BestKenya2015-6
Lilac Breasted Roller - in twilight... Ruffled by the brisk evening breeze
Lilac Breasted Roller - in twilight... Ruffled by the brisk evening breeze
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Feb, 2016Views
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Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
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Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
All Star
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on a wonderful wildlife photo safari to Kenya. This particular shot was taken on the planes of Lewa Downs.Time
We started the daily safari at about 0600 and watched the Savannah start to wake up. We stopped for a breakfast break at about 0830 when we finally saw the first of the lilac-breasted rollers. They were flitting between three or four points around the area, so with patience we observed which was the best place to try to capture the shot.Lighting
The natural lighting was a bit harsh in this equatorial region, but luckily it was the start of the rainy season - so great white clouds drifted by helping to filter the light and remove some of the dark shadows. It was all about patience and persistence.Equipment
I had just purchased a new Nikon D750 for this trip and had the Nikon 200-500mm lens. This shot was hand-held and taken from the seat within the Safari vehicle.Inspiration
This photo safari was all about learning the techniques for photographing wildlife. Of the group of 6 of us - four were “birders.” I had never attempted to photograph smaller birds and this was the opportunity to learn the art of bird photography.Editing
For post-processing I did crop the photo and used Lightroom for some minor tweaks.In my camera bag
I now have the Nikon D500 and have added the Nikon PF500mm lens to my basic camera bag. I also have an iPad Pro with 256GB memory and 2 external USB drives for photo storage. I can now review all my shots on site and make adjustments or post in near-real time. I have also learned the value of the tripod and wish that I had used it during this trip. I took over 35,000 photos in the 3 week safari - and @ 50% were not quite in focus, and on final count @ 400 shots were “keepers.” My other go-to lens is the Nikon 70-200 (+TE-1.4) for those shots in between.Feedback
Patience: Birds are wonderful creatures and if you watch and learn their habits you can capture them in that wonderful, perfect moment. Be willing to try different techniques and learn from your friends and mentors. It was very worthwhile for me to take this photo safari - Aaron Baggenstos was a superb instructor and continually provided us with advice and new techniques to try. My skills and confidence improved dramatically from this experience.
