Photo of Kingfisher costs 4200 hours in 6 years and 720000 photos to record

Since his first grandfather took him to see the king of prey on predators 40 years ago, photographer Alan McFadyen has always been impressed and desires to capture that beautiful moment.

When he was 46 years old, he decided to return to the lake in Kirkcudbright, Scotland to record the magnificent scene when the bird plucked down. After 4200 hours of waiting for 6 years, he took a total of 720,000 photos to find the best moment.

In the picture above, a fortune-teller is plunging into the water to hunt. The long grave had touched the water, but there was no drop of water. This perfect moment combined with a smooth lake surface creates a beautiful picture with the mirror image of a bird under the water.

McFadyen said: "There are not many people in the world who have taken this picture. Kingfishers rush down very quickly like a bullet, so to get a good picture you need lots of luck and patience.

My photo was taken as a perfect, vertical dive, without splashing water. My position is perfect, the bird is also in a very nice position and I was very lucky "

His goal was to capture a bird with a beak in the water without any water splashing, affecting the mirror image of the bird on the water. It was the "perfect picture " in his memory and motivated him to overcome the difficulties himself.

Of course not he stayed here for 6 years, but spent many days of the week hunting.On average, he spends more than 100 days a year doing this job

He had won more than 4200 hours to wait for the moment of his life.Every day he came here about twice, each time taking about 600 photos.

He said that before taking the best picture (the first picture), he had to take more than 720,000 photos.

He shared that letting the birds continue to live in this lake is not easy. When he came back here, the tide rose and swept away the nest of kingfishers and only a few individuals existed here. McFadye had to build their own nest to ensure the birds continued to live and hunt at Kirkcudbright. He dug holes in the lake, filled them with clay to make room for them.

" About 70% of kingfishers die because they have no shelter and do not learn to dive properly. Diving lessons are also important and difficult because birds must judge the refraction of water to catch prey. "- McFadyen shared

The birds often perch on a 1.3 m high tree branch and dive to catch 4 times a day.McFadyen said the bird he captured was female, about 2 years old

Despite taking a picture of his life, McFadyen said he will continue this work because he feels relaxed when recording images of birds.

After taking the most perfect picture in his own mind, he was deeply moved: " I'm sure my grandfather would like it very much and I wish he could see it (photo). All family members The family called me when they saw the picture and said he would be very proud of this. "

Three generations of Alan's family: The left picture is Grandpa and Mc Fadyen.On the right is Leighton, the 8-year-old left child of McFadyen, whom he always wishes to follow in his father's footsteps and share his natural love with everyone.

And here are some beautiful works that McFadyen recorded during the shooting: