BB whistling duck pair

Gallery: AvianPosted May 11, 2010201 views14 comments

Well, there are at least a few things I am sure many people will not like about this image. First, the two OOF palm tree trunks on the left side. Some will find them distracting. Yep, I could have moved to the left a bit and had a cleaner BG, but then the birds would not have been flying directly at me due to wind direction and I was going for that perspective on this shot. Second, the perched bird is not sharp. Well, it really was not possible to come up with an exposure that would get the two birds sharp and have enough SS to stop the bird in flight given the very early morning light. So, I did the best I could. Last, the flying bird's wing is too close to the perched bird's head. Poor timing I guess on my part. Dispite all this, I like the image, mostly for the perspective and the dynamics. What do you all think? Please view the larger version for max details.

Canon 7D
500mm f/4
ISO 320
f/4.5
1/1000s
Manual exp.
HH
65% of FF

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on May 11, 2010 at 3:09 PM

Ron, that's probably one of the best duck flight shots I've ever seen and the addition of the second duck is great. I think the nits you mentioned are valid, but the overall image is quite strong and certainly unique.

Well, it really was not possible to come up with an exposure that would get the two birds sharp and have enough SS to stop the bird in flight given the very early morning light.

Ron, with the 7D, couldn't you have pumped the ISO to 800 or 1000 and shot at f/8 with a minimum shutter speed of 1/1000s? (I'm pretty sure there is a mathematical formula for shutter speed based on ISO and Aperture, but I don't have a firm grasp of it)

- Luke

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

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on May 11, 2010 at 3:30 PM

Luke, thanks so much for the comment. I have pushed the ISO to 800 on the 7D and I don't like the image quality I get most of the time. To me it is not worth the risk of getting something unusable (to me). So, I really try to stay at 320 to 400 to get really top-notch image quality. Sure, I could use NR, but I don't like to, because some competitions don't allow the use of NR. So, if I ever got the once in a life time image that would win me fame and fortune I sure would hate to have to use NR on it. Moreover, f/8 would have helped, but given how close I was and how far apart the two birds were, I think f/11 would have been necessary to get them both tack. No way I could keep my SS above 1/1000s at f/11. Cheers.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on May 11, 2010 at 7:00 PM

Ron, I think it's a pretty neat shot, all things considered. It's certainly unique and that appeals to me. I love the flight posture of the duck in the air and there's separation between the birds, though not a lot. The three nits you mention are there for me but in an image like this I think a little leeway is warranted. I'm curious about the falling wood chips from the stump - were they knocked off by the perched duck or the wing draft of the flying one? Or perhaps they're caught in a spider web. Either way, I think they add interest. I'm glad you posted this - very different!

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

Comment posted by David Chauvin on May 11, 2010 at 7:15 PM

A very unique shot to say the least and thanks for explaining your decision making process.

Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on May 11, 2010 at 7:29 PM

This looks like a scene from Vierra Wetlands. I like it because it's different and there is certainly nothing wrong with doing the absolute best you could, given the situation. In this case, it worked out! The light is really pretty on this. Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Keith A Anderson on May 11, 2010 at 7:45 PM

Ron,the action and interaction here are what makes the image and those are top notch. The relative lack of focus of the stationary bird is not a problem to me since my eye is pulled so strongly to the bird in flight. I do agee the oof palms are distracting but if faced with the choice of this image or no image I'd definitely make the same choice you did.

Registered on February 13, 2006, 166 Posts, 1818 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Walters on May 11, 2010 at 9:26 PM

Really like the position of the flying duck. Great light and color as well.

Registered on October 30, 2005, 405 Posts, 3693 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Moore on May 11, 2010 at 9:57 PM

The dynamics carry the day on this gem.Thanks for the thought process.

I have been busy but caught up to your last posting and thought it was wonderful. Simple and sweet.

Dan

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

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on May 11, 2010 at 11:44 PM

Your thoughts pretty much echo my own. Good photo with a few warts because of the challenges the situation presented. I like the bits of bark falling from the perch on the right.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on May 12, 2010 at 4:47 AM

Killer photo Ron!!! The out of focus is identifiable and the sharp duck in flight draws my attention.

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on May 12, 2010 at 8:59 AM

Ron, I think it's a cool shot--I particularly like the pose of the landing duck. I agree that there are a few nits, none of them bother me much. While it would be preferable to have both ducks sharp, that would be pretty near impossible in this situation, and I think that the perched one does add to the shot.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on May 12, 2010 at 10:18 AM

Ron, I love that you are stepping out of the box. I should do this way more often and so should many other photographers and we should all welcome it. I get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again soemtimes. I like many things about this. I like the angle of the in flight bird best. The large version really shows just how sharp this really so nice work. I also like the color, contrast and light. My only issue and you already pointed it out, is the closeness of the stationary bird. Just wish it sat a tad lower in the frame. It makes the shot feel a bit crowded for me, but sounds like you couldn't do a whole lot about that. Thanks for posting this.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on May 12, 2010 at 12:59 PM

Ron,

The very things you listed in your original post as issues are the same things that make this image unique and interesting. I like the image too.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Balke on May 13, 2010 at 10:02 PM

Unusual let beautiful shot, Ron. I see the nits you mention but I don't think that they detract significantly from this unique image. I found your comments about not using NR interesting. I wonder if these contests specify the within-camera NR....or within camera sharpening for that matter. Sounds to me like no NR is a very impractical rule while being needlessly constraining on our choice of camera settings.

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