A great safari guide needs an extraordinary breadth of knowledge. Animal behaviour, bird calls, botany, geology and local culture are all part of the job, alongside the ability to read a guest, anticipate a wildlife encounter and position a vehicle in exactly the right place.
And, when the guest behind you is holding a camera, there is another layer of knowledge that can make all the difference. In April, a group of Asilia guides gathered at Oliver’s Camp in Tarangire National Park for an intensive photography training course. Led by photographer Yobel Muchang, with support from Asilia guide trainer and accomplished photographer Lorenzo Rossi, the course was designed not simply to make our guides better photographers, but to make them better guides for photographers. It was the second time we had brought the training to Tarangire. After seeing the impact of the inaugural course in 2025, there was little doubt that it was worth doing again.
From Behind the Wheel to Behind the Camera
Last year, 11 senior Asilia guides arrived at Oliver’s Camp for our first dedicated photography training course. The idea was relatively simple: put cameras into the hands of the people who spend their working lives helping guests photograph wildlife. The results went well beyond learning how to take a good photograph.
By experiencing a game drive from the other side of the camera, our guides developed a much stronger understanding of what a photographer needs from the person behind the wheel. It was a perspective that noticeably influenced the way those guides approached photographic guests once they returned to camp. That success was the motivation for returning to Oliver’s Camp this April.
For Lorenzo, this change of perspective is precisely what makes the training so valuable. “This specific training is crucial because for the first time, guides can be on the other side of the camera understanding what photographers or guests want.” Guides spend thousands of hours in safari vehicles, but almost all of that time is spent in the driver’s seat. Handing them a camera and putting them in the guest’s position changes the experience completely.
Suddenly, the position of the vehicle matters differently. So does the direction of the light, the background behind an animal, the angle of the subject and whether another vehicle, branch or enthusiastic fellow photographer is creeping into the frame.
Learning the Language of Photography
The course combined classroom sessions with practical time in the field, allowing the guides to understand the theory before putting it to work in the landscapes of Tarangire. Yobel once again led the photographic training, supplying Nikon camera equipment for the guides to use throughout the course. Alongside Lorenzo, he introduced the group to fundamental photographic terminology and techniques, including light, angles and contrast.
But knowing the terminology is only part of the goal. Understanding why a photographer might want to shoot into the light rather than away from it, why they may favour a particular angle, or why moving a vehicle just a few metres could transform an image allows a guide to anticipate rather than simply respond. Over the duration of the course, Yobel could see that understanding beginning to develop.
“I’ve definitely noticed a difference from the first day when the guides got here and we got out versus the last day. As you see that progression, they are becoming more open. They’re more confident as well. They’re also speaking the language of photographers.”
That shared language can have a significant impact on a photographic safari. Instead of a guest having to explain every decision or request, guide and photographer can increasingly work together. The guide understands what the photographer is trying to achieve and can combine that knowledge with their own understanding of the environment, animal behaviour and the possibilities of the sighting.
For Asilia guide Anderson Mwampashe, that shared understanding creates something particularly valuable. “I can speak the same language when it comes to photography, and that brings much more connection between the guide and the guest.”
Investing in Great Guides
Photography is a natural fit for safari guiding. Our guides spend their days surrounded by extraordinary subjects, often in remarkable light, yet opportunities for them to spend meaningful time behind the camera can be limited. As Lorenzo explains: “Photography, as we know, is what most of the guests want. They want to take pictures or videos of wildlife. The guides themselves have hardly any possibility to do photography themselves.”
Giving guides that opportunity is about more than learning another skill. Continuous training and development are fundamental to the standard of guiding we expect at Asilia. From the foundations of guiding through to increasingly specialised skills, learning does not stop simply because a guide has years of experience in the bush. The best guides remain students of their environment, continually adding to their knowledge and finding new ways to improve the experience of the guests travelling with them.
Photography training is another part of that process. An Asilia guide already brings an intimate understanding of the landscape and its wildlife to a sighting. They can read behaviour, anticipate movement and recognise the subtle signs that something interesting may be about to happen. Add an understanding of photography, and that knowledge can be applied to the image the guest is hoping to create.
It might mean positioning the vehicle with an awareness of where the light will fall. It could mean considering the background before stopping, anticipating where an animal might move next, or recognising that the photographer needs a few extra seconds before moving on. Small decisions that can make an enormous difference through a viewfinder.
Always Learning
No two days in the bush are the same, and no two guests want exactly the same safari. That is part of what makes exceptional guiding such a demanding craft. A professional photographer carrying multiple camera bodies and long lenses may arrive with very different expectations from a guest picking up a camera for their first safari. A great guide should be capable of recognising those differences and adapting accordingly. The purpose of our photography training is not to turn every guide into a professional wildlife photographer. It is to give them enough practical experience behind the camera to understand the person sitting behind them.
After the success of the first course, returning to Oliver’s Camp for another year was an opportunity to continue building that expertise within our guiding teams. Because the more our guides understand about the interests of their guests, the better equipped they are to create exceptional safari experiences. And sometimes, seeing safari through somebody else’s lens is exactly what it takes to become an even better guide.
Start planning your photography safari today
