Yellow Mongoose
Oct, 2020Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in South Africa at a Wildlife Lodge called Karonga with an eye-level hide situated next to a dam. Being underground and keeping very quiet, one can observe ( and photograph!) wildlife and all manner of critters quietly and naturally going about their day.Time
We were off-loaded at the Hide early the morning with our supply of coffee, fruit and rusks and have been sitting there, drinking in the quiet and the animals coming in for their morning drink, when I spotted this yellow Mongoose quietly slipping around a boulder to have a drink. It must have been around 10am and the light was still soft and forgiving ( during winter it gets light much later). He didn’t linger long, slaked his thirst and quietly disappeared again. I only managed a volley of 5 shots ( the sound of the shutter doesn’t scare them at all, they’re used to it…) before he vanished as quietly as he appeared.Lighting
In Africa you never battle for light. There’s plenty of it! Even on overcast days, there’s enough. Natural light all the way.Equipment
Nikon D500, 300mm Nikkor Prime, Beanbag to rest on , in lieu of the Gimbles supplied in the hide and being alert and awake.Inspiration
The Bush in South Africa, any Bush, is inspirational. You can’t help but have a happy trigger finger. There’s so much to see, to photograph, to take in with the diversity around you. Big or small, they each have their unique story to tell and when you visit, that is all you do. That day, when we were in the hide we saw Buffalo, Waterbuck, Njala, Impala, Lion, Elephant, Giraffe, at least 50 different species of birds coming in for a drink, a Porcupine, this Mongoose, Baboons, Vervet Monkeys, Ground Squirrels, a Water-spider and lots of Butterflies.Editing
I shoot RAW, and after applying basic exposure, contrast, highlights and shadow tweaks, I sharpened selectively and cropped a smidgen…although the subject pretty much filled the frame and I was done. The background, being far-off trees , pretty much took care of itself. Because I enter Nature competitions mostly, artists are not allowed to to do anything more than that to images. No cloning, healing or anything more than basic development allowed.In my camera bag
I run two systems : Nikon and Sony. What can I say, I’m a Libra…it’s all about balance ! Nikon D500 ( a real workhorse) with 105mm Macro and 70-200mm Zoom, 300mm and 1.4 Converter…( you don’t need bigger in Africa…subjects are as a rule, never so far that you need longer ) and Sony : 16-35, 50mm and 400mm… When you’re sitting in a hide like this for hours, you have two cameras , one fitted with a medium lens lens and one with a wide angle and a Zoom in the bag…the rest stays at the LodgeFeedback
My tip : Get yourself to South Africa and enjoy whatever biodiversity the different Wildlife Parks and Game Lodges have to offer. You’ll be hooked and go back time and time again.
