Perfect Touch Down

[Stu Bowie]

Randy's post of his Loon wing flap with a slight angle away, inspired me to post this angled touch down of a Yellow-billed Duck. I seemed to have captured the precise moment he touched down, as there isnt even a splash yet. Taken at my local pond early morning, last weekend in Pretoria.

Canon 1D Mark IV
Canon 300mm F/2.8 +2X TC = 600mm
1/2000
F/6.3
ISO 1000

Hand held

[dennis greenwood]

Brilliant ,the position of the wings just as the bird is about to land makes me think he doesn't want to break the water, a nice calm landing ,hope that makes sense :S3:

[keith mitchell]

Looks like the saying" I can walk on water" , the duck itself looks excellent, real nice shot Stuart.

Keith.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Stu, fantastic timing, you have frozen the subject perfectly, love the outstretched wings and the eye/bill are clearly visible, not shrouded by the wing, superb!

Lovely vibrant colours with good detail, techs look spot on. I did pose the thought about the reflection and if it made a difference, I think it does as it anchors the subject rather than floating, overall a very nice piece of work Stu. :cheers:

BTW can you book the 6th June out please. :S3:

TFS
Steve

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Stu - I really like the too. There's a nice glow to the light hitting the feathers and beak. Amazing timing to get no splash. Well done!

TFS,
Rachel

[Joseph Przybyla]

It appears that your description is right on, captured just as the feet touch the water. Lovely image, the only thing I see to improve it would be the angle of the duck you mentioned. That is happenstance, we stand where we think is the correct position and the bird decides where it will land. Thank you for sharing, Stu.

[christopher galeski]

nice landing shot Stuart,it looks so sharp on my screen,that you would cut your hand if you stroked it.TFS.

[Sandy Witvoet]

Definitely perfect touch down, and perfectly timed and executed capture of it!

[Karen Pleasant]

No splash - not even a hint of a ripple! Nice wing position that doesn't obscure the head. Sweet light and pleasing details! Glad you decided to post this one!

[Karl Egressy]

Amazing frame, Stu. You captured the perfect moment.

[Stu Bowie]

Thanks a stack for all the feedback everyone. Always appreciated.

[William Dickson]

Beautiful Stu, what a lovely looking frame, the details are awesome. Perfect timing. Perfect image :S3: Thanks for sharing.

Will

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Stu simply a stunning frame . Technically very well executed in the field and in the digital darkroom :5.
Love the overall colors and tones and you have fantastic details extracted !!!!
To sum this up ... you did very well with this shot .
TFS Andreas