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Mallard Hen Portrait
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Mallard Hen Portrait

by Roger Kirchen

Gallery: AvianPosted May 3, 201277 views5 comments
This mallard was resting on a concrete pillar next to a local lake. She did not seem concerned as I approached and started taking pictures. It was so nice indeed to get eye-level shots without having to be flat on the ground. Especially in duck territory!

Canon 7D, Sigma 150-500 at 439 mm, ISO 500, Av, metering mode: pattern, 1/400 sec at f/10, HH, large RAW no crop.

The back end of the body is OOF. I spot-focused on the head and ran out of DOF as I noticed when viewing on the monitor. Does this detract or does it lead the eye to the sharper areas? If I crop at the bottom, it would cut off the speculum on the left wing, which I'd like to keep.

I hope to be able to post and comment again more regularly after several weeks of absence.

C & Cs are welcome as always. Your feedback is helping me a lot. Thank you. Roger.

Comments

5 comments
Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on May 3, 2012 at 10:16 PM
Beautiful detail on the head, including the obligatory water drop at the tip of her bill. Unfortunately, for me anyway, the pose is not the most attractive and the oof area enhances that. Mallards are ubiquitous enough to have many more opportunities for better poses, dof, etc. Look forward to seeing them.
Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on May 4, 2012 at 12:09 PM
Good work hand holding that weighty lens. I would like to have seen a bit more DOF, but I suspect you couldn't have gotten lower without some shake showing up.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by keith mitchell on May 4, 2012 at 2:40 PM
Roger the bit that you tried for worked very well super sharp on the eye and head.
Registered on July 12, 2008, 127 Posts, 1735 Comments
Comment posted by Angela McCain on May 6, 2012 at 8:08 AM
Beautiful detail and sharpness in the head and eye. Nice light.
Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments
Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on May 6, 2012 at 2:46 PM
Like the close up pose and the way the feathers look like snakeskin from this angle. This is a very different crop, which gives the photo freshness.
Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments