Mottled ducks

Gallery: AvianPosted January 1, 2011170 views13 comments

If there is an image that shows what I am all about it is this shot. Three mottled ducks landing, two males and one female (the bird furthest right). I have studied these birds for over 15 years and hope that in some small way I have contributed to their longevity on this planet, if that is possible. Some will want more separation of the three birds, but for me this is just perfect, just how these birds fly and interact in the air. I love how the middle bird is actually touching the other bird in flight. I also like that you can make out the palm trees in the BG, showing the latitude this was taken at and the habitat these birds use. Please view larger version for best detail. Thanks for looking.

Canon 1DM4
500mm + 1.4x TC
ISO 800
1/2500s
f/6.3
Manual exp.
Hand held
70% of FF
No NR
digitally watermarked

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on January 1, 2011 at 7:47 PM

Quite spectacular, Ron. A nice, sharp shot of one of these birds in flight with fine detail everywhere, including the whites, would be an accomplishment. You did it for all three together! I agree: just perfect.

P.S.: Happy New Year!

Registered on June 18, 2009, 229 Posts, 2915 Comments

Comment posted by Charles Gangas on January 1, 2011 at 8:07 PM

Outstanding capture Ron- great timing to get this perfect formation landing. Would have loved to have seen the touch down!

Registered on August 12, 2009, 544 Posts, 2414 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on January 1, 2011 at 9:13 PM

Great image. I have no nits at all with this. Great focus, comp. and background.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on January 1, 2011 at 9:54 PM

You always get great DOF on your flight shots. Another super shot!

Dan

Registered on February 11, 2010, 143 Posts, 1248 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on January 1, 2011 at 11:33 PM

Beautiful light, Ron, and I like the relative positions of the ducks. The overall composition might benefit from a bit less room on the right, but that's just my taste.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on January 2, 2011 at 9:28 AM

Man, they sure stacked up nicely for you Ron..All in sharp focus, this is a "trademark" image if there ever was one

Excellent!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on January 2, 2011 at 10:27 AM

This is a wonderful image, Ron, with wonderful background colors and separation of the ducks from the background. I'm so glad you were able to capture these three flying and do it so perfectly.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on January 2, 2011 at 12:39 PM

This is lovely, they stand out really well against the BG

Well done, great camera work.

Geoff.

Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on January 2, 2011 at 1:53 PM

15 years. That's quite a long study and it shows here, Ron. Love the grouping and as you say, that's how they fly. Lots of detail.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 2, 2011 at 8:14 PM

Ron, the only nit is the OOF tree that intercepts the closest duck... compositionally it's not your best but it's on par with regards to sharpness and lighting.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on January 2, 2011 at 11:42 PM

Great image. Lots of detail in every bird-and all of them are sharp. Like the tight pack here.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on January 2, 2011 at 11:43 PM

Fantastic Ron. There was a tradition in Australia in the 50s of having three ceramic flying ducks on the wall. This is the real life version - perfect

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on January 3, 2011 at 8:08 PM

This is an exceptional image Ron. Only in my dreams would I get three BIF sharp this close up. You got the important parts of the birds separated from each other and I like the intimacy of the birds touching (I actually wonder if all three ducks don't have physical contact with each other). I especially like the body position of the male on the left. The OOF tree trunk is close enough in softness and color to the horizontal band at bottom that I don't find it to be a significant issue. And I really like your obvious passion for the species. Super job!

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments