Yes, he’s a master photographer of wildlife, but the art he makes is just not the same as many other wildlife photographers.
“I wanted to do something completely outside the box,” he says. “But I didn’t know I was doing it. Yet somehow people were more attracted to this type of photography than just your regular safari photos.”
He is talking to me from Brighton, in the United Kingdom, although he has Africa in his blood. He was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has travelled the world, but his favourite places are in southern Africa.
Namibia from the air. Image: Solly Levi
Why Africa
He started taking photography seriously in 2017 when he won Travel Photographer of the Year. Travel, not wildlife, he stresses.
“To make a story short, I realised that lots of people wanted to buy my photos and lots of people, lots of hotels, travel agencies wanted to buy my photos.
“I started to travel much more, take photos of different areas, and then ended up in Africa where I started to develop wildlife photography. I started to stick with that niche more than streets or travel or buildings or landscape.”
It’s the less “touristy” areas that attract him; Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe rather than Kenya and Tanzania. And it’s all about Africa. “Just being in the moment, being there in Africa, whether it’s taking a photo or not.”
An elephant in Zambia. Image: Solly Levi
Photographic Tours
Solly is not stingy with his knowledge either. He runs photographic workshops and safaris, where he teaches budding photographers how to develop their own techniques, their own style.
“We spend a week or 10 days in different areas, just going around and taking photos and creating something that’s a bit unusual, different to what’s out there.
“There’s so many photos of lions, so many photos of leopards, elephants, there’s so many of the same safari photos, which is okay, but I wanted to do something a bit different. So I started to create a different style of photography.”
Tech Innovations
It’s also about keeping up with technology—the new photo-editing software, the faster cameras, better lenses—to maximise what people can do with their photography.
When you shoot raw files, he says, they are very bland, very flat, nothing interesting. But humans use their eyes, their brains—and you create something that you want to transmit to people. That’s what you see the beauty in the photography that you do.
A southern carmine bee-eater in Zambia. Image: Solly Levi
Patience and Resilience Needed
What Does It Take To Take Photos? You need to be very patient, and very resilient to be a wildlife photographer. It’s not like landscape photography at all.
“It’s lots of hours out there just to get one shot. A lot of travelling. You have to have that passion. If you have the passion, it doesn’t matter. Time flies.”
You need to understand your surroundings. You have to predict what the animal is going to do, know where to position your car.
And then you have to get the shot. “Everything happens in a split second. So you have to understand what is going to happen, where the leopard is going to come out from.”
Wildlife photography, it turns out, is not just about art; it’s also about science and the environment.
Leopards in Zambia. Image: Solly Levi
Tips For Aspiring Photographers
Try to think of framing composition—what you want to put in that frame. You have a 16x9 frame and you have to pack it up with a foreground, middle ground, background. Make it interesting.
If people look at your photo for more than 10 seconds, you are a good storyteller. If they just scroll you’re not telling the story.
You have to be very picky with yourself, Solly advises. “Don’t settle for something that’s just okay. Think, has this shot been taken before? If it has, just don’t do it. Wait for something with a different angle, different light, a bit quirky that represents your work.”
You must also keep your distance to shoot from higher up or below the shoulder. Not just straight on.
“That’s not the shot that you want. As photographers we have to think differently. We have to stay away, we have to look where the light is hitting. We can’t have the sun facing us, all those things.”
Wild dogs in Zambia. Image: Solly Levi
Solly's Favourite Places
Everybody has their favourite favourites, and for Solly, it’s the Kalahari. For its orange dunes and the contrasts they make with the animals. For those who want to experience some of Solly’s favourite places, we recommend an itinerary that includes Tswalu, where you can experience the magic he sees.
With more than 110,000 hectares of traversing land, Tswalu is the largest privately protected reserve in South Africa.
Mana Pools in Zimbabwe is his other favourite place. African Bush Camps’ Nyamatusi Camp is a good base from which to explore the area.
“I don’t like bushy areas like Kruger. There’s too many bushes, too much obstruction. I like flat areas like Mana Pools or the Okavango Delta, where you have water flats.”
An elephant in Zimbabwe. Image: Solly Levi
In places like these—like South Luangwa National Park in Zambia—the photographer is able to isolate the animal from the bush. We recommend a sojourn in the remote but beautiful park.
… And Favourite Animals
As for favourite animal, “I love, love, love, love, love the wild dogs…It’s very hard to find them. They are very hard to photograph. They move so fast and there’s so many of them. There’s so much confusion, so much chaos. But once you get the shot…”.
In South Africa, arguably the best chance to see wild dogs is in Madikwe Game Reserve, where you can stay at Tau Game Lodge.
Giraffes in Namibia. Image: Solly Levi
A Scary Story
“I almost got hit by a giraffe once; I almost died.
“I was driving in the Kalahari and we saw a newly born giraffe—it was about 30 minutes old—on a dune that couldn’t get up because it was on an incline and it was too weak to move.
“The driver and I went out to try to help it up. We didn’t see the mother, but all of a sudden she came running from behind the dune. She came straight for me and almost trampled me.
“But that was the only time that I think it was a very close call.”
Cheetahs in Namibia. Image: Solly Levi
Start Planning Your Safari with Confidence
Start Planning Your Safari with Confidence
Inspired to explore Africa through a different lens? Join one of Solly’s small-group photo safaris or let SAFARI.COM craft a bespoke trip tailored to your interests.
Whether you’re after dramatic wildlife encounters or rare photographic moments, we’ll guide you there. Email us at [email protected], hit the WhatsApp button above, or call us toll-free on 1-888-SAFARIS (US & Canada).
Explore his tours, portfolio, and print shop at Solly’s website.
A buffalo in Zimbabwe. Image: Solly Levi
Workshops, tours and portfolio
Everything is on Solly’s website: the dates of the workshops and tours, the day-by-day breakdown of activities, the price and the terms and conditions.
Information about and photos of the lodges where you will stay—everything you need to know.
You can also buy prints of his work, book a private class online, and book his services privately—but he does keep groups small.
