A Marabou stork stands safely atop an acacia tree at day's end.
A Marabou stork stands safely atop an acacia tree at day's end.
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Tall Trees Photo Contest
Top Shot Award
Contest Finalist in Tree Silhouettes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Orange Is The Color Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Birds On Branches Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Dusk Or Dawn Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Visions Of Africa Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Silhouettes In Nature Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Sun Behind Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Silhouettes Of Trees Photo Contest
Featured
Spring Selection Award
Contest Finalist in Discover Africa Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Bird Silhouettes Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
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pedropulido
April 23, 2016
i would love to buy this shot and print it in my living room! would it be possible ?! This is so Africa !! just perfect !!
giselleneill
June 19, 2017
Knew it was Africa! Love it! Oh my jeart mourns to be back in Africa when I see pictures like this!! Well done!
fabs
February 09, 2018
Wonderful colors, great composition. Love everything about it. Congratulations
WhenLeeIsFree
April 17, 2020
This is a view straight out of the Lion King. Makes me wanna start singing at the top of my lungs. Naahhhhhh... beautiful image.
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Behind The Lens
Location
On my first evening in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, I took a short walk away from the tent looking to capture the sunset. I was hoping to find a stately looking tree to base the composition on.Time
Sunset.Lighting
Shooting into the sun can be difficult, because the camera can view the scene much differently than your eye. Fortunately, digital cameras allow some "trial and error", if you have the time. I believe I spot metered the sun, but I also knew that if I used the exposure compensation feature to slightly under-expose, I could keep the sun from completely burning out. As I was going for a silhouette, under-exposing would not affect any details in the foreground. My settings: Aperture: f/8 ISO: 400 Exposure: 1/2000Equipment
I was hand holding a Nikkor 80-400mm lens at 400 (on a Nikon D800), so I wanted to make sure the shutter speed was sufficient to prevent any blurring due to movement.Inspiration
Prior to traveling to Tanzania, I had watched quite a few documentaries and viewed many photographs taken of the wildlife we were hoping to see. The first day our guide asked me if I had any specific photographic goals. Without hesitation, I told him I wanted a great sunset or sunrise shot, incorporating one of the beautiful acacia trees I had seen while researching the trip. On my short jaunt that day, I saw the tree and then lined up the sun. The marabou stork in beautiful profile on the top of the perfect tree was total luck.Editing
I used Lightroom for some minor exposure balancing and noise reduction, and then Photoshop for cropping, but nothing else.In my camera bag
My equipment includes: 1 Nikon D800 body; lenses: 24-80mm Nikkor, 80-400mm Nikkor, 24mm 1.8 Nikkor & 500mm Nikkor. I carry a light tripod and an assortment of Cokin neutral density filters, in addition to a circular polarizer for the smaller lenses. I did not use the filters for this shot.Feedback
Plan ahead, on many levels. Try to find your location before the sun becomes an immediate deadline, and take some practice shots so you can assess your settings. Don't just settle on your first point of view. Circle around and see if there isn't one a little more interesting than the one that initially caught your eye. And if serendipity places a magnificent subject in your shot, take it before it disappears.