Lions are a priority for most safari-goers. If you are traveling to Africa to see a lion, you will undoubtedly want to bring home an image worthy of the trip.
The most important thing about photographing any animal is knowing its habits and tendencies. Understanding your target and anticipating what it might do next is integral to getting a great image. As we know, planned images are always better than just luck.
Knowing and studying your subject is the basis of this.
Check out my other page about the lion and its behavior, to understand the big cat properly. Read on to find out more about photographing lions while on safari
Where to photograph lions
First things first: where to find lions?
Lions once roamed all over Africa. Today, unfortunately, lions and their habitats are threatened, and the majestic cat has, for the most part, been restricted to wildlife reserves.
While it is possible to come across a lion outside of national parks, it is within these protected areas that we have the best chance of seeing one, and seeing one relaxed enough to hang around for a photograph.
Three National Parks in Africa stand out as having great lion densities.
Lions in Kruger
One of the best places in the world for all wildlife lovers, Kruger National Park is a must-see destination for lions. The Lion population here is one of the densest anywhere. The Park is bigger than the nearby country of eSwatini.
Landscapes range from Mopane forest in the north via riverine forest to savana grasslands in the south, Kruger National Park has everything. Check out my guide to wildlife watching in Kruger National Park for more information.
Lions are found in most areas of the park, particularly along the S100 road near Satara Rest Camp in the southern half of the park. This area is famous for its lions, and this small side road has some of the most regular sightings of lions in the park.
Two other areas in Kruger National Park that are good for lions are around Sukuza, and the road leading from Letaba to Phalaborwa Gate.
Lions in the Masai Mara
One of the first destinations on any lion lover’s bucket list will be the Masai Mara. This is really a Garden of Eden in East Africa. The volcanic soils and regular rains make some of the most fertile grasslands in the world. Home during part of the year to the Great Migration, the Masai Mara is overflowing with prey animals.
Anywhere there is abundant prey, you will find predators. The grasses of the Masai Mara National Park, are able to support over a million wildebeest and a quarter of a million zebras during the migration period.
As one might expect, this means that the lion population is also quite high. My first safari guide here asked us what we wanted to see while on safari. In response to our answers, he naturally said, I can’t guarantee that. Apart from Zebras, Wildebeest and Lions. He was willing to guarantee a sighting of lions within the three days.
In fact, we found some within the first 30 minutes!!
Lions of the Serengeti
The Serengeti is the other half of the great migration route. While the wildebeest and zebras create their annual circuit, the lions and other predators sit still. They are territorial and so they stake out a part of the circuit.
Simply put, when the wildebeest are in town, there is a feast, when they are away in another region, predators struggle.
One of the best places along the great migration route for lions is the Ndutu plains. This area in the southern Serengeti is famous for its short grasses. In February and early March, the grasses here produce some of the most succulent and nutritious food the planet has to offer.
Ungulates like the wildebeest and zebras find this is best for nursing mothers. They give birth around this time on the short grass plains, and the local predators take advantage.
A few hundred thousand young wildebeests and zebras can be born here each year. This abundance sustains the lions who live here. Lions can give birth year round, but in the Ndutu Plains area they also give birth to their own young around this time. The easy hunting conditions means that raising lion cubs is as easy as it gets, though it still isn’t easy.
The nearby Ngorongoro Crater has probably the of the densest population of predators anywhere. Here too the lions are easily found and easily photographed. Bring a wider-angle lens with you.
Other regions to see Lions
Despite the decline in lion populations across the continent, lions are still pretty widespread across Africa. Their range hasn’t yet been completely destroyed. From the West African jungles of Senegal to the desert of Namibia, you can still find lions.
Of course, in many of these areas, lions are much rarer, and in the desert and jungle, they are much harder to find and see.
Some areas that are comparable to East Africa and Kruger, as I mentioned above are :
Botswana, both the Chobe and Okavango areas, have good lion populations.
Zimbabwe. Hwange National Park is known for its lions, despite the well-publicized killing of Cecil a few years back.
In Southern Tanzania, Selous Game Reserve has a large density of predators, especially lions.
Don’t forget about India, the GIR forest in Northeast India has the final population of Asiatic Lions.
Camera Gear for Lion Photography
Choosing your gear wisely is always important. For lions, though, the choice is quite easy. Fortunately, lions are not small, and getting a good image on safari is relatively easy.
Bringing a DSLR or Mirrorless camera, with a changeable lens, is essential. However, from here on, your decision is based on the image you want.
Sometimes, with wildlife photography, the image we can get is limited by distance, the behavior of the target or limitations of the habitat.
Lions are quite photographer-friendly. Living on the African savanna, they are usually out in the open and quite visible. It is often also quite easy to approach them and get close enough that you don’t need an expensive 600 mm lens.
For all African safaris (I am not forgetting the lions in India), I recommend a range of lenses. Something like a 70-200 mm and a 150-600 mm are generally the minimum. Sometimes a wider angle is also a good option, to show even more of the lions’ environment. It can be quite difficult to get real wide-angle shots when you are at eye level with the lions. Check out Will Burrard-Lucas’ images taken with infrared triggers, or his remote control vehicle.
For close-up portraits, about 400 mm is great, and for an environmental shot, the 70-200 mm range is optimal. These are full-frame lens equivalents. If you have a crop sensor, adjust accordingly.
Camera Settings for Lion Photography
Shutter Speed
Camera settings are of course dependent on the light and your artistic intent. Naturally there are guidelines to help you along the way.
Lions don’t move quickly, and they don’t bounce about like small birds might, so a slow shutter speed is possible. 1/50 sec is okay for a static lion, and 1/250 sec is good for a walking lion. As always, use a shutter speed of 1/[lens length] at a minimum. If your lens is 400 mm, then you should use a shutter speed of 1/500.
If you are lucky enough to be close to a lion hunting or chasing down prey, a faster shutter speed will be necessary to freeze the action. 1/1600 would work, but 1/2500 is better to guarantee an image without motion blur.
Motion blur can also be used to emphasize things, so panning along with a lion walking can blur the ‘moving’ background. This advanced technique takes practice though, so make sure you have a few good images in the bag before you play around.
Aperture Settings
As with most wildlife photography, a wide-open aperture (low f-number) allows more light in and is the go-to setting.
This gives a very narrow depth of field and helps isolate the lion from the background, emphasizing the lion in the image. This is generally accepted to be a ‘better’ image. Guiding people’s eyes to the subject is always good. Getting rid of distractions (in focus, grass and bushes in the background with a low aperture) is also a way of focusing the viewer’s attention on the subject.
For photographing lions, this is also standard operating procedure, though sometimes at f/2.8, if you are quite close, the depth of field can be very thin, leaving just part of the animal in focus.
A narrower aperture ensures more of the image is in focus for wider-angle shots. It is more difficult to isolate the subject, but the environment can also be an important element in wildlife photography. Hopefully something like beautiful light will pick out the lion transforming the image.
Male Lion Photography
One aspect of lions that lots of people are interested in photographing is of course the dominant male’s mane. The mane’s length and darkness is a sign of his dominance to female lions but humans also find it attractive.
One of the best ways to photograph a male lion is to find a back-lit situation. The light coming from behind highlights the mane and creates a good frame for a portrait. Also, with a wider angle the distinctive shape of the male lion and his mane make for a good silhouette.
When shooting back-lit images, it is important to overexpose by about two stops to compensate for the bright background. As always, the precise amount needs to be adapted to the prevailing light conditions. Towards sunset, the background (where the light is coming from) will always be relatively brighter despite the weaker sun. This can be tricky to get right so make sure you bracket the exposure and take a number of images at different exposures if you aren’t happy with the first one.
Remember to get it right in the field if you can, as this makes post-processing much easier.
Another aspect of the male that makes for an amazing image is when he shakes his mane. Getting the timing and shutter speed right isn’t easy. You need a shutter speed that keeps his head still but allows the faster-moving mane to still have some motion blur. Experimentation will help, but you don’t always have the time for this.
Difficulties when photographing lions
One of the major hurdles to getting good photographs of lions is that they are most active at night. During the day they are often sleeping, or just lying about. It isn’t just the heat of the African sun, but also that hunting is just easier in the dark. Cats’ eyes have a reflective membrane on the retina, magnifying the available light and allowing them to see much better than other mammals at night. If your prey can’t see you as well as you can see them, hunting is just easier.
That said there is plenty of lion activity that you can capture on camera, especially during the dusk and dawn. During the hours just before sunset and just after sunrise, lions are a lot more active than during the middle of the day. This is of course, golden hour, which will add a nice warm glow to your images.
Of course the light isn’t as bright during this time of day and when lions walk into the shadow of bushes, one needs to use a high ISO, which impacts image quality. Studying the behavior of the pride you are following and getting ahead of them, or repositioning yourself so that they come to you might help.
Other Considerations
Sometimes, lions are quite happy to let your safari vehicle approach them quite close. This isn’t always great for photography. Sometimes you have to change lenses to even get them in the frame. Other times you just miss the shot. Ask your safari guide to keep a small distance.
For better images, like most wildlife, you need to make eye contact with lions. Often, this means being at the same level. Obviously, you can’t just jump out and squat down with a lion when in the middle of the savanna. The solution is to back your vehicle up a bit and use a longer lens.
The different perspective reduces the angle at which you are looking downwards, bringing your camera closer to eye level with your target. It might not produce a perfect image but will probably improve things.