As not only a full-time guide and photo trip leader, but also one of the leading wildlife photographers in the country, Grant Atkinson has captured thousands of images. His favourite? Well, we’ll let him tell the story. 

Grant Atkinson: It’s hard for me to choose a favourite image, as I really like so many of the different wild animals that are my subjects. But for sure the African wild dog image here might be one of my favourites.

I admire these dogs. They compete with much larger carnivores like lions and spotted hyena, and they have an almost inexhaustible supply of energy. Wild dogs are also good parents and great hunters, and very difficult to photograph well because they hardly ever stop moving.

On the day I took this image the wild dog was racing by, searching for prey, and crossing through some shallow water. I enjoy shooting slow shutter speed images, to try and convey an added element of motion to the scene. In this frame, the water spraying out from the dog’s feet really helped finish the shot for me.

The image was taken at a shutter speed of 1/5 second, handheld. I was using my Canon EOS 1D mk4 and Canon EF 300L f2.8 IS lens.

For more of Atkinson’s work, please visit his website.

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