u/AlanHewittPhoto

Hunkered down in the driving rain, slow shutter speed (1/75) to try and get a streak effect.

Fujifilm X-H1, XF100-400mm.

White-fronted bee-eater on the riparian forest flood plains of the Limpopo on the Botswana / South Africa border.

There was a small colony hunting insects with some some occasional conflict with a fork-tailed drongo. We took our guests out to look for leopards as we'd heard a few impala alarm calling. That subsided anyway, but sometimes the birds are so fantastic they just take over!

These birds are so quick on the take-off to get an action shot so those of us who could, were using pre-shot / pro-shot and fast frame rates. It was a fantastic session and its fair to say a few memory cards were filled and a lot of shots were deleted that evening!

Fujifilm X-H2S | XF150-600mm

The black mamba is a fast, highly venomous snake. Its fast-acting neurotoxin that shuts down the nervous system, leading to paralysis and respiratory failure.

It’s not black in colour, but named for the dark interior of its mouth, flashed as a warning when threatened. Built for speed and precision, it relies on awareness and distance more than aggression, but when pressured it can become formidable very quickly.

A frame filling head study like this isn’t about taking stupid risks. It’s about control, trust, and working alongside someone who understands the animal far better than I ever could alone. Even then, every movement matters. With a species like this, you don’t take liberties! You earn the shot by respecting the line you don’t cross.