The photo was taken during a safari in Amboseli National Park in Kenya in January 2025. The photo was captured by chance and on instinct while we were waiting for a sighting of a lion — this small bird (probably a cisticola) was hopping on a perch nearby, flying away and returning to the same spot. The spectacle of this tiny bird on a delicate perch made it look beautiful with the softness of the bokeh created by a prime 600mm f/4 lens. The background of shrubs was dark, and since the light was dappled due to cloud cover, there were no harsh shadows, which made it easier to convert the image into a high-key monochrome.
It was a very instinctive decision while shooting, as I had to be fast because the bird was quite active. Focusing on it against a busy background and choosing a composition was tough. The focus could shift from the bird to the branches in an instant, so I used continuous shooting mode to ensure I could get the focus nailed on the bird. I also made sure to adjust the position of the safari vehicle so the background behind the bird was the least cluttered.
I love high-key and low-key images for their impact. High-key images, especially in monochrome, look like pencil sketches, and they always appeal to me. I only had to increase the brightness and shadows to give it a washed-out feel and make it high-key, and since the light was already softened by clouds, there were no harsh contrasts in the scene. The last step was choosing the crop - I decided on a square crop to ensure good balance, and I cropped away the cluttered right side. The delicate branch and delicate bird became even softer with the high-key editing, which is why I decided to process it in high-key monochrome.
