He posed nicely for me. It was taken whilst on safari in South Africa.
He posed nicely for me. It was taken whilst on safari in South Africa.
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Lucky 3 Award
Winner in Birds in Blue Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Beauty Of Nature Photo Challenge
Well Done
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Love it
Genius
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
eelcovanroden
November 11, 2015
Congratulations on your People's choice Challenge win!!
I am sorry for the peer, the systhem choose for me...
I am sorry for the peer, the systhem choose for me...
Nitka
January 22, 2016
amazing capture! can't stop looking at this tiny bird...the colours are magnificent!
KayBrewer
September 10, 2016
Outstanding! Congratulation on the win in the Blue Bird challenge. Well deserved. Love Lilac Breasted Rollers!
johankoch
November 24, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
Saltydog
June 19, 2017
What an amazing bird. Love it, well done. Haven't been to Africa yet but it is on my Bucket List. thank you for sharing.
MaryAnne306
March 17, 2021
What a beautiful little bird, so colorful. Wish I had seen one while I lived in Africa, but I guess these were in the eastern part of the continent, not the western area. Lovely capture.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I organised a 6 week trip to Africa for my family of five. We rented a house for a week on a golf course just outside the gates of Kruger National Park and it was fantastic. The Sabi River trickled past the back door and in it were Hippos and crocodile. The hippos and gazelles would wander over the golf course late in the afternoon so there were lots of photo ops. both in and out of the park. We then hired a truck and driver and spent two weeks in Tanzania exploring the Serengeti,Ngorangora Crater,Lake Manyara and Parks. It was here that I first encounted the Lilac Brested Roller and what an elusive little so and so he turned out to be. I tried for the whole safari to get a good shot but it was not until we got to Zambia that this fellow was in the right spot at the right time. Like all animal photography ,patience and perseverance is what it takes.Time
I was in the back of the truck taking shots of a pair of lions mateing early one morning when the roller landed in the bush right beside us and he just sat there and looked at us almost saying pick me. He could not have settled in a better place. The light was good, the foliage was sparse and he posed like a professional.Lighting
This image was taken with natural light.Equipment
I took this image with my Nikon D80 useing my 70-200mm 2.8 lens. I had a bean bag as a steadier to take the shot.Inspiration
One only has to see those colours to see why I desperately wanted to capture a roller.Editing
It was a couple of years ago. I think that I only cropt out a couple of branches that were a bit unsightly.In my camera bag
These days I have a Nikon D700, The Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 lens, a Nikon 80-200mm f5.6 lens, a 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 lens, a microNikkor 105mm1:2.8 lens and a Nikon TC-20E 11 teleconverter. I have a tripod but find that I rarely use it in the field.Feedback
I was pretty raw when I first started taking wildlife shots. I am self taught and I have had a lot of heart ache over my early efforts. My advice to any budding photographer is to know your camera and what it can do. If you know what it can do you can apply the basics of speed ,aperture etc. When taking shots it is all about how you want the image appear. What parts you want in focus and parts you what out. What is the most pleasing angle to you. If it does not sit well in your mind change your aspect or angle. It is YOUR photograph and it is YOUR interpretation of what you see that is important. If it pleases you chances are that others will enjoy your efforts.