Yellow-bill take off

[Stu Bowie]

When these guys are about to take off, they start bobbing their heads. At my local pond in Pretoria, they normally take off away from me, and yes, this angle is not ideal either, but its the closest I have to date. I will keep asking them nicely. Taken early morning.

Canon 1D Mark IV
100-400MM @ 365mm
1/1600
F/7.1
ISO 800

Manual exposure

[christopher galeski]

nice one Stuart,nice light sharp were it needs to be,like the blured wings adds to the action,as you say,it as just past you.but still ok.

[vishaljadhav]

Nice one Stuart, the colors look fantastic
i like the action , good sharpness where it needs to be
i may like to see a version with some more canvas on the right hand side, agree that it would make it more pano but it would be worth a try
Love the bird, first time for me to see a picture of it

[Karl Egressy]

Excellent take off shot, Stuart. The shooting angle is not too bad at all. Love the sharpness and details of the body/head.

[jack williamson]

Angle looks ok to me. The head and body are very sharp and the wings are blurred just right.

[Vivaldo Damilano]

I still need a good shot of these Yellow billed ducks. I think you have done very well here, love the pose, sharpness and wing blur, nicely done.

[Stu Bowie]

Thanks a stack for the comments everyone.

[Randy Stout]

Stuart:

All you need is a 25 mph wind coming from behind you, with the sun at your back, and the duck will take off right at you!

Nice sense of action, well exposed.

I often find that it is hard to compose these take offs well if there is a big distance between the last splash and the bird. Including the splash often doesn't allow enough room ahead of the bird. I often end up cropped out most or all of the splash to get enough room.

Cheers

Randy

[Arthur Morris]

Wicked sharp on the face and I love the wing position. I am almost wishing for a bit wider to include the whole splash....

[Robert Holguin]

Terrific shot!!!
I really like the wing position and the water splash behind it.
Excellent IQ, terrific comp, and I dont mind the angle of the bird.
Well done.

[Stu Bowie]

I am almost wishing for a bit wider to include the whole splash....

Thanks Artie. I do have quite a bit of space behind the splash, and maybe should have included it. :w3

[Arthur Morris]

Without a doubt. From ABP II (https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=19): if an object is worth including in the frame be sure to include the whole thing and be sure to give it a border.

[gail bisson]

Hi Stuart,
I would definitely include the splash.
Bird looks good and IQ is good. Perfect amount of wing blur,
Gail

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the splash, wing blur, sharpness and composition. Well done Stuart!

[David Salem]

I love trying to get shots like this. Well done catching the take off and the detail and exposure look perfect. Colors are great too. Nice job Stuart

[Satish Ranadive]

Stuart Sir:
Absolutely superb take off pose you have captured here with lovely exposure.
Love the pose with nice wing position and superb details,wonderful colors,especially yellow bill and flash of water.

Regards,
Satish.