THE TIGER KINGS

Learn how to capture dramatic big cat photos on a UK safari, as a keen wildlife photographer gets a masterclass from pro Ben Hall

THE PRO BEN HALL

CANON EOS-1D X MK II

Wildlife pro Ben Hall is based in Cheshire, UK, and took up photography in his teens. He turned pro in 2003, and he’s since won countless bird and wildlife photography awards. He runs group and 1-2-1 photography workshops throughout the UK, focusing on iconic British wildlife, as well as leading trips to more exotic locations overseas, photographing everything from big cats to bears. To see Ben’s images, and for details of workshops, visit https://bit.ly/3npFhYq

THE APPRENTICE SIMON CARDER

CAMERA: CANON EOS R5

Simon is a semi-pro wildlife photographer who lives near Bath in the UK. When he’s not working he spends his time shooting everything from insects to birds around Somerset and further afield. Simon is a published and award winning photographer himself, and asked for our help to perfect his safari photo techniques, including shooting with a 500mm telephoto prime and getting to grips with the new AF settings on his Canon EOS R5. See Simon’s portfolio at https://bit.ly/3kKDond

TECHNIQUE ASSESSMENT

Ben met up with Simon at Wiltshire’s Longleat safari park. After they’d taken a few warm-up photos of the lions, Ben suggested a few tweaks to Simon’s camera setup

APERTURE CONTROL “The ever-changing weather can make shooting tricky, with brightness levels varying,” says Ben. “I use Aperture Priority to control depth of field on these days, when it’s cloudy with sunny outbreaks, but I also use Manual a lot for portraits of more sedentary wildlife. On a day like today, I’ll start at f/5.6 and adjust up or down as required.”