Sharing a campsite with lions

[ElenaH]

Actually I titled this video "Sharing a campsite with lions" to catch the attention. I thought people would think, "oh, it could be something interesting".
And it was In reality we shared our campsite with lions and spent some sleepless nights in Mpayathutlwa campsite in Mabuasehube (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana) in 2021.

I filmed the video with iPhone 11 Pro Max and Nikon z7 with Rode Video Mic Pro on it.

I took the lion roar also with z7 and video mic from my tent. I didn't have and don't have an external sound recorder (unfortunately) and taking sounds with camera+mic.
I used the stills made by a camera trap during the night with Nikon D5300 inside. And I used a footage of a night time-lapse plus still photos, one of which with double-fog filter where I used Ken-Burns post-processing zooming.

Firstly, I planned the story taking in consideration the footage I had. Then I chose the music which I thought would fit to the story and to the footage. Then I wrote the text and started to cut the footage trying to fit it to the music. Then I made a voice-over trying again to fit to the music as well. I used Yeti Blue microphone.

I am not a native speaker!

However, I decided to give my voice to the video and not using computer-generated voice (text-to-voice). My partner persuaded me that it is better to have an accent of a not-native speaker than some voice like in a navigation system of the car without any emotion. He said, it will give to a video a special note and that people don't like to hear a computer-generated voice-over.
Hopefully, he is right

I am a member of Safari Talk forum and right now I finished writing a Trip Report about that same trip in 2021. If you are interested you can have a look here:

Sharing a campsite with lions (Botswana, Zimbabwe, September-October 2021)

Sharing a campsite with lions. Botswana, Zimbabwe. 19.09.2021-10.10.2021. Firstly, I'd like to thank to all Safari Talkers, especially @JPS, @ice, @Illi and other film-makers who inspired me to make again the videos. It was also my first time when I make a voice-over by myself. I didn't want to p...

www.safaritalk.net

There are a few other short videos in the Trip Report (without voice-over)

I don't consider myself as a good film-maker. I am an amateur-beginner! Some stuff like Pro-Res, LUT and others sound for me like from the other planet. So, I am not really good in filming or processing. But I am TRYING. Were our photographs excellent from the beginning? No, not at all. But we kept trying.

So, if you liked my video and if it was inspirational for you then keep in mind that it was mostly made with iPhone 11
Now I bought z9, z30, GoPro Hero 11 and a gimbal for z30. Had my videos improved? Let's see. I am still working on the footage from the last trip.

What I noticed and what I think is very important - the camera movements. All those B-Rolls and other rolls I tried to film our vehicle during last trip and all footage was bad. Some footage was also not what I imagined and wanted it to be. I realised that I cannot even to make a good footage of the car or of the room! Now I am thinking just to take a camera, let's say z30 with and without a gimbal and go into the yard and try to film for the purpose to exercise the camera movements.

I think, here it is like with photos: I can do the better processing later but if my camera-movements are bad and I have a bad footage then there is nothing to improve.
Practice is a key.

 

[Ralph]

Actually I titled this video "Sharing a campsite with lions" to catch the attention. I thought people would think, "oh, it could be something interesting".
And it was In reality we shared our campsite with lions and spent some sleepless nights in Mpayathutlwa campsite in Mabuasehube (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana) in 2021.

I filmed the video with iPhone 11 Pro Max and Nikon z7 with Rode Video Mic Pro on it.

I took the lion roar also with z7 and video mic from my tent. I didn't have and don't have an external sound recorder (unfortunately) and taking sounds with camera+mic.
I used the stills made by a camera trap during the night with Nikon D5300 inside. And I used a footage of a night time-lapse plus still photos, one of which with double-fog filter where I used Ken-Burns post-processing zooming.

Firstly, I planned the story taking in consideration the footage I had. Then I chose the music which I thought would fit to the story and to the footage. Then I wrote the text and started to cut the footage trying to fit it to the music. Then I made a voice-over trying again to fit to the music as well. I used Yeti Blue microphone.

I am not a native speaker!

However, I decided to give my voice to the video and not using computer-generated voice (text-to-voice). My partner persuaded me that it is better to have an accent of a not-native speaker than some voice like in a navigation system of the car without any emotion. He said, it will give to a video a special note and that people don't like to hear a computer-generated voice-over.
Hopefully, he is right

I am a member of Safari Talk forum and right now I finished writing a Trip Report about that same trip in 2021. If you are interested you can have a look here:

Sharing a campsite with lions (Botswana, Zimbabwe, September-October 2021)

Sharing a campsite with lions. Botswana, Zimbabwe. 19.09.2021-10.10.2021. Firstly, I'd like to thank to all Safari Talkers, especially @JPS, @ice, @Illi and other film-makers who inspired me to make again the videos. It was also my first time when I make a voice-over by myself. I didn't want to p...

www.safaritalk.net

There are a few other short videos in the Trip Report (without voice-over)

I don't consider myself as a good film-maker. I am an amateur-beginner! Some stuff like Pro-Res, LUT and others sound for me like from the other planet. So, I am not really good in filming or processing. But I am TRYING. Were our photographs excellent from the beginning? No, not at all. But we kept trying.

So, if you liked my video and if it was inspirational for you then keep in mind that it was mostly made with iPhone 11
Now I bought z9, z30, GoPro Hero 11 and a gimbal for z30. Had my videos improved? Let's see. I am still working on the footage from the last trip.

What I noticed and what I think is very important - the camera movements. All those B-Rolls and other rolls I tried to film our vehicle during last trip and all footage was bad. Some footage was also not what I imagined and wanted it to be. I realised that I cannot even to make a good footage of the car or of the room! Now I am thinking just to take a camera, let's say z30 with and without a gimbal and go into the yard and try to film for the purpose to exercise the camera movements.

I think, here it is like with photos: I can do the better processing later but if my camera-movements are bad and I have a bad footage then there is nothing to improve.
Practice is a key.

Elena, Great perspective ! I don’t think that is something I would sign up for. Too many sleepless nightsWell done!

 

[Patrick M]

I love that you’re trying. Just don’t be so deprecating of yourself. There’s no need. I’m total rubbish at video and even my photos aren’t that great. Enjoy what you do. Keep trying and do share with us. I love it!

 

[ricardo00]

Actually I titled this video "Sharing a campsite with lions" to catch the attention. I thought people would think, "oh, it could be something interesting".
And it was In reality we shared our campsite with lions and spent some sleepless nights in Mpayathutlwa campsite in Mabuasehube (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana) in 2021.

I filmed the video with iPhone 11 Pro Max and Nikon z7 with Rode Video Mic Pro on it.

I took the lion roar also with z7 and video mic from my tent. I didn't have and don't have an external sound recorder (unfortunately) and taking sounds with camera+mic.
I used the stills made by a camera trap during the night with Nikon D5300 inside. And I used a footage of a night time-lapse plus still photos, one of which with double-fog filter where I used Ken-Burns post-processing zooming.

Firstly, I planned the story taking in consideration the footage I had. Then I chose the music which I thought would fit to the story and to the footage. Then I wrote the text and started to cut the footage trying to fit it to the music. Then I made a voice-over trying again to fit to the music as well. I used Yeti Blue microphone.

I am not a native speaker!

However, I decided to give my voice to the video and not using computer-generated voice (text-to-voice). My partner persuaded me that it is better to have an accent of a not-native speaker than some voice like in a navigation system of the car without any emotion. He said, it will give to a video a special note and that people don't like to hear a computer-generated voice-over.
Hopefully, he is right

I am a member of Safari Talk forum and right now I finished writing a Trip Report about that same trip in 2021. If you are interested you can have a look here:

Sharing a campsite with lions (Botswana, Zimbabwe, September-October 2021)

Sharing a campsite with lions. Botswana, Zimbabwe. 19.09.2021-10.10.2021. Firstly, I'd like to thank to all Safari Talkers, especially @JPS, @ice, @Illi and other film-makers who inspired me to make again the videos. It was also my first time when I make a voice-over by myself. I didn't want to p...

www.safaritalk.net

There are a few other short videos in the Trip Report (without voice-over)

I don't consider myself as a good film-maker. I am an amateur-beginner! Some stuff like Pro-Res, LUT and others sound for me like from the other planet. So, I am not really good in filming or processing. But I am TRYING. Were our photographs excellent from the beginning? No, not at all. But we kept trying.

So, if you liked my video and if it was inspirational for you then keep in mind that it was mostly made with iPhone 11
Now I bought z9, z30, GoPro Hero 11 and a gimbal for z30. Had my videos improved? Let's see. I am still working on the footage from the last trip.

What I noticed and what I think is very important - the camera movements. All those B-Rolls and other rolls I tried to film our vehicle during last trip and all footage was bad. Some footage was also not what I imagined and wanted it to be. I realised that I cannot even to make a good footage of the car or of the room! Now I am thinking just to take a camera, let's say z30 with and without a gimbal and go into the yard and try to film for the purpose to exercise the camera movements.

I think, here it is like with photos: I can do the better processing later but if my camera-movements are bad and I have a bad footage then there is nothing to improve.
Practice is a key.

I loved the video Elena! It is sometimes hard to beat an iPhone, especially if the action is close (and the iPhone 14 video would be even better than the 11). Not to add to your gear, but a gyro could help for camera work (though haven't tried it, just seen people using it with cameras and the wide angle lenses). Can I ask how you did the night shots?

 

[ElenaH]

Can I ask how you did the night shots?

I used Nikon z7 or D850 with 14-24/2.8 lens. I take nightshots in fully manual mode. Usually I have the following settings für nightscapes in Africa: ISO 6400, f2.8, shutter speed from 13-15sec, White Balance manual.
If you have wider lens then you can use a bit longe exposure. Here is the exposure table from polarie:

But polarie in Star-Scape mode tracks a bit - so, rotated with the earth a bit (half a speed) but if I don't have a polarie and use only tripod then I need to faster shutter speed even for 14mm. So, Botswana is about 20-25 grad from equator.
If you do a timelapse then you can use a little bit longer exposure because in video the small star-trails will not be seen.
There are some very bright stars on which you can focus the camera. If you have DSLR then you need to work in lifeview mode with mirror up and in full darkness of course. Lifeview - to be able to focus precisely and mirror up - to avoid the shake during the exposure. Sometimes it helps to focus on some lights which are far away like for example, some villages.

The other important gear I used in those photos is a torch-light. I use a Xenon torch becasue it provides a yellowish light which fits to natural environment, it doesn't flickr and it is not so bright as LED. LED is very bright! If you use LED you need to take a filter or something to shine through otherwise it will not look good. this is my torch:

as you can see I bought it twice. If I have somebody to help then we shine from two angles. The light is not strong but It is the best light for nightscapes IMO. And there are not too many Xenon torches on the markt. Vehicle lights are also xenon as far as I know and can be used in nightscape shots.

If you want to learn more about nightscape photography then have a look in youtube, there are some good channels. I like for example, this one:

https://www.youtube.com/@nightscapeimages.richard

 

[ricardo00]

I used Nikon z7 or D850 with 14-24/2.8 lens. I take nightshots in fully manual mode. Usually I have the following settings für nightscapes in Africa: ISO 6400, f2.8, shutter speed from 13-15sec, White Balance manual.
If you have wider lens then you can use a bit longe exposure. Here is the exposure table from polarie:
View attachment 55866

But polarie in Star-Scape mode tracks a bit - so, rotated with the earth a bit (half a speed) but if I don't have a polarie and use only tripod then I need to faster shutter speed even for 14mm. So, Botswana is about 20-25 grad from equator.
If you do a timelapse then you can use a little bit longer exposure because in video the small star-trails will not be seen.
There are some very bright stars on which you can focus the camera. If you have DSLR then you need to work in lifeview mode with mirror up and in full darkness of course. Lifeview - to be able to focus precisely and mirror up - to avoid the shake during the exposure. Sometimes it helps to focus on some lights which are far away like for example, some villages.

The other important gear I used in those photos is a torch-light. I use a Xenon torch becasue it provides a yellowish light which fits to natural environment, it doesn't flickr and it is not so bright as LED. LED is very bright! If you use LED you need to take a filter or something to shine through otherwise it will not look good. this is my torch:
View attachment 55867

as you can see I bought it twice. If I have somebody to help then we shine from two angles. The light is not strong but It is the best light for nightscapes IMO. And there are not too many Xenon torches on the markt. Vehicle lights are also xenon as far as I know and can be used in nightscape shots.

If you want to learn more about nightscape photography then have a look in youtube, there are some good channels. I like for example, this one:

https://www.youtube.com/@nightscapeimages.richard

Thanks Elena for the detailed response on shooting the night sky! I assumed that you must have used some remote trigger but sounds like you were outside shooting with the lions? Not sure I want to do that in Africa. But then again, can't imagine sharing a campsite with lions. So more kudos to you for being such a brave photographer.

 

[Butlerkid]

Well done! An excellent video!

 

[ElenaH]

I assumed that you must have used some remote trigger

unfortunatelly I didn't use remote trigger but a normal cable-trigger. And I must pack my tripod very quickly and go to the tent becasue they were comming and I was scared. Otherwise I would take more pictures ad try some panoramas.

Yes, this is a big problem in Africa. Some times you need to stay away from the tent in a full darkness because otherwise a torch or a fire could destroy the picture.
Normally, nightscape photographers choose moonless nights ... because the moon is too bright! So, you always need to have a look in TPE or Sky View applications to see where the moon and milky way will be in particular dates and particular time.

And standing alone in the darkness of some Botswana National Park makes me very scared. I don't trust animals at night becasue at night they are superior, they see and hear better and that time belongs to them. So it is definitelly not easy, but you can do it from the camps or lodges if they are built on platforms.

If I let the camera on tripod and use the trigger then they will come and push it and can take the camera. And If I am not agree with stealing the camera and jump out of the tent - I don't know what will actually happen. I didn't try. But they stole the flash from my trap-cam setup! The flash was flashing in the mouth of the lioness and camera was taking photos! So, I have a proof but didn't find my flash anymore!
Last year I put GoPro on a very strong magnetical kind-of-tripod but hyena came and took it in the mouth but couldn't get it from tripod! However, she or he damaged a front screen of GoPro. It was a new GoPro Hero 11. GoPro is working (I don't care about front screen) and I have a signature of hyena now on GoPro.
So, you cannot let your gear in Africa without making a fortress for it. I do build a fortress when I use a trap-cam . But nevertheless there is no guarantee that the trap-cam survives.
I am not brave at all, my partner is braver. I just do like I were.

 

[ElenaH]

Well done! An excellent video!

thank you!

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

Only in Africa. Nicely done and only people who have been to the Kgalagadi can understand how awesome that place is. I bet you can still smell the air and you are still cleaning out desert sand from your stuff The land of the red sand gets under your skin. Thanks for sharing

 

[Rookie Roy]

Elena, I loved watching the video! The whole time I was thinking, however, is why isn’t this dangerous? I wouldn’t think a tent would stop a hungry lion? I am ignorant, however as I have never been to Africa.

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

Elena, I loved watching the video! The whole time I was thinking, however, is why isn’t this dangerous? I wouldn’t think a tent would stop a hungry lion? I am ignorant, however as I have never been to Africa.

Rookie Roy - Lions are dangerous. Full stop. Never ever underestimate a lion or Leopard. These ones in Kgalagadi (and other parks) are not afraid of people, which makes them even more dangerous.

 

[ElenaH]

I wouldn’t think a tent would stop a hungry lion?

It will unless the lions know how to open it.

Normally lions don't know what the tent is. it doesn't belong to nature and it is not very familiar to what they know. They don't know (yet) that tent is made of fabric. Wild animals normally avoid somehing unusual and something man-made. The problem will be when they LEARN how to open it or they learn how to destroy it.

For example, about the monkeys. There are some who know how to open a tent and if the food is inside then they will open and steal it. This is why we never store food in tents. Even elephants can destroy a tent if they smell fruits inside.

The other point is that man doesn't belong to lions prey-schema (well.. normally). Lions prefer a steak (bufalo, wild beest, herbivores,..). But they will catch everything what is running away. They are cats after all. That means if you meet a lion you should keep your ground. Only a prey is running away.

Lions can attack people also when they feel threatened and need to defend. For example, if you suddenly step out of the car in front of the lion.
Animals have flight-zone or a zone where they feel comfortable even if you are on foot and they see you. If you cross this zone they can escape or attack. It is very important to not surprise the wild animal. The best case is: they see you and you see them.
If you know the rules and follow them then it is safe.

If lions come to you then they are curious. And only that can be dangerous IMO. The question is how brave or cheeky they are to come close to you. And what will be your reaction.
People have been to Kgalagadi 20 years ago and the situation was the same: lions came to campsites. But I have never heard that someone was attacked there by lions.
But I heard the other stories about atacks and normally people did something stupid in those cases.
There is one more exception: when lion is very old and cannot hunt herbivores, a normal lion-prey. And if a lion meets a child. Children are small and considered as a prey even by hyeanas. This is why there is a minimum age rule for safaris.

The most dangerous animal in Africa is a hippo followed by buffalos and elephants. Those animals kill more peple according to statistics.

 

[Rookie Roy]

It will unless the lions know how to open it.

Normally lions don't know what the tent is. it doesn't belong to nature and it is not very familiar to what they know. They don't know (yet) that tent is made of fabric. Wild animals normally avoid somehing unusual and something man-made. The problem will be when they LEARN how to open it or they learn how to destroy it.

For example, about the monkeys. There are some who know how to open a tent and if the food is inside then they will open and steal it. This is why we never store food in tents. Even elephants can destroy a tent if they smell fruits inside.

The other point is that man doesn't belong to lions prey-schema (well.. normally). Lions prefer a steak (bufalo, wild beest, herbivores,..). But they will catch everything what is running away. They are cats after all. That means if you meet a lion you should keep your ground. Only a prey is running away.

Lions can attack people also when they feel threatened and need to defend. For example, if you suddenly step out of the car in front of the lion.
Animals have flight-zone or a zone where they feel comfortable even if you are on foot and they see you. If you cross this zone they can escape or attack. It is very important to not surprise the wild animal. The best case is: they see you and you see them.
If you know the rules and follow them then it is safe.

If lions come to you then they are curious. And only that can be dangerous IMO. The question is how brave or cheeky they are to come close to you. And what will be your reaction.
People have been to Kgalagadi 20 years ago and the situation was the same: lions came to campsites. But I have never heard that someone was attacked there by lions.
But I heard the other stories about atacks and normally people did something stupid in those cases.
There is one more exception: when lion is very old and cannot hunt herbivores, a normal lion-prey. And if a lion meets a child. Children are small and considered as a prey even by hyeanas. This is why there is a minimum age rule for safaris.

The most dangerous animal in Africa is a hippo followed by buffalos and elephants. Those animals kill more peple according to statistics.

Thank you Elena for the detailed and informative explanation!! Fascinating! I hope to make it to Africa some day.