Warthogs are among the most common animals in the National Park of East Africa. But as common as they are, catching an image while they are standing still can be a challenge with this skittish animal.
We encountered this bronzed beauty in the Nyerere National Park (formerly the Selous Game Reserve) in November, 2023. Our visit coincided with the first heavy rains at the end of the dry season. The fresh grass had sprung up from the ground literally overnight.
Fortunately, in spite of the heavy rain, there were sun breaks between the squalls when the light was perfect for capturing images against the dark background. As often as I have seen warthogs in other, usually much harsher light, I was amazed at how the sunlight momentarily turned the bristly outer hair into garlands of gold.
I took the image with a Canon EOS R6 with a Canon 200-400 F4L IS USM 1.4 EXT lens, f5.6, 1/1250 sec, 560 mm, ISO 400, handheld.