GUINEAFOWL
Oct, 2017Views
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People's Choice in Your best black and white Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Superior Skill
Top Choice
Genius
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken off a railing on the edge of our garden. Home is an enclave within the Drakensberg wilderness area in kwazulu Natal, South Africa. I keep a camera with a 200~400mm lens permanently on a Wimberley mount in the lounge, from where I can reach the remarkable array of wildlife that finds its way into the garden.Time
Taken late afternoon towards the end of summer. The sun was going down behind cloud building along the escarpment.Lighting
The late afternoon sun filtering though a canopy of mature trees threw pools of light which the guinea fowl kept stepping in and out of.Equipment
My trusty old Nikon D3 with a Nikon 200~400mm f4G ED VRII. Wimberly mounted on an ancient but sturdy old studio Slik tripod,Inspiration
I'm always on the lookout for birds, bugs and other creatures that come wandering into the garden from the surrounding wilderness. We don't often see guinea fowl this high in the mountains... too many predators. But this lone bird took up residence around the garden and over time became quite tame. He would allow me close enough to grab an odd shot.Editing
Straight B&W conversion in Capture NX2 and some tweaking of contrast and luminance.In my camera bag
A pair of D3's and a D3S. zooms include 14~24mm f2.8, 80~299mm f2,8 299~499mm f4, as well as a few select specialist primes: 55mm f3.5macro, 500mm f5.6 mirror, 24mm f2.8 prime with reversal ring and ext tubes for high X macro.Feedback
Best light for wildlife is almost always early or late in the day, when shadows cast by the harsh African sun, begin to soften and melt into rich mid-tones. Patience is always rewarded one way or another when photographing wildlife or nature. Opportunities come and go in a flash and just being ready behind the camera allows one a chance at grabbing the moment.
