Pair of oxpeckers working a Cape buffalo, Maasai Mara, Kenya. It was late in the morning shoot, the light was getting harsh, and I was really just trying to get a clean buffalo portrait. I did get that frame, a classic headshot, nothing wrong with it, but it felt like something I had seen a hundred times.

This frame was almost thrown away. On the back of the camera I'd flagged it for deletion because I thought I'd missed focus. I'm glad I didn't actually delete it in the field, because once I pulled it into Lightroom I saw the focus had landed on the oxpeckers and the flying ticks instead of the buffalo. The buffalo itself fell into this soft blur of abstract shapes and tones, you can just make out the curve of its body and tail flicking up, with a second buffalo ghosted in the background, and the birds and ticks tack sharp. I especially love the expression on the oxpecker on the right, who looks absolutely furious at how many options are on the menu.

Shot on a Nikon Z8 with the 400mm f/2.8 lens and the built-in teleconverter engaged (560mm at f/4.5).