Incoming mallard drake

Gallery: AvianPosted December 12, 201380 views4 comments

I photographed this mallard drake coming in for a landing at White Rock lake in Dallas. The lake is a great spot for shooting ducks, especially mallards and wood ducks. Other ducks are there in smaller numbers. I shot this very late in the day so I had to use a fairly slow SS of 1/640 but it was just fast enough to catch him as he slowed down to land. I like the landing pose, the catchlight and the dark BG on this shot.

D300s with 200-400 and TC 14 HH

1/640 sec @ 5.6 ISO 800

Thanks for your comments and critiques.

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 12, 2013 at 5:07 PM

Nice one, Robert. Very crisp for that shutter speed. I've been waffling about the bg, because there's not much separation between it and the head, but after looking at it awhile, I do like it as-is.

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

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on December 12, 2013 at 6:51 PM

I like the dark green head against the dark background, nice work Robert.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on December 17, 2013 at 12:54 AM

Nice one Robert - particularly like the deep greens of the head and background

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

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on February 3, 2014 at 7:06 AM

Challenging light, but you pulled this off very well at 1/640th Robert.
Nice detail & light at the head, separating it from the BG

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