I visited a nearly frozen pond this morning and enjoyed observing the ducks. When it came to photographing them best, I wasn't really sure how to go about that. For example, what aperture setting to use. I'm not sure if I like the results of the choice I made. Seems like it would have been better to see the background ducks in focus as they swam by. Also, many of my photos turned out to be out of focus. Maybe camera shake?( I didn't use a tripod.) Maybe because the ducks were moving around so much? Basically, I wasn't sure of a lot here! I guess I have to be happy with the photo I did get. Mr. Mallard was a pretty brave fellow. He ventured relatively close to me and thankfully sat still enough for me to get his shot. If anyone has any suggestions on how to improve such a photo and proper settings to use, I welcome any insights you could share.
To get the dof f8 and below but that then means slow shutter speed 1;250 or above to freeze the action its compromise especially on zoom greater the magnification less dof :but the sharp focus in the Mallard (mr) and stepped diffusion (mrs x2) really suits this image especially with he tight crop. The foreground detail is stunning and a true focal point if all were sharp focus where would your eye be drawn to? You made the right choice!
I don't think you could have done better. The male mallard is obviously the center of attention, so the softer ducks are secondary. The longer your lens, the less your dof, so I think you did OK.
@mizhayz Thank you, mizhayz! They are pretty cute. The duck I captured was a kick to watch. He preened and strutted around for me, fluffed and pecked. Unfortunately, most of those pics were out of focus. Fun to watch though!
I agree, nice composition with the closest bird in focus and the others not. You could have exaggerated the effect by having the lens wider open (f/4, say, if the lens you used will go that wide) which would also have the happy side-effect of pushing the shutter speed up which lessen the chance of camera shake.
@smalbon Thank you for your comment, Stephen. I appreciate your suggestion for an aperture change. I will head back to the duck pond and try it out soon. Again, thanks!
I am impressed that you got this tight of a shot only at 200mm! There were a pair of ducks frequenting a pond where I usually walk and I could not get close enough to them to get a shot like this at 250mm.
@skipt07 This pond is in the middle of an apartment complex so I think the ducks are habituated to people. They quacked a bit when I first arrived, but after awhile they seemed to go about their duck business. I guess I should consider myself lucky!
I love the way the close duck is focused and the others blur. I think that makes the composition really work. The detail in his feathers is wonderful especially on full view.
In mho this is the way the picture should have been shot. I like the duck that's closest to me in focus. If they were all in focus it would be very hard for your eye to find a resting place and you wouldn't know what the subject of the shot was. And I really like how crisp and clear he came out. Well done.
January 23rd, 2013
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