I did not deliberately try for a "Sibley's" field guide look to the image, I just thought it looked like one when reviewing the day's work . It was associating with mallards, and rather tough to isolate, especially for full body images (what else is new with these types of waterfowl situations!). I soon learned that if I offered food, the whole flock would move towards it, including the wigeon, but it was always the first to remove itself from the frenzy after having a few tidbits.
Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/2000s., f/5, ISO 800, natural light, handheld, just about FF, usual eye work, downed down the whites.
Perfect pose and and head angle here. I love how the bird pops against the snow. I think I have been spoiled by the D850 files, as this one just does not have the level of fine feather details that I think it should from a full frame shot. Artites 25/25 detail extractor/tonal contrast should eke out a bit more detail in the whites and darks of the bird. I recognize that that is not a helpful critique as you were not shooting a Nikon and don't mean to start a Nikon vs Canon battle either.
Fun image. Ducks out of water don't usually work for me, but the high key and snowy scene really helps to isolate the subject and highlight his beautiful plumage. Great detail on the feet, but agree with Isaac about the feather detail. Still a really strong shot.
Wonderful image and the title made me chuckle. I will forward it to David via e-mail.
with love, artie
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
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ps: I sent a link to this post to David Sibley and he kindly responded:
Hi Artie, Thanks, that was fun to see. It is a perfect “field guide pose" in my opinion. Ha Ha, We are well, kids grown up and venturing all over. My older son is an actor and heading to Naples FL to perform in a play there in early May. The younger is just finishing college and plans to head for the mountains after that.Joan and I are more busy than ever, especially with travel, and made our first trip to the far south last October-November; Falklands and South Georgia, which was incredible. I would love to see Emperor Penguins some day.Hope our paths cross somewhere soon
Best, David
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,