Duck Landing

[Jackie Schuknecht]

We have an upcoming assignment in OOTB using 1/8 th sec SS.
40D
1-4 @ 400
TV Mode
ISO 400
f 10
+1 1/3 exp comp
Flash BB 2nd curtain @ - 1/1/3
Full Frame
Comments /Suggestions Appreciated.

[Lance Peters]

Love the feel - really does give you a feel of speed in this landing - Like the water - Blur looks good to me.
Personal taste only - some more room up front for him to come to a stop in :) :)
Big Congrats!!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Thanks Lance I could have done content aware, but I didn't know if I was on the right track with how this type of picture should look. I appreciate your comments. More practice coming:)

[Julie Brown]

Good timing on this capture, Jackie. I like the colors and pattern of the water as well. :)

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Julie this took so much practice. Works best on larger birds, they move slower:) I tried gulls and they fly erraticly. I am hoping for a trumpeter swan shot. So far no luck. Did you notice the dot of the eye from the flash:D in the ghost image?

[Gail Spitler]

Hi Jackie
Love the eye dot!!! I don't know if I would have known what it was. This kind of experimenting is really fun with digital as you get instant info about what happened. I have tried trees and other stationary objects, but this looks like fun. Interesting how much technique it takes to make a controlled "mistake".
Just a couple of ideas about species - with the gulls, did you try throwing some bread out, so you get them hovering above the bait? Might give you more of an opportunity. If you can find a very active bird feeder where the birds are lining up for their chance at the food, might work?

I tried a tighter crop on the mallard and thought the result helped to focus on the motion of the bird.

Enjoy the fun. I am looking forward to seeing more. I'll head over to OOTB too.

Cheers
Gail

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Jackie Making blurs at this speed is very tough !!! I seldom try for subjects not all that far like your duck !!

To come up with something would gear myself to movement, something you don't need hardly anything sharp like a bunch of birds, if I find a good example will post at the top here !!! Another good bird would be one flapping the wings fast !!!

For single birds like yours it is possible to come up with a fairly sharp head but its a reach and will need many chances !!! ...btw as presented would rather have the bird more to the right of the frame and increase the contrast !!! ... also moved the eye forward a bit .. for the bird just used content aware scale. ... btw cropping some form the top would enhance forward motion !!!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Artie gave us this asignment in OOTB Al. Thanks for the repost. I know the bird is not framed correctly. I am still practicing , and practicing, and practicing. Gail I think he wants a pan as well, not just a stationary shot.

[Gail Spitler]

Artie gave us this asignment in OOTB Al. Thanks for the repost. I know the bird is not framed correctly. I am still practicing , and practicing, and practicing. Gail I think he wants a pan as well, not just a stationary shot.

Right - I meant that the subject/s were stationary, and the camera panned. So Artie wants subject and camera moving, I guess. Interesting there was an article in Outdoor Photography, Mar 2010, about the very same technique applied to bird photography. One suggestion in the article was that you need to pan slower than the bird is flying. This is all very challenging. Good luck.

Cheers
Gail