Wingspan
Shot from a boat on the Chobe River, Botswana
Shot from a boat on the Chobe River, Botswana
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Feb, 2017Views
88
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Awards
People's Choice in Herons in flight Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this Goliath Heron while on a boat cruise on the Chobe River, Botswana. We opted to hire our own boat and skipper rather than joining the masses on the bigger boats which allowed for a far more peaceful wildlife viewing experience.Time
Our boat was booked from 8am so we met our skipper on the deck of the Chobe River Lodge and then spent an entire morning on the water with him sharing his vast knowledge on the prolific bird life in this area.Lighting
With it being a rather drizzly, overcast morning, the light wasn't the best. But our skipper managed to get us up close to some incredible sightings and the added bonus was the water birds flying close to the boat as though we weren't there.Equipment
This was shot hand held with my Canon 7d and Sigma 150 - 500mm lens.Inspiration
Getting a good photo of a bird in flight is always a challenge and I'll grab any opportunity I can to practice. Trundling slowly along the Chobe River in our boat was the perfect location as the opportunities were endless. Often you just didn't know where to focus the camera due to the abundance of birds.Editing
Slight tweaking of levels due to the low light....In my camera bag
Bean bag, tripod, a variety of lens, from macro to wide-angle to zoom, speedlites, a camera trap and a myriad of spare cards and batteries.Feedback
If you ever get the opportunity to travel to Chobe in Botswana, do yourself a favour and hire your own personal skipper and small boat. The wildlife and birding in this region is incredible. Without the human form visible in the outline of the boat, most of the birds and wildlife don't see you and therefore you are able to get so much close than normal. And with the skippers sharp eyesight, they are super quick at pointing out some awesome sightings
