Canvasback

Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)

Place: Papago Park, Phoenix AZ
Date: December 23, 2013 9:34 am
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 VR @ 280 mm hand held
Exposure: Aperture priority matrix metered, ISO 400, 1/400th @ f/11
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, 93% of frame (cropped for small rotation)
Not baited, not set up, no cloning all the

Although this female Canvasback wasn’t baited I suspect it is often fed by other park visitors. It is nice getting this species so close that I could shoot at 280mm, but the closeness also meant that I had to shoot down at more of an angle than I’d have liked. I also would have liked capturing the complete reflection, but when a mob of ducks comes in I’m lucky to get a frame without parts of other birds intruding.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated.