For many of you a Northern Shoveler is not that unusual, but for us up here having an over-wintering one is a big deal...and having it tame is an even bigger deal. It's been photographed a lot, and by many people, most of us that had never seen one up close before. Unfortunately it is mingling with a bunch of mallards that tend to get in the way, but it is kind enough to allow tight portraiture. Here I was glad to have this neat preening pose showing off the many comb-like serrations that it uses to filter out water while trapping food. I like the look it was giving me here!
Canon 7D + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/1600s., f/8, ISO 800, natural light, handheld, about 80% FF, a few flecks on the plumage spot-tooled out.
Great eye contact and detail! Im waiting for the day I find a tame duck here where I live. We get Blue and Green-winged Teals, Shovelers, Ringed necked, Lesser Scaup, but they are all next to impossible to get close to.
Loving the sharpness & clarity Daniel! The light well handled and the water well frozen in time! The eye contact and super sharp bill is a bonus - a thumbs up from me!
I agree with everyone. The orange feathers in the foreground competes against the overall balance of the shot,but there is nothing you can due about that. The eye contact is super!