Cheeky Giraffe
I had been photographing several giraffes for around 30 minutes in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. I thought I had got some decent face shots whilst I was shoot...
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I had been photographing several giraffes for around 30 minutes in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. I thought I had got some decent face shots whilst I was shooting. But I could not believe my luck when I looked back through them and saw not only was there a Red-Billed Oxpecker present, he also had his tongue out!
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Jul, 2014Views
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Awards
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
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Summer 2020
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Superb Composition
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Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I take my camera wherever I travel. This photo was taken on my travels to the Okavango Delta in Botswana.Time
I love waking up early whilst exploring the African bush as the air is so fresh. During one of these early mornings I captured this image on our 6am boat cruise on the 4th June.Lighting
I just relied on the beautiful early morning african light to try and achieve the best photo I could.Equipment
This was shot using a Nikon D3000 with a 55-300mm Nikkor lens. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
My dad's favourite animal is a giraffe and, up until this point in our trip, we had not been lucky enough to see any! I remember our guide saying there were some giraffes up ahead and it took the rest of us ages to spot them in the trees. I made sure once close enough that I tried to get a good shot so I could give it to my dad!Editing
No post-processing was doneIn my camera bag
I try to get a good balance between vital equipment and weight of bag. I have the Nikon D3000 camera body along with a 18-55mm, 55-300mm and my favourite micro 105mm lens to capture the small stuff! I also have a tripod although I tend to keep that for more landscape style shots.Feedback
Giraffes are actually a lovely animal to photograph. When they are feeding they tend not to move very quickly and so it should be easy enough to zoom in on their charming faces. I was lucky here that a little Red-Billed Oxpecker decided to turn up right on cue, not to mention grabbing a shot of that long blackish tongue! Patience is key with any wildlife photography!
