Anyone else find it surprisingly hard to get really strong wildlife photography shots even on a dedicated safari in East Africa?

I'm finally pulling the trigger on a serious wildlife photography trip to Kenya and Tanzania next year and the more I research the more I'm realizing how much can actually go wrong. I've read so many stories of people spending serious money on the Maasai Mara and Serengeti only to come home with thousands of average shots because the light, animal movement, and vehicle positioning didn't line up. One friend said half his time was wasted on crowded vehicles where the guide couldn't get into good angles for the golden hour.

I'm looking at 9 to 12 day itineraries that hit the migration if timing works, plus Ngorongoro. Budget range is roughly seven thousand to thirteen thousand dollars per person all in, depending on private vehicles and season. The big question for me is how critical is having a guide who really understands photographers needs versus someone who just knows the parks well. Has anyone here done this properly in the last couple years? Private vehicle worth it or did shared work fine? Any big lessons on what actually makes the difference in the final images?