DANCE OF LIFE
Aperture 5/1 ISO 1600 Shutter 625/1000000 Focal Length 80/1 
Sep, 2017Views
221
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People's Choice in Animal running in the wetland Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Superb Composition
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Top 30 rank week 2Categories
Aeri
April 28, 2019
Thank you for participating in my challenge and congratulations on your challenge win 👏👏👏👏👏 regards Lokesh Aeri
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is at Kumasinga waterhole, Mkuzi game reserve in northern Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. The hide at the waterhole juts out over the water providing about 280 degrees of uninterrupted viewing around the water edge.Time
The waterholes in northern Kwazulu-Natal sand forest are conventionally said to be most active from late morning through to about Midday. That is when the traffic of both game and viewers as at its busiest. But for the photographic cognoscenti, the hide affords great opportunity and action right through the day. I had been sitting in the hide since first light. A steady trickle of game made its way out of the bush, to drink and then would melt back into the thick cover. Just after 7 am, with shadows still long on the ground, a small herd of brindled gnu, and another of impala were mingling around the water when the gnu (wildebeest) took fright at something and in an instant the alarm spread like an electric current.Lighting
When the shadows begin to harden, the trick is to expose for mid-tones and not worry too much about the highlights.Equipment
Nikon D3 camera and 80~200mm f2.8ED shooting off a beanbag in a game hide.Inspiration
Wildlife photography involves excruciatingly long spells of absolutely nothing happening, interspersed with short bursts of explosive action. I spend long days alone in remote hides, secure in the knowledge that if you sit at the waterhole long enough, eventually the bush must come to you.Editing
To open the hard shadow and regain the highlights, I made four exposure masks, each 1 stop apart, I then merged the mid tone range from each layer.In my camera bag
The workhorse in my stable is the Nikon D3 body. To the pair I have, I recently added a D3S. When I travel, or am in the bush, each is attached to one of, 14~24mm, 80~200mm and 200~400mm. In that way I feel I have from 14~400mm covered with a full frame sensor which delivers good performance at adequately high ISO, along with 9fps shutter performance. For macro and other specialist applications I also carry 24mm, 55mm and 500mm primes, together with extension tubes, reversal rings, and a box of Heath Robinson tricks from the days of analog film cameras ( reflectors, diffusers, flash, etc. )Feedback
Being at the right place at the right time is all about planning, patience and anticipation. Capturing the brief instances of action involved fast lenses, high iso's and shutter speeds. To give myself the best chance I carry a pair of D3 bodies, one with 80~200mm f2.8 and the other with 200~400mm f4. Switching from one to the other allows rapid cover of a range of focal fields and with a bit of anticipation I can frame in on the dynamic energy with a reasonable chance of getting the shot. Fast lenses are a great boon in allowing more latitude to choose high shutter speeds required to freeze wildlife in action. Spare Batteries!! For remote road-trip destinations there is no such thing as too many batteries.
