DUSTIN VAN HELSDINGEN

Nikon D500 Nikkor 300 mm lens

DUSTIN WRITES: In December 2023, I visited the Kruger Park with my family. One day around lunchtime at Crocodile Bridge, we strolled along the path inside the perimeter fence of the camp.

I noticed something strange on one of the fencepoles. On closer inspection, I saw that it was two bushbabies that seemed to be trying to escape the heat – they were hanging limply from the open end of one pole. They normally sleep inside the poles during the day but it was obviously getting too hot in there.

We went for a game drive that afternoon. Afterwards, I went back to the same spot and this time the bushbabies were more active – and there were three of them!

Taking a good photo was challenging because it was already quite dark. I finally managed to get a result with these settings: shutter speed 1/10 second; aperture f2.8 and ISO 2 000. The slow shutter speed unfortunately had an impact on the sharpness of the photo, but I was satisfied with the outcome.

TOAST SAYS: What’s cuter than a bushbaby? Correct: three of them! The way they’re arranged in Dustin’s photo reminds me of a bouquet of flowers – the big ears and eyes are like petals.

Using a very wide aperture (f2.8), Dustin managed to blur the background completely. The green backdrop makes the otherwise drab-coloured critters stand out like heroes on an action movie poster. But when your depth of field is so shallow, you also run into trouble when it comes to choosing where to focus, especially if you have more than one subject.

Dustin focused on the bushbaby on the right – the closest one.

The one on the left is also close enough to be mostly sharp (it’s a teeny bit out) and the bigger one is completely out. The slow shutter speed (1/10 second) means that even the slightest movement caused motion blur – this is most obvious with the bushbaby at the back.

But all of that is irrelevant, because Dustin’s photo still packs enough of a punch. Besides the adorable ears and big, glistening eyes, it’s those ET-like fingers that seal the deal.

Well done, Dustin!