Magpie Shrike.
Magpie Shrike, Kruger National Park.
Magpie Shrike, Kruger National Park.
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Feb, 2018Views
1094
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Awards
Community Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Anything Birds Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Rain Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Genius
All Star
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Hawkeyefoto
April 02, 2018
Thank you to everyone for viewing my photo and your inspiring likes and awards! Much appreciated, thank you again.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The picture was taken in the Central area of the Kruger National Park, Limpopo, South Africa.Time
The shot was taken around 16h30 on the 2nd January 2018. It was a rainy, blistery day in the park and after a long day of searching for subjects to photograph we had to make it back the the Kruger Gate to exit before 18h00 as the Park closes. We were dissapointed in our takings for the day but the next moment we stumbled upon this scene. My wife, Brigitte was driving at the time and we had to negotiate rough terrain and lots of mud and water in the narrow gravel road. The light was poor and the bird was sitting quite far into the bush. We decided to take the shot as there was some mystical feeling about the scene. I used my Canon 7D MK2 and 100 - 400 Mk2 lens but had to pop on the 1.4 Extender to get the reach. At F8 it was really dark but we managed to get one reasonable shot from the few we took.Lighting
It was very dark with the rain and shooting at F8. However, waiting a few minutes longer paid off and the short burst of light through the clouds made the scene. It all goes about Light.Equipment
I used my Canon 7D Mk2 and 100-400 MK2 lens with the 1.4 MK3 extender. No tripod, bean bag or any other equipment was used.Inspiration
At the time of day and the continuous rain we were a bit desperate to find something to inspire us. It was only when we fully stopped the vehicle and had a good look that the scene jumped out at us. There was just a moment of colourful light which broke through the clouds and lit up the bird's wet feathers and made the picture.Editing
I like to get the shot right in camera and therefore only use a very basic processing set-up. I shoot Raw and J-PEG and do the Raw conversion in Adobe DNG. Some light improvement was needed, high ISO noise reduction and basic sharpening and that's it.In my camera bag
I always pack light for travel and my standard equipment is the 7D MK2, 100-400 L series lens, 15-85 EFS lens, 50mm prime lens, 430EX Speedlight, timer and spare batteries. I dont normally shoot with a tripod but I do own a decent one with ball head for landscapes etc. I also own a few other lenses that sometimes get out in the wild.Feedback
The Kruger Park is always abundent with wild life and a vast array of bird species. You will however do much better in good weather and Summer time when there is lots of rain and water. Early morning drives and late afternoon is best for sightings. The particular bird is a Magpie Shrike and loves to sit in Thorn Trees and Bushes where it will also hang its prey. Keep a look out for the extra long tail, which is a give-away. Good luck and enjoy!
