Page 106 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #04

INSIDE THE IMAGE

COMMON WILDEBEEST, ZIMANGA GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA

It’s a rare privilege to peek
through a window into the
nocturnal world of Africa’s
big game – most safari photography
is vehicle based and finishes after
dusk.The Umgodi overnight hidein
Zimanga is exceptional in more ways 3
than one: it offers superb views of a
small waterhole, andhas been designed
byphotographer Bence Máté, so every
detailhas been considered to ensure 2
perfect wide-angle, low-level images.

FIRING INTO ACTION
The dry season often delivers exciting
photo opportunities, but you still need
camera skills. The hide is equipped
with floodlights, which are easier to
work with than flash, but gettingyour
exposure spot-on takes care and trial
and error. You also need patience: a
16-hour session might involve three
or four photo opportunities, but with
long, quiet spells between. When the
action happens, the hardest part is
controlling the adrenaline rush and
keeping steady hands. Easier said
than done when you’re staring up at
ahuge bull elephant so close that it
barely fits your wide-angle frame.
It’s not always the biggest game that
produces the most exciting shots. This
image of wildebeest is one of our
favourites, partly because of the
symmetry, and partly because the blur
of the secondary subjects, which
suggests something of the comings and
goings of a popular waterhole.

DATA FILE

CAMERA Canon
EOS 1D X
LENS Canon
EF24-105mm f/4L IS
USM
FOCAL LENGTH 35mm
EXPOSURE 1/15 sec,
f/5.6, ISO 1600
NOTES Thecorrect
exposure was around
two stops less than
evaluative metering
suggested.

106 BBC Wildlife April 2018