Lesser Scaup Drake

[Daniel Cadieux]

From a couple of weeks ago. These normally skittish guys were venturing closer to shore as the far side of the pond was slowly getting covered with ice. Even with decent light I opted for a higher ISO to help freeze the subject from my shivering hands and contorted low position against the pond's bank.:S3:

Canon 7D + 100-400L @400mm, aperture priority, evaluative metering, 1/3200s., f/6.3, ISO 800, +1 EC, small crop for comp, including lopping off corners after rotation (about 85% FF). Some bright highlights on the face and bill patched out.

[Jim Crosswell]

Beautiful image Daniel! I like the low angle, sharpness, dripping water and sweet BG.

[Karl Egressy]

Nice shot, Daniel. I like the low shooting angl, details especially in the head area, the dripping water and the nice smooth background.
The water is nice and smooth.

[Yves Guillot]

Very nice shot Daniel! Soft BG colors

[Josh Clark]

Fantastic shot Daniel! That Scaup is sharp as a tack. Killer BG too, love the duo tones you have going there. Water dripping off the mandible really adds to it. Great tech specs.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Dan, getting down and dirty has really paid off to have captured this excellent perspective. I like the swimming angle, and you have exposed this well to show up the green sheen on the head, not to mention the colours of the BG. The dribbling droplet off the beak, the single droplet on top of the back, and the droplet beneath the tail all add to the image. Very well captured. Isnt it worth it, even though you froze your butt off. :w3

[Simon Wantling]

Another great photo Daniel. Love the background. Thanks for posting.

[Jonathan Ashton]

That's a cracker Dan one to be proud of. Silky smooth surroundings and excellent timing, the little things like the droplets just add that little something extra.
A lovely clean image, I note +1 EC, this would minimise noise - did you use any noise reduction at all??

[Ofer Levy]

Very nice. Quite similar to the previous shot of this bird if I remember correctly. Is there some motion blur on the head or is it just my aging eyes?:w3

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Daniel, loved the low angle. interesting to green in the Bg at this time of the year.

details, exposure, that drop....excellent stuff. I know you dont like specular highlights and all....but I feel that the bill is looking a little too dry :-)

[Robert Holguin]

Excellent shot. Love the shooting angle, great colors in the background, real nice pose, and wonderful light.
Well done.