Wildlife Photography Internship in the Thanda Reserve, South Africa

Job description

You can volunteer in South Africa on an incredible wildlife photography course where volunteers develop skills for taking great shots whilst working alongside an important documentation project where the wildlife of the wetland parks are being captured and documented. In order to preserve indigenous plant life and wildlife, it is essential to get local communities involved. What is lacking in current educational syllabus is a detailed photographic database of the wildlife in the area. The project aims to create a database which will be used for educational purposes. As a volunteer, you will contribute to this goal by taking photographs of as many wildlife species as possible. You will photograph large animals such as elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard, as well as smaller creatures such as chameleons, insects, and some of the 521 bird species that call this World Heritage Site home. The best pictures will be included in the project database. The project is a unique opportunity to encounter some of Africa’s most beautiful animals on a daily basis, to improve your photography skills, as well as to contribute to conservation efforts.

Following your 3 day photography course within the wetland park, you will spend your mornings on various game drives, located in hides or travelling to an area which is to be documented - each day focussing on a different area or animal. In the afternoons, you will organise and document your shots on the database, visit local communities where you can continue documentation in some of the local community development projects and even get involved with some of the community work yourself. On certain days you might get involved with community education talks, workshops and excursions that begin to educate the local people and children at the local schools, on the value of conservation within their land.

Desired profile

For this project, enthusiasm for photography is essential. Photographic knowledge and experience is helpful, but not necessary. Volunteers will need to bring their own photographic equipment as a minimum they should bring an SLR digital camera with 18-55 mm lens, battery charger and 2GB memory.