GeoffG46
FollowViews
548
Likes
Awards
Featured
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
Just North of Pietersburg in South Africa, there is a cattle farm where Western Yellow Wagtails pitch up each year. It's the most reliable spot to get them in the Province.Time
We were on our way back from scouting a different area when we decided to stop at the farm. It was pretty close to mid day, but it was overcast and that helped to soften the light a bit. It just meant that we had to push up the ISO to get the fast shutter speeds. That were luckily not required for this shot.Lighting
Always think about what you want from your subject and what the conditions are. With bird photography and being outdoors, conditions are always changing. This was actually a very unexpected moment as I originally thought that the bird had nesting material in its bill.Equipment
I was using my Nikon D600 with Tameron 150-600 f5.6 lens.Inspiration
Well I always try and capture animals/birds doing something unusual. I initially approached the bird as I thought it had nesting material in its bill, but when I realized that it was actually another bird, I just fired off a bunch of shots because I had never seen this kind of behavior first hand. It struggled with its prey for a while and eventually dropped it as it couldn't swallow it.Editing
Just a bit of cropping and touching up the exposure.In my camera bag
I always have my fixed 50mm f1.8 Nikor lens and 75-200mm Nikor lens with me just for when I need something other then the big dog. I'm still building up my arsenal.Feedback
It helps to have a lot of field experience so you notice a lot quicker when something unusual is happening. Always investigate unusual situations, that way you won't miss them! Even if you feel like it might be a waste of time. You might just miss that once in a life time shot.