I've been wanting this image for a while now - a Lesser Scaup tight vertical portrait in early morning light. I've got lots of nice looser portraits and neat swimming head-on images over the last few years but this is what I was after. We only see them in their breeding plumage for a few weeks in spring before they move on further on migration, and with the limited time I have for photography the window of opportunity is small. All came together this past weekend though!
Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC III, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/1600s., f/7.1, ISO 800, natural light, handheld while prone on the ground at the edge of a pond, small rotation then cropped the corners - otherwise FF. Audio used.
Great job getting so close here. I like the detail and nice pinks against the light blue sky. Eye looks great as does the catchlight. Congrats on getting a shot you've been thinking about for a while -- always a good feeling. TFS