Malachite Threat

[Morkel Erasmus]

Here's yet another Malachite Kingfisher photographed at the RAMSAR Marievale Bird Sanctuary recently. There are about 4 of them patterning regularly in front of the Hadeda hide which makes for fantastic photography if the light is right and your fingers are quick.

This one was trying to scare of another one flying by competing for the same perch.

Techs:
Nikon D3s with Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f7.1 @ 1/6400 SS @ ISO-3200

[Doug Brown]

Super frame Morkel! Peak action, great eye contact, perfect sharpness, and nice composition. I like your choice to push the ISO to get enough SS to freeze the wings.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks Doug. The SS was more in anticipation of possible flight - anything below 1/4000 doesn't freeze the wings on these guys and generally 1/6400 is needed.
Should've added that it's a crop from horizontal...these birds are small...

[Bob Miller]

Hi Morkel....it doesn't get much better than this!....super image....love the D3s and ISO capabilities

[Randy Stout]

Morkel:

Really nice, excellent action, pose, techs, nicely scaled perch.

They must be really fast to require the shutter speed you mentioned.

Cheers

Randy

[Ofer Levy]

Lovely behaviour shot!!! I am pretty sure the 1/6400 is an over-kill for this action. Going lower ISO could have improved image quality. Having said that I am still green with envy when I see what Nikon can do when it comes to ISO performance....

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Mork, great behaviour captured here, and just love the aggressive pose with the raised wings. Yep, tack sharp all over, and the colours pop nicely from the BG.

Gotta get back there sometime.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Thanks everyone...

Lovely behaviour shot!!! I am pretty sure the 1/6400 is an over-kill for this action. Going lower ISO could have improved image quality. Having said that I am still green with envy when I see what Nikon can do when it comes to ISO performance....

Ofer, indeed 1/6400 is too much for THIS action (sitting, spreading wings and looking around at its competitor), but I was gearing my settings for when it would fly off or dive from its perch into the water after a fish.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Morkel, what an incredible pose. I love poses. great colors as well. I think it can go a bit brighter...but I can understand why you did not want to push to right in camera. for diving shot, you need all the SS you can get, I guess.

[Frank Schauf]

Really great pose.

[Robert Rommel]

Great dynamic image here Morkel! Love the pose -the bill accentuates the wing position IMO. Also, love the little black rings on the reed it is perched on.