Marabou Stork, Botswana

DECEMBER 2011 – A Marabou Stork rests on the branch of a dead tree at the Chobe National Park, Botswana. Photo © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com


The story behind the image

African National Parks are a fountain for stunning nature photos. When we were visiting the Chobe National Park in Botswana, we went on an early morning safari with a local guide. Near the Cuando river we encountered this Marabou Stork on a dead tree.

I set my zoom lens to 400 mm focal length which – in combination with the 1.3 crop factor of my Canon 1D mark III – was effectively a 520 mm lens. The image stabilizer, high ISO, and short exposure time, eliminated any camera shake, and so I could capture a beautiful picture of this large bird.

I like the almost graphical composition – just the dead branch, the bird, and lots of light blue and white space. Very nice.


The high resolution image

Capture Date & Time09-DEC-2011, 06:21
LocationChobe National Park, Botswana
CameraCanon EOS-1D Mark III
LensCanon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
ISO1000
Exposure1/500 sec at f/5.6
Digital Image Source FormatCanon Camera RAW (CR2)
Edited Image FormatJPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB
Edited Image Dimensions3888 x 2592 Pixels
Copyright© by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com

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