Lilac-breasted roller
One of the most colorful birds of the African savanna - known for "rolling" during their mating display flights...
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One of the most colorful birds of the African savanna - known for "rolling" during their mating display flights
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Jan, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on a farm about 60km from my home in the Waterberg district of the Limpopo Province of South Africa.Time
Wildlife photographers prefer the golden hour (after sunrise or before sunset). However, when a bird like this sits still I will take a shot anytime of the day - just to get the shot. This individual was shot at 01:43pm - right in the middle of the day! It was sitting on a iron fence post next to the gravel road.Lighting
Middle of the day the South African light is normally very bright / harsh. However, the camera I am shooting with underexposes just a little bit so I have come to realize I don't need to wait for the golden hours only!Equipment
I am using the Sony A77 SLT camera with the Sony 70-400mm lens. It has a translucent mirror which lets light through to the sensor - hence the reason for slight underexposure. I was in my vehicle and used a beanbag to steady the shot. I love shooting birds and I am always having my camera ready in my vehicle, wherever I go. Driving on gravel roads I am always going slow and am always on the lookout for birds close to the road - once a bird is spotted I then slow down and approach it cautiously with the vehicle as my "hide".Inspiration
Being a bird lover and bird photography being my favorite pastime, I am just mad about the colorful rollers and have tried many shots at them but often from a longer distance as they seldom allow you close enough for the 400mm lens. When this one was sitting almost facing into the road I was taking my approach very slow and it worked.Editing
As the bird was sitting on an iron post, I cropped it to get rid of the man-made structure. On my wildlife photos I stick to doing the following in Photoshop: levels, brightness and contrast and a bit of sharpening.In my camera bag
My 70-400 lens is almost attached to my camera 90% of the time and when I leave home it will go with in my bag with a stack of charged batteries and cleaned fast SD cards. The beanbag stays in my vehicle!Feedback
Wildlife photography is all about being ready when the opportunity avails itself - especially birds like this insectivorous Lilac-breasted roller that seldom sits still for very long. It will use a perch to scan the area for anything edible (insects, small snakes, lizards) and will often scoop down without warning - so be ready!
