, can also make for interesting images if they contrast against the landscape.
Look for monochromes. Many aerial scenes in the delta look better if you strip them off colour and focus only on tonal contrast. Look for dark subjects like elephants against light coloured earth and for animal and game-viewing tracks that stand out in the landscape. They’ll make for fantastic black and white images. In the interest of cohesiveness, I’ve processed my images with a relatively consistent colour grade, but I’ll be sure to revisit some of them as monochrome candidates.
Manage your expectations. Helicopter photography promises a myriad of opportunities, and many photographers have built a formidable body of work photographing the delta and other landscapes from the sky. That said, they’ve built this portfolio over many years and seasons. My first experience photographing from a helicopter was more instructive and exhilarating than it was photographically productive. You might be luckier. Whatever happens, be sure to enjoy the experience and the breathtaking beauty of the delta.
Pangolin photography’s channel on YouTube also has some great suggestions about this type of photography. I recommend you listen to their advice as well.
I have to say, though, that flying over the delta has opened my mind to trying out helicopter photography at other locations—such as Lake Magadi in Kenya or Sossusvlei and the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. And who knows, maybe I’ll give the delta another crack some other time, maybe in another season.
Meanwhile, if you’re at Maun at any point during your Botswana adventure, give Helicopter Horizons a shout. And if you’re a photographer, I hope my experience comes in handy when planning your trip. Until then, wherever you’re out photographing, I wish you good light and great luck!