Photographed in the Wild. A very rare sighting (Bird with Prey).
For the benefit of those who have little understanding of how I capture these magnificent birds in the wild I'll give a small background. Technical difficulty and natural wildlife photography has seldom equated into DPC ribbons... I've missed out on a few HM's or a ribbon because of 2's, 3's and 4's dropping my score enough to land just out of reach. People prefer to see action shots, in flight, dramatic colour, pristine Lions etc. I'll work harder at submitting just that for future challenges. Unfortunately it means shooting for DPC Diaspora and not for the sheer beauty of natural untouched unedited wildlife.
This scene presented itself at the end of a 2 week trip through 2500km's of African bush.
Most visitors travel to our Nat. Parks to see the Big 5; Elephant, Rhino, Lion, Buffalo, Leopard. But there is so much more to see; antelope, avian, insect, reptile, flora. I seek mostly birds; over 900 species spread over 4 seasons. They can be everywhere and nowhere. They are so well camouflaged that you can easily miss them. Slow driving and careful scanning, picking up silhouettes in the trees, a slight flap of a wing or spotting them amongst grasses on the ground is not easy. Then the light is wrong, or it's under canopy with mixed light or foliage in front or behind the bird makes for a "non-DPC non-studio background". I'm now quite adept at pre-determining the correct angle and location to stop the car for an unobstructed view combined with a less cluttered BG. I have to. Birds take flight easily, leaving their prey behind never to return. This Martial Eagle was in mixed light (makes exposures very challenging and you have to be on your game), nervously looking around for other raptors that may attack him and steal his prey, and now the added distraction of my car, then more cars as others stop to see what I am looking at, not seeing a Big 5 they get bored easily with a lowly bird and within a minute start their cars and drive off again, creating more noise, motion, distraction. I often only get one shot, seldom two before the bird takes flight. This time around I managed about 20 as he was hungry but he never actually ate. I only got 2 shots which had the "obligatory" eye catch-light. (Foliage is not conducive to sunlight peeping through and the timing to get the catchlight is hit and miss). I am also not allowed to exit my vehicle for a better vantage point; there are hungry Lions and angry Buffalo about... So the restrictions of shooting through a narrow car window are also quite challenging with a 4kg (8lb) camera + lens + battery pack combo hand held. A Badger bean bag with ground pod mount for my GimPro Gimbal is on order :)
There's a lot more to it than that but I hope the next time you see a wildlife shot of mine or another wildlife photographers that you perhaps have gained a small appreciation of the dedication to the art.
Any comment or critique; complimentary or critical are welcome and appreciated. Questions about gear, technique etc. also welcome.
That's a HECK of a shot, Harvey. Well seen and well captured. I've tried my hand at marsh birds, which should be much simpler than what you're doing, with really pitiable results, so I admire your perseverance and your success.
From another bird nerd, I appreciate the difficulty for sure. I really believe the birds when they notice you try to move themselves between you and the light (probably as a defense mechanism) making it quite challenging to get the light right. Great shot btw!
Hi Harvey! I saw that you'd posted to the Photo a Week thread & clicked to see one of your fine bird shots. Of course I was not disappointed! And thank you for adding those notes, too. I have been trying this summer to get a pretty good shot of each kind of bird that visits the feeder in my backyard. I found out how quick to take flight a bird is, & how difficult it is to get a good shot. Lots of patience & waiting. I wanted to tell you that I appreciate the difficulty & I do appreciate the work you do. You do it well.
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