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ALTA PRETORIUS
IG: @altap.2 Nikon D5300 Nikon 200 – 500 mm lens
ALTA WRITES: I took this photo at Rietvlei Nature Reserve in Gauteng. I was watching some ducks at Otter Bridge when the early morning peace was shattered by two male common moorhens – they apparently had a score to settle before breakfast.
It probably had something to do with the female in the foreground. She was distressed, swimming around them while making a racket of her own. The males tackled one another with their long claws and even tried to dunk each other under the water. Then, as quickly as the altercation had started, it was over again – as if nothing had happened.
It was early and the light was poor. I pushed my ISO to 640 so I could use a fast-enough shutter speed to freeze the action (1/1 250 second at aperture f5.6). I don’t like going beyond 640 when it comes to ISO because I feel that the image gets a bit too grainy.
The original photo was a bit underexposed; I brightened it later using Lightroom.
TOAST SAYS: This looks like a fight scene between wildlings in Game of Thrones!
In the animal kingdom, drama comes in many guises. You might be lucky enough to see the big boys like lions boxing it out around a fresh kill in the Kruger, but more often you’ll
