up close

I seem to be out of the box recently. Oh well, it's fun and educational. This is a female Mallard up close, in harsh evening, side-light. My excuse is that our air is so clear here (it really is) that even when it's setting, the sun stays bright and cool. She has a brood of five ducklings and although she seems mad at me, she was really paying little attention.

I did very little to the image other than crop a small amount off the right side.

40D, 500 mm f4, 1.4x tc
capture date: Sunday, June 1, 2008 7:47:29 PM
exposure program: Aperture Priority
ISO speed: 640
shutter speed: 1/200
aperture: f9.0
exposure bias: -0.3
metering: Pattern
light source: Auto

Nothing wrong with being out of the box. This image is really nice. I, personally, LOVE side lighting and this is a great example of that. The whites on her cheek are a little hot but I love it anyway.