3 Tricks Every Photographer Needs to Know: I Risked Losing $10,000 in Gear to Prove It

FROPACK4 is HERE with 14 all-new custom Lightroom presets!!! Check it out

Sometimes in Photography, you need to break out some tricks, or what some people call hacks, to help you get the shot. I want to show you how I was able to take these photos of Big Tusker Elephants in Kenya with the Canon EOS R3 and RF 85 f1.2 while shooting RAW.

Want to send us gifts, swag, letters...here's our P.O. BOX
PO Box 3715 Philadelphia, PA 19125

Gear I USE

Follow me
Please help us continue to make FREE content
by purchasing one or all of the FroKnowsPhoto
Educational guides. To check out previews of
each guide click here.
shutter speed, aperture, ISO, nikon, canon, sony

#FroKnowsPhoto #JaredPolin #Photography

[sportsshooter]

I've done 6 safaris and learn something new today... bring a monopod. On the last Safari I asked the safari tour operator to remove the middle seats ( which they did) so I was on the vehicle's floor for low level angle while shooting. Great video

[Joe-glsr]

Wow amazing shots!! Not a fan of blues in post. I think your winner is in B&W— making it timeless especially if they go extinct since there are only the 25 remaining. Or swap out the sky… with something more natural looking. Such wonderful shots!! Perfection is a must!

[mstrathmore]

Great tip about the monopod. This is the thing that most folks who haven’t shot wildlife in the big national parks often don’t realise until they get there: you don’t control the light, you don’t control the direction, you don’t control the animal’s behaviour and you often only have moments to shoot some behaviour that you may never see again. I’ve seen so much bs about light meters, getting out of the vehicle, getting closer to the animal (mostly you can’t leave the road) and not shooting through heat haze (good luck with that). My advice: always take the quick “insurance shot”, work as smoothly and quickly as possible, and make sure the vehicle’s engine is off if you’re resting your camera on any part of it (even a bean bag). Speaking of bean bags: they’re the best; fly with them empty and buy beans on location (and of course don’t throw the beans away when you leave- that’s food).

[AndrejsZavadskis]

we payed extra and just step outside the car 😄😄😄

[rudolfappel]

I actually liked the picture with half of Kilimanjaro behind the elephant. To me it looked like a perfect composition as the main subject is the Elephant and the background is more dynamic yet giving enough information about the whereabouts. For me the best of all shots shown.

[captureprojectone]

Perfect, leaving March 2024 for a 3 day South Africa safari keep these tips coming. Picking up a used but new R3 tomorrow will be taking the R3, R5, RF 100-500mm, RF 85mm, RF 28-70mm, a monopod, and tripod.

Wish me luck this is my first safari

[rpizzo]

Great shots. Coincidentally, I saw a video the other day of a guy going to the exact same place and he was showing that he puts a top handle on the bottom of the monopod to make it easy to hold. Seemed like a good idea. He also velcroed a remote shutter to the handle and turned the camera upright using the tripod collar so he could also use the flip out screen.

[JoshuaStandingHarvey]

Great video thank you! I would love a video explaining your organizational system for keeping that many photos organized. I have been taking RAW photos now for about 6 months and already i am a little confused at how the pro's do it

[nokturnalivory]

Great captures 🎉Thank you for sharing. Excellent tips. So glad you enjoyed the trip

[rodbotic]

I had a similar situation of wanting a shot where I couldn't walk. A macro of lipstick lichen.
So I used a tripod as a boom off trail, and my wife shooting and focusing on the Nikon app.
I was stabilizing the tripod and making course adjustments to help arrange the compo.

[SpressoMan]

10:46 That's why I still only rely on a dedicated remote when a shot actually counts (Sony RMT-P1BT).
I am floored at the capabilities of camera in-phone apps. When I decided on the A7Rv with Westcott FJ wireless strobes, I thought the phone app was a joke... until I used it. Wow!!
But, if I were in that situation, I would hang my career & paycheck (assuming I were a photographer) on the dedicated commander.
I love your stuff, Jared: photos AND YT. Keep it up!

[brandishwar]

I'd expand #1 to say: know your options and try to anticipate your needs. And on that I'd recommend getting a camera cage - specifically SmallRig's but there are some lesser-expensive alternatives as well. That would've allowed you to screw on the monopod without having to turn your camera upside down. Plus it gives you plenty of mount points for other accessories. I have one on my Z5. And it's great being able to attach things to the camera.

A detached screen and a remote trigger probably would've helped you as well so you weren't having to mess with the app. But it would've also been more stuff to account for.

[Mosesybanez]

FYI in the canon connect app you can hit the gears setting button up there in the corner and one of the setting is to flip the live view angle of your phone so it will be flipped up right on your phone but the camera will still take the photo upside down so you'll have to flip it in post. But awesome video man love your stuff

[TheHawaiianc]

Hey Jared use to that at car shows to get low shots you can use your iwatch or ear pod to click the shutter if need and have your iPhone mounted to monopod

[Tarets]

Jared: that's why we shoot RAW - to restore these overblown highlights.

Also Jared, famously: I don't care about dynamic range.

[fredbenjamin]

Thanks, Jared! This video really resonated with me. The difficulty of getting the shot and creativity employed were very instructive. Awesome!

[michaeldavenport]

This is really interesting I’ve just starting photography again after I’ve become disabled I enjoy your videos and podcasts thank you

[JoshuaBloomquist]

Amazing video! That photo you found in your raw files is an absolute masterpiece! The composition of the photo is amazing with that herd of Big Tusker Elephants and Mt.Kilimanjaro. Beautiful!

[davidward]

Great lesson about revisiting old shoot resources. Also, about the plan ahead, act fast requirements for that kind of shooting.
About the shot with the mountain cut off — have you thought about blending it with one of the other shots that includes the whole mountain? Looks like you have some where it would be just a bit more complex than a normal panorama blend.

[shawnvine]

Very cool. Looks like you had a good trip and these great photos. Thanks for sharing this.