There are some lovely black wildebeest at Mountain Zebra National Park if you're ever down that way. They remind me of medieval war-horses, all dressed up for battle.
Hi Brett, glad you like them! This one should have been posted on Sunday, somehow I messed up the scheduling. Sorry not to post more, I have to produce them in spare time - this one took me 2.5 weeks to edit. With lockdowns etc I'm short of content too!
Thanks for your latest video, Will. Your postings always have a unique combination of ambience, useful tips, and of course, excellent photography. I enjoy each one, and appreciate the time and care which you put into their preparation. And my wife, who was overhearing the audio, likes your voice as well. :-)
I absolutely love your videos they are so well put together and so entertaining to watch plus I always learn something from them .Definitely the best photography channel on you tube .
Hi Lee, thanks so much! Really appreciate you watching and this wonderful encouragement - I'm not sure I deserve that accolade, but I'm very glad you enjoy the videos! Cheers, Will.
@@WillGoodlet sadly not. Back in UK before the hotel quarantine requirements came in. So have to laugh every time you complain about too much light! How is switch to mirrorless going?
Haha, yes, too much light and no clouds for six months must seem like a small problem :) I'm enjoying mirrorless a lot, the camera has been behaving. I am trying to think of what my second body should be.. and now starting to think I need three.. two for photography and one for video. 3 R5's would do nicely! It's nice to dream :)
@@WillGoodlet I am having a similar discussion with myself. I think I am going to move to Sony. A9iii when it comes out (if) or A1 - but then what for the second body? Some good prices on A9ii currently. I may get the ‘second’ body before the first. It is odd to not be able to drive to a camera store and try them. Minor in the scheme of world issues but still frustrating. Let us know what you decide. I don’t think travel to SA is going to be on cards this year but when it is I’ll let you know our timing - easy to bring some tripod plates for you and put them in the local post.
Sony has a lot to offer, especially someone also into video like me (I can't afford to sell and repurchase all my lenses though) I'm drooling over the blackmagic pocket 6K pro right now... Will have to let it stew a while to see if the infatuation wears off. Thanks for the offer to bring me some plates :)
Will, great to see you out taking photos. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge and tips on photographing wildlife in South Africa. Take care and stay in good health.
Many thanks, Will. I really enjoyed looking out of your car window- beats looking out of my living room window at the moment. I've never seen a black wildebeest before, so that will be one to put on my list. I always prefer when you are out and about and look forward to the descriptions and information you share. Keep them coming!
Very nice, it is always good to receive videos from you as besides the wonderful things you are showing us we also learn you are good and well. Carry on the good work.
Great advise about perspective. Everyone wants you to get low (great advise) but when that's not possible---BACK OFF. Depending on elevation of lens, there is a point that perspective changes very little. If it looks like you shot from a low perspective it's because you shot at a low angle. I have found a general rule of thumb is 15 feet for every 1 foot of lens elevation. If you're closer than 60 feet to your target you're doing well.
We need to see more videos like this where professional photographers explains their in-the-field experience rather than watching videos about camera settings and all. Thanks Will, for this amazing lesson.
thanks for the nice video and tips. I go through shots in Lightroom before importing them. I first uncheck all then go through each one full screen and sometimes zoomed and eliminate those with focus problems, poor composition, poor framing, animal postures I don't like, etc. I check those I do like and only import them into Lightroom. The others are deleted when the card is reformatted. I then go through the imports and give the keepers a 1 star rating and delete the others. Finally, I go through the one-stars and give 2 star ratings to those I want to process. After processing, some are reduced to one-star. I have taken to deleting the one-stars and keeping only the 2. Finally, I only post or publish the best and they are given 3 stars. At the end of a day, from say 1000+ shots, 2/3 I do not import. 1/3 - 1/2 half of the remaining may get a 1 star. 10-20% of those will get a 2 star, and I may post 5-10 with a a 3 star rating. This workflow has forced me to pick only the best and not waste time trying to salvage the less worthy. thanks again for your great videos! Cannot wait to get back to South Africa!
Wow! The flight of that Long-tailed Widowbird is amazing! It has a sort of a staccato to it. I got the same exact perspective on a horned guinea fowl last month; but the one I shot was in a pen and there was wire between us and your shot is SO MUCH sharper than mine. It's funny though, because the position of the guinea almost makes it look like we were taking the same exact shot. It makes me want to go visit this guy again to try getting a much better shot. That horn was so intriguing to me. It's not often that we see a horn on a bird's head. Awesome osprey shot. What a disappointment to miss it; but at least Fiona got it. Is Fiona your wife? I don't recall you ever mentioning her name. Is she your videographer? I've been wondering how you get video because you seem to be shooting alone. I was especially curious about the fish-eye shots of the exterior of your moving vehicle.
Superb video, Will. Thank you for sharing. This time last year I had the most amazing 18 day Grand Tour of your beautiful Country. I would dearly love to get back to Kruger National Park for a week or so.
Thanks for sharing Will .Many people misses the small things in nature which sometimes produces some very good keepers .Enjoyed your video .It says something of your character .
Another most enjoyable video Will. You have much talent when it comes to talking us through the process of making a video or photo in the wild lands of Africa with vehicle mounted equipment. Always look forward to your videos.👍👍
Thanks Guido :) Yes they are fun to photograph but I have never found one of their feathers. It's a mystery where they go at the end of summer. Hope you can get out here someday too.
So pleased you’ve out and about again, you’re a saviour to many with your trips, they certainly are thought provoking although make some of us quite jealous 🤷🏼♂️
A great video, thank you for sharing. Stunning wildlife. Personally, I was fascinated to see the photo of a scrub hare - even though it only made a short appearance in the video! And great seeing the R5 in action 😀. One day we'll get one... Hannah
Great video Will, I'm enjoying using your workflow program for editing my images, I've been using the distance shooting to help level out my angle shots. Looking forward to your next post.
Will, I really enjoy watching your videos! You describe your photo subjects unike behavior in such a humble and loving way. The warmth spreads all the way up here to the snowy Norway! ( Or it might just be the heat from your camera)
It's always a joy to see notifications that there is a new Will Goodlet video waiting...and you never disappoint! It was wonderful to see the Waxbills, I remember getting my first pay packet and stopping to buy a pair on my way home :) Is that new gear I spy on the roof of Basil?
Thank you Will for this video. The Black Wildebeest was beautiful as was the Long-tailed Widowbird. We saw the Blue Wildebeest in Etosha and they were nice but the Black is very striking.
Another great video full of beautiful footage and helpful tips and entertaining narration (like so many of your videos) But did the very end really have to be censored? I mean it’s just animals doing what they are doing... making sure our kids or nephews still get to see live zebras in the future :) Just some food for thought :) Lots of love from Austria
Thanks Michael, it's a case of only being able to please some of the people some of the time (if that's an expression in Austria?). I was the subject of a thread on DPReview for showing images of a lion kill which I didn't enjoy. The RU-vid Partner program also makes reference to 'body parts and fluids' - I'd rather not have my channel flagged even if it's low risk. Plus my nephew watches he's only 5. The Zebras were pretty graphic.
Will: "on a hum drum sort of day like today... anything particularly special," *in South African wilderness, surrounded by some of our planet's most unique, majestic, and exotic wildlife on the planet. Me: *happy to catch a good shot of a Mallard at the park Seriously though. Thanks for what you do you inspire us to get better
Hi Will Thanks for a lovely vlog. We are in strict Lockdown in the UK so video's like this keep my motivation up for when life returns to normal, much appreciated. What AF mode did you use for the Longtail Widow bird? Also have you tried an 8K screen grab with the R5? Cheers and thanks again Ian (UK)
Thanks Ian, sorry about the lockdown - the rest of my family is over there including my nieces and nephew whom I haven't yet met in person. I am told they watch the videos though :) We should have been in a strict lockdown here too but can't afford it. They've just relaxed the curfew which means I can head out again - this video was actually shot back in October (the last time I went out) so I feel for you too!
@@WillGoodlet I hope you get to see them soon must be very frustrating! My sister lives in South Africa 6 months of the year, they have a house in Franschhoek and we visit every other year. Love SA, take it easy Will.
Been deleting a lot of my photography RU-vid subscriptions....yours is a keeper. Even when you mention a tip that I already use it reminds me to stay on the right track. Managing my time in our all year long heat and humidity is a must a well. BTW we have wild introduced Helmeted Guinea Fowl here in Tropical Far North Queensland. That bird has such an ugly head it is pretty. Nice to see another video from you. Thanks.
Hi Will , what a disgrace for an R5 to go in overheat . Never had any problems with my E-M1X while outside it was 42 Degrees C in the shade . With a m4/3 300mm f4 (600mm FF) and 1.2 teleconverter all out of hand ...! You should try it and be amazed of the colours of Olympus ..... also with low light. Thanks for your great video's ..... seen you a few times in KTP , but never knew you had a youtube channel.
I like the Olympus. If I had more cash I’d get a kit. I reviewed the 300f4 and em1-mark ii a while ago. The canon has never overheated on me. Just gets warm :) very happy with it. Hope to get back out to the Ktp once again (once I can get my dad safely vaccinated - I look after him) maybe see you out there :)
@@WillGoodlet Warm hands is o.k. if not getting sweaty . BTW If can get the 150-400 mm in my hands ......auch ... and next if I am free again to travel south again from this frog country (Holland) i will give a sign , remember i have always got a mascotte tied to the the bumper ... ! keep up the good works . By the way the E-M1X is much much better than my (backup) E-M1 mark II for wildlife and our big hands ..waiting for version II now. .
Hi Will, glad to see your video. Been missing my shot of inspiration that you bring! Been trying out your Wildlife Toolkit ..... not that there is much wildlife roaming around here! Getting the hang of it bit by bit and it certainly saves some time. I have been thinking about the R5! I have the EOS R, which I mainly use for video and I have the Canon 5D 4 as my workhorse. I find the 5D is becoming a little heavy for me, especially when I attach my zoom lens. I think the R5 would be a good replacement. I hope your Dad gets his vaccination soon. Stay safe....I need your wonderful videos to keep me motivated. The zebras were brilliant....!
Hi Dawn, good to hear from you! Thanks for getting the toolkit and giving it a try, hope you are now seeing some results? I think you sent me an email about wanting to switch to the R5. It's very good. I am having similar thoughts about the R6 (to replace my remaining DSLR's). I don't doubt that it is equally good, especially in low light. I don't know if they are much lighter than the 5DIV though, especially if you use a grip? Haha, glad you liked the zebras ;)
My workflow is similar but I import everything to Capture One and then flick through and rate a handful with one or more stars, everything else goes right in the bin.
A great video. You have really made me laugh with your censoring :). Re culling I have found ON1 Raw to be helpful with this, using the focal green outline in view, you can tell exactly what is in focus.
My favourite is photomechanic because it allows bulk filename changes on import and even application of variables, ingest to separate disks and very fast review, upload of JPG's (for journalists and sports via FTP, it saves crop information and has a brilliant keywording system (unlike lightroom). It's not free though. FastStone is really good too and free.
@@WillGoodlet I just captured some sandhill cranes which are rare in my area I totally amazed to see them here the fall migration is about to start here
Engaging as usual Will. It must be so frustrating not being able to get down to eye level with the animals. Do people ever customise their vehicles in order to get lower? Like removing the back seats and having a hole lower in the door?
Hi Will. The other day I asked for your advice about the battery grips for the 7D ii. I decided to go with the Meike grips you told me about, and the grip makes shooting so much nicer. When you use the grip, do you turn the switch on and off every time you switch between horizontal and vertical? When I leave it on, the joystick on the camera body is like crazy sensitive and the menus seem to get glitchy until I turn the grip off again? It's a small thing, but I was just wondering. 🙌
@@WillGoodlet I bought it on Takealot so I will check how that works... Next weekend I have a photoshoot, so I'll see if it bothers me and maybe send it back after the weekend. Thanks again!! and sorry for the constant questions about the grips🙈
Just discovered your channel and I’m loving your content! I’m thinking of upgrading my kit this year, I’m not wedded to a particular system. If you were starting from scratch would you choose Canon or Sony for wildlife photography and videography?
That is definitely the question. I’m leaning towards Sony after shooting Canon. There is another S African photographer Grant Atkinson who makes detailed reviews on Canon gear but is trying Sony too
Hi, thanks for watching and I'm so glad you've been enjoying the videos. I'm not much of a gear guy and I think that's a good thing. I started with a 6MP Pentax K100D and kit lens (and film slr's before that) and I took a lot of images with that camera that stand up today. The same goes for the 8MP Canon 1D Mark iiN, also the 60D - none of these cameras hold a candle to the latest offerings and yet they delivered good shots. I think you'll see a theme in my videos, relating to observation and patience. I'd have to say that is by far the most important thing in wildlife photography - so I don't think you can go wrong with whatever system you choose. You can throw Olympus into the mix, presumably Nikon too. A lot depends on how you shoot, where you shoot and especially what you shoot. If it's birds mainly, then that requires more exotic equipment than general wildlife. I definitely advise choosing lenses ahead of camera bodies. Find the right lenses for your subject, pocket, travel plans, resale value, reliability etc... and then choose a camera body to go along with that lens. For example, I saw a 300 F2.8 for a great price the other day. That's a great lens for general wildlife (larger mammals) I would have snapped it up and bolted the requisite brand of body to it. Your situation is complicated by video - so you have to consider whether you want to shoot a hybrid camera or two separate bodies/systems. If you can shoot hybrid, it will be significantly cheaper! And Sony seems like a good option (although canon have rescued themselves a little). I think my general advice would be to carefully select the lenses and trust that the manufacturer will make a body (eventually) that can do what's needed. I switched from Pentax to Canon because there were so many second hand lenses available in the EF mount, they were easy to find, less expensive and easy to sell. I'm not saying that I didn't wish sometimes I had another brand (I want all of them!). Although with Sony lenses, you are going to need to spend some serious cash (you can get 3rd party of course), whereas Olympus (really compelling for travelling wildlife togs), Canon really compelling for all the second hand options and wealth of lenses. Nikon, great system, slightly more expensive.
Grant is an old colleague, he's a photographic guide and he was a staunch Canon guy. His clients often have Sony & Nikon so he tries to keep his hand in on all those systems. I think travel to remote places is also a big thing for him so he'll be very keen on easily packed gear.
@@WillGoodlet Cheers Will! This is absolutely amazing! The most comprehensive advice I’ve ever been given on the subject! Will definitely have a good think about the lens I want to be my next workhorse and buy a body accordingly! Here in the U.K. we’re largely limited to photographing birds so a lens with a good reach is always important! Thanks again Will and keep up the amazing work, loving the channel!
Hi there, sure, it's a doormount made by Gimprogear in South Africa. I have a video on it here - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--b224uT-tVk.html
Well blame youtube for it, there are standards that get applied., young people watching and parents who trust me. I don't wish to surprise them. If you want to watch mating zebras I'm sure you can find other channels to watch. This one is mine and I will do as I wish.
@@WillGoodlet I had the same problem, having images of red stags and hinds mating in Richmond Park, I was advised not to exhibit or show then in competition. People are very touchy on seeing such images.
