Maria Small
August 2026 - White-Bellied Bustard
Original
About the Image(s)
I shot this image of a foraging male white-bellied bustard while on a game drive at Serengeti last
September. I love how it slowed down then turned its head towards us as if matching our
curiosity.
Camera settings were at F 6.3, S 1/1000, ISO 500, @397 mm. Post processing was done in
Adobe Photoshop; cropped, flipped the image, used Camera Raw Filter to adjust the light,
colors and details on the bird, then blurred the background.
4 comments posted
Hi Maria - I love the head-on look, which seems to say, "What are you looking at?" Very nice subject-background separation with the grasses fading into blur in the background and I really like the shades-of-brown composition. Posted: 08/03/2026 20:45:37
Lovely shot Maria! Perfect timing with him looking directly at you with curiosity. A substantial bird! Yes, the flip makes sense as shoes the square crop. I would be inclined to make the square a tad tighter by bringing in the top-right corner - you've got enough of the environment showing. Good PP Posted: 08/10/2026 16:27:20
Maria, the bird seems to be looking at you. Nice homogeneous non distracting and out of focus background. Your crop and flipping the image makes the bird stand out. Posted: 08/23/2026 00:50:00
Hi Maria,
Nice capture of this bustard, and what a great pose! It has clearly spotted you and is standing in an alert position, while at the same time showing a hint of curiosity.
I really like the editing, which makes the bird stand out beautifully. The colours and light complement the image perfectly. Posted: 08/24/2026 12:51:17
Nice capture of this bustard, and what a great pose! It has clearly spotted you and is standing in an alert position, while at the same time showing a hint of curiosity.
I really like the editing, which makes the bird stand out beautifully. The colours and light complement the image perfectly. Posted: 08/24/2026 12:51:17