Blast End Mallard Photo

Photographer’s Note

Well, those of you who've read about Harry Potter will know what I'm on about, those who haven't - go get the book ;-)). Taken at the local pond a few days ago. Around this part of the pond there's a thin line of reeds with the pond on one side and - this time of year - water on the other side near the pathway, too. The mallards sometimes move into the shallow water on the path side, but they clear out immediately, when someone approaches. Usually, they just slip through the reeds, which isn't a very spectacular occurrence - if you're fast, you may get a photo of the back end of a mallard disappearing amongst the reeds, that's it. But this one for reasons known only to herself decided to take the "high road", not through but *above* the reeds. Unfortunately, she chose to do her marvellous stunt up against the reeds and so close to them that they're fairly much in focus, too. This is not the best background for setting her off - I apologize for that, but with birds you rarely get to choose neither moment nor background. You just take what you get..
Treatment: Crop, contrast +10, saturation +10, USM and resize.

Jeppe, quegardens has marked this note useful

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bdarmor (278) 2004-03-11 18:52

Magnifique decollage! parfais timing , j'adore.

michellamy (364) 2004-03-11 19:03

Great moment. What a capture.Good job

robertspotswood (84) 2004-03-11 19:08

Great timing and/or luck on the shot. This is a difficult type of shot to get, and you got a good, sharp image!

jiherka (4472) 2004-03-11 19:45

Great shot. Just when the duck leave the water. the picture is so neat witht he drop of water on the bottom...
Very good job Bente.

bullybeef53 (3255) 2004-03-11 19:52

This is one of the best photographs I've seen . The detail of his wings , feet and beak are wonderful .

soundsangels (1697) 2004-03-11 20:31

Réellement magnifique.....Quelle prise..il fallait être présent pour pouvoir nous offrir quelque chose de si grande qualité.
Merci pour votre patience et votre regard qui ensolleille ma vie.

edji (1368) 2004-03-11 21:32

Very nice! good DOF and nice detail on this duck. We can also see the drop of water falling from its legs. Good work.

Tammy777 (156) 2004-03-11 22:01

Congratulations on this beautiful capture! The depth of field of very good. I might have cropped it a bit more on the right-but then you might have lost the feeling of flight.
Really nicely done.

Darren (6819) 2004-03-11 23:10

This is very good. The duck is super sharp, right down to the water dropping off of her. Although the famale mallard is similar in color to the background, she is different enough and your DOF shallow enough to really separate her from her surroundings. Great to see the face and body so sharp while capturing the motion of the wings too. Excellent.

PechePassion (483) 2004-03-12 0:40

Superbe sur toute les apects !

Rien à dire la dessu !

Hambone (11) 2004-03-12 3:05

Simply beautiful. It doesn't matter that the reeds are in focus - it tells you a little about the environment this animal lives in.

MyriamVillert (3165) 2004-03-12 3:06

Très belle capture ! il fallait vraiment déclencher au bon moment ! bravo ! magnifique mouvement de son aile gauche, et les gouttes d'eau autour des pattes, quelle netteté d'image !

ianmcall (1213) 2004-03-12 3:26

This is a great shot of a bird's takeoff. The water drops are frozen, the feet are crisp and clearly show the bird "kicking off" on its launch. The blur of the wings shows the powerful thrust needed for liftoff. Very well timed and a terrific nature study.

henrye (3498) 2004-03-12 5:03

Yes, I know what you mean. In bird photography you have very little control over anything that goes on. Therefore, I would have liked to see more limited DOF here, but you did really well under the circumstances. Great action, great detail and colors. Well composed shot. Very well done!

jhonny_blue (4954) 2004-03-12 5:53

Perfect moment Bente ! The colour and the movemente of the duck are great !
Congratulations !

jrj (34791) 2004-03-12 6:00

You develop all the time, making better pictures and specialising in this field of bird photgraphing.
A fantastic capture Bente - now placed amongst my favourites.
I admire your patience to make such a wonderful pic..

mogens-j (56) 2004-03-12 7:28

I know how hard you have tried to get a shot like this so I feel happy for you that you finally succeeded - congratulations.

It is a very sharp and colourful picture with lots of details in the feathers and the position of the wings is excellent. Never mind the reeds they just contribute to the natural environment. Great job.

Jeppe (18624) 2004-03-12 7:39

Very sharp and colourful capture - I would say perfect, and I like the reeds as background for the feathers.
Also the waterdrops and the motion blur from the wings what catch my eye's.

Congratulation Bente - with the fine result.

pelib (416) 2004-03-12 8:19

Great picture, this one my favorites.

carper (67302) 2004-03-12 11:34

I am sorry Bente, that I miss this one almost. It´s super too capture so nice a flying duck. Realy great. I have try it before, but did not have any luck with it. Very good work you did here, bravo Bente

gbac (1931) 2004-03-12 13:36

Très belle impression de mouvement avec un cadrage très dynamique.
J'aime bien voir les gouttes d'eau tomber derrière la canne.
Bien vu.

cloverstar (0) 2004-03-13 8:07

What a wonderful capture. Your fast eye and action has really benefited in this great motion shot. Good blur on the wings, and amazing water droplets on the feet. First class work.

hojper (2830) 2004-03-14 16:10

It doesn't matter that the reeds are a bit in focus, because the mallard is so razor sharp that by comparaison they are not. And the drops of water trailing behind her are absolutely wonderful. A shot worth waiting for.

dominique (11414) 2004-03-20 5:19

Incroyable image , comment faut il faire pour reussir une photo pareil , cale marche jamais chez moi , a 20 metres les oiseaux s'envollent . Super cadrage pour une image tres nette .

quegardens (1469) 2004-03-22 17:25

Each of your wonderful Mallard shots stand out as exceptional documentations of waterfowl in winged movement.Well done Bente.

venne (2759) 2004-05-03 11:23

Superbe photo,j'essaie depuis longtemps de réussir des photos comme celle ci, mais j'aurai du mal.

cyril (2748) 2004-07-19 7:58

What a great shot ...
Sharp.
I like the droplets coming from its feet.
Well done

CoolDan (2490) 2004-08-10 7:04

Quel beau moment bien saisi Bente. On voit bien le mouvement des ailes et la photo est très claire. Well done.

deud (1843) 2004-08-13 5:50

Well done, commander! Great!

jzguest (74) 2006-03-19 11:31 [Comment]

Show Comment

lasscor (7637) 2006-03-31 18:59

Very beautifull bird's taking flight.
Great sharpness. I like the water falling of the feet of the mallard.
Congratulation,
Corinne

moody (0) 2007-01-26 1:44

Great great shot. I also love the water drops. Cheers, Moody

Photo Information

Copyright: Bente Feldballe (milloup) (1829)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-03-05
Categories: Nature
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron AF28-300 XR
Exposure: f/9.0, 1/800 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Les oiseaux, Flight of the Birds, My favorite photos (6) (Gatti Matti) [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2004-03-11 18:46
Favorites: 4 [view]