A trip to any of Africa’s large waterways wouldn't be the same without the iconic sounds of honking, snorting, laughing, wheezing, spraying, splashing, roaring and general cavorting that Hippo’s tend to punctuate the atmosphere with. An African sunset wouldn't be the same without the accompanying vocal acrobatics but in addition to the audio satisfaction it may provide its onlookers the seemingly random bursts of sounds are vitally important in the Hippo community.
Due to their amorphous build, nocturnal activity and tendency to spend most of the day submerged in water communication plays a vital role in any Hippo community. The amazing variations of sound are made from the exhaled breath of a surfacing Hippo, can resonate for many kilometers and can communicate anger, threat, alarm and general communication between family members “honey I’m over here-here-here-here-here” as most if us would like to imagine!
Where: On a Photo Safari at Rhino Safari Camp on Lake Kariba in the Matusadona National Park.
How: Nikon D3 and Nikkor 500mm f4 VR ED. ISO 640 Aperture f7.1 @ 1/500th of a second. Shooting into the sun can be tricky so its best to try and avoid blowout in the highlights. To do this you must make sure you do not overexpose the scene and so meter for the highlights i.e the brighter part of the image. This however ushers in a new problem in that you do not want to loose detail in the darker areas of the picture! Such is the tricky life of a photographer!
Why not learn more about metering and join us on a photographic safari to one of our stunning wildlife destinations!