Here's an image of a Honey badger I once met, and whom I affectionately called Tom. September 2013. About six months after I joined BPN, and I remember going to the Kalahari filled with so much enthusiasm for photography and prepared to experiment as much as I could. Which I did, so at times you might be surprised viewing my EXIF data and smile at my camera settings. One thing is for sure though, thanks to Mr. Steve Kaluski I have been obsessed with SS ever since.
The light was really golden that late afternoon, if only a bit strong. A bit of a challenge to expose correctly because of the dark fur of the subject, which BTW was a little wet and glistening in the sun. I found in this folder a number of images of the same subject, taken with spot and later matrix metering. I was also trying to expose to the right to see if it worked, constantly watching the histogram and wondering how to obtain more detail in the dark fur of the subject.
Badger Tom was leaving the waterhole at the time, having quenched his thirst and groomed for about two hours. A naughty jackal called Pretzel had arrived from behind and unexpectedly bit his backside, which Tom found quite irritating. He did retaliate but reluctantly so, my guess is the jackal was more of a nuisance than a threat but nevertheless annoying. Should you wish to view a sequence of images from this instance, kindly go to: http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...-Jackal-Antics Those lovely fun images were captured by my late partner Andre who loved the Kalahari and its creatures just as much as I do.
Exif:
Nikon D3S
Nikon 500 F4
ISO 500
F5.6
2/3 EV
Spot Metering
1/2500s
Thank you for viewing, I so appreciate it. Comments and critique most welcome.
Kind regards,
Last edited by Gabriela Plesea; 10-22-2017 at 03:56 PM.
HI Gabriela -- What a fantastic image and a beautiful subject . You have managed to bring out those details in the blacks which is one of the most difficult aspect of wildlife photography especially considering its wet fur and bright light hitting on it. I feel the techs are fine , just enough ss to capture the moving subject .I wish that feet of the Badger was completely visible and also there was a bit more separation of its head from the BKG , but that is not a deal breaker in any way . Really enjoyed viewing this one .
Gabriela - along with Sanjeev's cheetahs, this is a photo that also make me envious as we never saw a honey badger on our recent trip but heard so much about them. So thank you for sharing this one. And also for your late partner's sequence which was really remarkable and so well captured and presented. In your post, I liked the separation of the badger from the background and foreground. Also not bothered by the obscured feet. The light, framing and composition here, along with the IQ, are all excellent. Keep digging through your archives. There are some real gems in there.
Hi Gabriela, Badger TOM looks great and you did well to capture him in good light. Well exposed and processed with nice BG. Thanks for the story & I am headed to view the sequence! Well done. TFS.
Love the story background here Gabriela, the light to me is just fine and regardless of light intensity, it's never easy to get absolute correct exposure with dark/black fur anyway, but you've managed quite well here, a tad more lower angle might have had him clear, but that mightn't have been possible?
Your mention of shutter speed will be even more relevent should you decide as I have, to purchase the new high res, high speed D850, with almost 46MP, one will need good/consistent long lens technique and sufficient S/S to get this best out of this baby.
Had a real laugh when I read the name of the jackel, as Pretzel is also the name of our Mini Schnauzer which we've had the joy of sharing our lives for the last 2 1/2 years!
Haseeb, I have images with Tom where the feet are visible, just thought I'd share something already processed for now because of time constraints. Mmm...I actually felt there was enough separation between the head and BG?
Glenn, one can never have enough Badger sightings! They are so entertaining to watch, regardless of whether they are going about their own business or interfering with someone else's This particular old chap visited the same waterhole every afternoon for a drink and a groom and Pretzel pitched up every time from a different direction and surprised him with a bite on its backside. This carried on for quite a few days...It was hilarious, I actually have a video of this which I took while taking images.
Marc I looked at the D850, wondering whether I should sell my D810. My Nikon guy keeps reminding me of this new body with an email every month. Funny you have a Pretzel of your own, LOL. He must be a fun chap with lots of attitude? Lower angle here not possible I am afraid - we were in the vehicle and did not want to spoil the moment by moving around.
Thanks everyone, enjoyed your comments and so pleased you took the time to view, more images coming
Marc I looked at the D850, wondering whether I should sell my D810. My Nikon guy keeps reminding me of this new body with an email every month.
For me the D850 is more of a replacement for my D500, I think you have just the D5 & D810, correct? I'll be keeping my D810 still for animal/landscapes as this is still a superb DSLR.
If I were you, and you can afford it, I'd certainly consider (at least perhaps later) the upgrade and/or keep the D810 and have 3 bodies.
Basically I'll now likely use the D850 on my 400 f/2.8, (and D5 when the light is minimal) then the D5 for either 70-200 to 80-400 and the D810 with the 24-70. Looking forward to testing it out come Nov trip to TZ.
Marc, I have a D5, a D4 and a D810. Thinking to sell the D810 and buy the D850? The D5 I use with the 500 F4, the D4 with the 300 F2.8, and the D810 with 200-400 or 70-200, all depends on the situation. A little too much gear, sometimes I wish things were easier and less stuff to pack...I also take a videocamera along. As well as a tripod, a monopod and a backpack filled with all sorts of stuff, binocs and filters and wide angle lens and a macro too...I'll think about it, cannot bring myself to sell anything right now, just too attached to this stuff. Sometimes it's nice to go somewhere with just one body and one lens, forces me to get creative:) Let me know how you feel about the D850 after testing it, I would appreciate some feedback
Hi Gabriela - Now, I'm the one who is jealous. My only sighting of a badger was at night and under a thick bush in Zambia so I have no images of it. This works well with good detail in the blacks. I like the colors too. No one else has mentioned it but the first impression I had was that the fur along the back is a little crunchy, perhaps too much sharpening there. It's definitely worth going through the old files to find these.
Hi Gabriela, love the strong diagonal angle and the motion conveyed in the outstretch limbs. If you have it, then it might help with a tad more below??? Techs look good, but on reflection you might have upped the ISO so you had 1/3200 as these guys move quickly, but 1/2500 look fine here.
Tom was an old chap and moved about quite slowly... Well... Up until that moment Pretzel got hold of his tail! Really a big softy and he took his time at the waterhole, grooming and drinking and just lazing about.
Would love to show you more from this sighting in the future
An Old Badger called Tom
I have been obsessed with SS ever since.
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Originally Posted by Gabriela Plesea
