Perfect Balance

Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco's Image

Andrés had seen stonechats hunting insects in a meadow near his home. So he asked his father to drive him there in order to use the car as a hiding place for taking photographs. Looking through an open window, he watched this particular stonechat perch on a plant. As the bird maintained perfect balance, Andrés made the perfect frame.

The stonechat is a small bird with a call that sounds like two stones tapping together, hence its name. It is widespread throughout the heaths and bogs of southern Europe, feeding on insects, seeds and fruit like blackberries. Some – including the one pictured – are resident all year round, while others fly to northern Africa for winter.


Behind the lens

Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco

Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco

Spain

Andrés has always loved wildlife and has won several prizes and honourable mentions in international competitions. His goal is to be able to dedicate himself to photography as a way of life, and he is always thinking about how to help the conservation of the natural world.

Image details

  • Fujifilm X-H1
  • XF 100–400mm f4.5–5.6 lens
  • 1/50 sec at f5.6  •   ISO 800
  • Ubrique, Andalusia, Spain
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