{"id":162727,"date":"2025-11-27T15:57:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T15:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/162727\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T15:57:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T15:57:08","slug":"photographer-recreates-kingfisher-shot-that-took-six-years-in-just-six-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/162727\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographer Recreates Kingfisher Shot That Took Six Years in Just Six Minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TwoIt took six years for Alan McFadyen to capture the kingfisher diving photo on a DSLR camera in 2015, left, and just six minutes to recreate it on a mirrorless camera in 2025, right. <\/p>\n

Back in 2015, Scottish photographer Alan McFadyen spent six years and fired off 720,000 shots<\/a> in his quest to capture the perfect kingfisher photograph \u2014 an image that went on to become an internet sensation. A decade later, armed with modern camera technology, he recreated the same shot in just six minutes.<\/p>\n

McFadyen tells PetaPixel that after he purchased a new Nikon Z9<\/a>, he wanted to see how \u201cthings had progressed\u201d in the intervening ten years. He shot the original kingfisher photo on a Nikon D4. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was night and day. Six minutes instead of six years tells the story,\u201d McFadyen says. \u201cInstead of 12 frames per second, I can now shoot at 30 frames per second, so when a bird dives at 30 miles per hour, it makes it so much more likely you\u2019ll capture it at the right moment.\u201d <\/p>\n

McFadyen says that the focusing system is also \u201cincredibly fast\u201d on mirrorless cameras. \u201cIt can lock on the kingfisher\u2019s tiny eye at these super-fast speeds,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\"AMirrorless cameras\u2019 incredible burst rates make it more likely the photographer will freeze the action at the exact right moment. \"AAlan McFadyen<\/p>\n

When asked whether a photograph becoming easier to take lessens its value, McFadyen pulls no punches. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely does, in my opinion, it\u2019s not as challenging now.\u201d But he adds, \u201cWith time being precious in life, it\u2019s not such a bad thing. In the wildlife photography game, we face so many challenges out of our control, so it\u2019s a blessing having technology making it a lot easier.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AInside his hide in Soctland, McFadyen immediatley knew he got the shot he wanted. <\/p>\n

McFadyen says he still prefers the 2015 version of the photo. He didn\u2019t deploy flash for that one, while he had to use flash for the 2025 version because of heavy rain. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still my favourite photo after all these years,\u201d McFadyen says of the first kingfisher photo. \u201cIt is still getting shared far and wide online and has really boosted my photography business. I look back proudly on it and never tire of the attention it receives. A lot of time and effort went into obtaining that image, so I\u2019ll never get tired of seeing it.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

More of McFadyen\u2019s work can be found on his Instagram<\/a> and website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Image credits: Photographs by Alan McFadyen.<\/p>\n