“The Culture in East Africa is really something that makes us stand apart from the rest of Africa as a safari destination.”
So says Capital Lifestyle’s very first Instagramer of the Week, Paolo Parazzi. As someone who’s had the pleasures of exploring Kenya extensively, I absolutely agree. The Culture of East Africa is magnificently captivating and diverse as you will see from Parazzi’s Instagram feed.
Together with his business partner Sam Stogdale, Parazzi owns and runs Africa Born Safaris, a company that specializes in privately guided safaris around Africa with a focus on East Africa. The duo is also partners of Ker & Downey – arguably the oldest safari company in Africa.
Parazzi specializes in experiential travel and aims to provide guests with as many new and unique experiences on his trips. As a result, showcasing destinations from a unique and compelling perspective, liken to his approach in photography.
On Parazzi’s Instagram feed it’s common to see many close encounters with wildlife and epic scenes of what the landscape in East Africa offers.
Capital Lifestyle hooked up with him to find out how photography and Instagram help him in his mission to showcase the many diverse destinations he often finds himself in.
What cameras do you enjoy shooting with and what do you like most about them?
I use a Cannon 5D and a GoPro for most of my shots. The 5D is such a great all round camera for capturing wildlife, portraits and scenery and having an assortment of good lenses really makes all the difference. I have also become obsessed with using a GoPro to capture images as not only does it allow you to leave the camera out in the path of wildlife without them noticing it (and preventing me from being squashed by elephants or scaring off the wildlife). It also alows you to get awesome action shots as you can stick it onto helicopters or airplanes or use it to capture images of extreme sports.
Where do you shoot most of your photos and what sort of photos do you like to take best?
Most of my shots are taken while out on Safari or while on adventures during my spare time. I am extremely fortunate to be able to experience and see incredible things while out on safari so documenting these is a real bonus. I like taking all sorts of shots but my favorite has to be of wildlife/culture or action shots using the GoPro.
What are your top tips for taking captivating Instagram photos?
I would say that my top tip when taking shots on Instagram is to make the most of each photo you put up. Take time to edit and crop photos and be selective as to what you put on there. Flooding Instagram with shots will also make people glance over your shots. I try out one good photo up each day rather than putting ten mediocre ones up.
Which three Instagramers do you recommend everyone to follow?
@Gopro (I like getting inspiration for adventure shots)
@natgeotravel (gives me inspiration of other destinations around the world)
@juansharks (takes unbelievable underwater photography)
How has Instagram influenced your profession and your business?
I have found Instagram incredibly useful for my business. For one, it gives me a platform to show the images that I take while out on safari- Without it I would just have hard drives full of photos with no way to show them to anyone! It allows me to keep my past guests up to date with my safaris and adventures as well as acting as a marketing tool for getting people to come on safari with me.
5 Favourite Paolo Parazzi Instagram Posts