Zambia
Back to Images of Africa
Smaller image
Look, I know this is an awful picture, but it's the only
close-up I got of a hippopotamus on land. Hippos generally
leave the water to graze only at night. If you manage to see
one on the land at all, odds are it will be in darkness when
photographic conditions are marginal at best. If you go on one
of these photo safaris, it's an excellent idea to bring a video
camera with good low light performance, as you'll encounter
nocturnal animals which can't be photographed any other way.
Even though the CCD sensors used in digital still cameras have
high quantum efficiency, no non-professional digital still
camera I know of is adequate for circumstances like this.
by John Walker
July, 2001
This document is in the public domain.