Finally....

Though I have lived in Florida for 16 years (wow, that is hard to believe), and though Mottled Duck is a pretty common bird, I never had anything nice on this species until late this past winter. This image was created at Little Estero Lagoon on the SW FLA President's Week IPTwith the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIII while laying flat on my belly. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/11.
The same pair has been hanging around the same little low tide creek for several years and getting a bit more approachable each year.

Don't be shy: all comments welcome.

Artie:

Congratulations on getting this nice one. Its always fun to add a new one to your quality files.

Technicals are fine of course, low angle is nice, upper background very good.

The only change I might try is a small crop up from the bottom, which to my eye further accentuates the low angle. Really just personal preference.

Cheers

Randy

Boy that's a lot of focal length !! A very peaceful image, great plumage. A real nice looking duck.

Lou

Artie,
WOW! I only dream to obtain an image so solid as this. Masterful lighting, excellent vantage point, the head police will have Nothing to nit here my friend.
Thanks for sharing your specs with us.

BooBear

Really sharp and I love the sky and water blending together. My only thought to improve might be a S/H to bring out some more feather detail in the tail area?

Congrats! Glad to see your patience was rewarded. Hopefully you found something else to photograph during the 16 years you've waited to get this species :). Water looks really nice and the duck has some very nice coloring patterns.

I really like the serene mood, details and light in this one, the BG colors are gorgeous. I like Jackie's idea regarding details in the shadows.

Artie,

The combination of soft lighting and bronze and black plumage is outstanding, the slightly visible wake shows the slow movement of the Mottled Duck. Your perserverance was well rewarded.

Monte Brown

Great the way the sky fades into the water seamlessly and 800mm and the bellyshoot get the portrait from the right angle

Superb image here Artie! Lovely low angle, super clean image with super colours.
My only small nit would be a very slight halo around the top and back of the bird.

Serenity at its best. Great head angle, love the softer colours, and the the low angle works well. Congrats Artie.

Super light comp and angle well done on this SIR

Real solid image with great detail and awsome light.

Wow, so many new folks posting. Fantastic. Thanks all for your comments. Mark, I sharpen the JPEGs generically and on occasion get at bit of haloing. I make so many images that I simply do not have the time to individually sharpen each JPEG.

Really like this as it is, the light is just right, sets a nice mood...

...and yeah - holy focal length batman (1120mm) :)

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Wow, so many new folks posting. Fantastic. Thanks all for your comments. Mark, I sharpen the JPEGs generically and on occasion get at bit of haloing. I make so many images that I simply do not have the time to individually sharpen each JPEG.

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Thanks for the explanation Artie, makes sense. I will keep this in mind when commenting on your fantastic images.

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Originally Posted by DustinFinn

Really like this as it is, the light is just right, sets a nice mood... ...and yeah - holy focal length batman (1120mm) :)

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It is worse than it seems on the surface. With the 800 alone and the Mark III, the equivalent focal length is 1040mm, or 20.8X magnification. With the 800 and the 50D, it would be 1280 effective at 25.6 magnification. And with the 800, the Mark III, and a 1.4X TC, the equivalent focal length is 1456mm, or 29.12X magnification.

Folks often say, "If I had that lens...." Then I have them put flash card in the camera and they go, "Can you help me find the bird in the viewfinder?" In addition, the longer the equivalent focal length the more perfect you have to be with your sharpness techniques. Anyone can use long effective focal lengths--getting sharp images is the big trick. Not to mention, after you find the bird and learn how to make them sharp you still have to get the right EXP and design a pleasing COMP.... You gotta love it!

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Folks often say, "If I had that lens...." Then I have them put flash card in the camera and they go, "Can you help me find the bird in the viewfinder?" In addition, the longer the equivalent focal length the more perfect you have to be with your sharpness techniques. Anyone can use long effective focal lengths--getting sharp images is the big trick. Not to mention, after you find the bird and learn how to make them sharp you still have to get the right EXP and design a pleasing COMP.... You gotta love it! <!-- / message -->

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Lord isn't that the truth!

I love the buttery soft BG around this image, Artie! I like the fact that its on glass and the subject is still creating a nice reflection! I just did the same thing with a Spoonie that I'll post and I'm sure will get comments about chopping some off the reflected head off. :D Anyways, a very nice image you have here.:)

A sweet image for sure!

I don't know this species so, but I wonder how it would look if there would be more detail in the blacks?

I like it, I especially like the bg.

Beautiful shot Artie, you've got a nice Mottled Duck photo featured in ABP, but I do like this one better.

Whoa, that is an oldie.... And on film yet!

I hear you Artie alot of times when we are out with the gang in the field we'll let new members hookup to the big glass.. the reaction is pretty much the same. And then they say I want one :)

A really lovely and serene image. Very nice work with that focal length. The water and BG blend like butter.

Nice peaceful feeling with this one. Love the gradients behind the duck and the subtle wake. Would try to bring out the shadows as mentioned. I think the reflection of the neck needs to be tempered just a bit as it takes away from focusing on the duck itself. Two real little spots to the right need removal.

I think it is preety much perfect, the light, the water, the body and head angle, the colors an detail, all is A+, but to be very honest, if I may, I would've love to have a little less room at the top and more at the bottom to get the whole reflection :)
Still, congratualitons Artie!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

It is worse than it seems on the surface. With the 800 alone and the Mark III, the equivalent focal length is 1040mm, or 20.8X magnification. With the 800 and the 50D, it would be 1280 effective at 25.6 magnification. And with the 800, the Mark III, and a 1.4X TC, the equivalent focal length is 1456mm, or 29.12X magnification.

Folks often say, "If I had that lens...." Then I have them put flash card in the camera and they go, "Can you help me find the bird in the viewfinder?" In addition, the longer the equivalent focal length the more perfect you have to be with your sharpness techniques. Anyone can use long effective focal lengths--getting sharp images is the big trick. Not to mention, after you find the bird and learn how to make them sharp you still have to get the right EXP and design a pleasing COMP.... You gotta love it!

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Nice sharp image Artie. Care to share your thoughts /tricks on long lens techniques?

Different strokes for different folks. I now keep my hand below the lens--where depends on which lens and which head--and as always, keep my face pressed up against the back of the camera. There are photos and detailed explanations of various advanced sharpness techniques in ABP II (916 pages on CD only).

Now this may sound like a cop-out, but in part it is a matter of being one with the lens, feeling as if the lens is an extension of you, and then breathing right and being still.