Mandarin
A gorgeous Mandarin duck is seen showing off his amazing technicolor raincoat for the ladies at the pond.
A gorgeous Mandarin duck is seen showing off his amazing technicolor raincoat for the ladies at the pond.
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Jan, 2015Views
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Contest Finalist in Animals Are Beautiful Photo Contest
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brianrdanko
August 03, 2015
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
nandicmb
August 31, 2015
Congratulations on your Contest Finalist win in Animals Are Beautiful Photo Contest!!
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at a small pond near my home when I lived in Orange County, Southern California. I was actually headed to the pond in hopes of shooting Wood Ducks, but to my delight, this handsome Mandarin duck happened to be hanging out.Time
I love this shot because there are no shadows. It was late afternoon and the sun was out, but this Mandarin drake was sitting under the thick canopy of some nearby trees and the lighting turned out to be perfect.Lighting
As mentioned earlier, it was late afternoon but this handsome Mandarin duck was resting at the end of the pond under a thick canopy of tree branches. The shade created a perfect opportunity to rattle off some shots with little to no shadows. It was ideal lighting.Equipment
I took this shot with my Canon 7d, Canon 100-400mm f/4.5 - 5.6 zoom lens. Handheld with no flash.Inspiration
I was initially heading over to this small pond with the hopes of shooting some Wood Ducks that had been hanging out. I have always loved wood ducks and considered them one of the most beautiful of all the water fowl. I had never even seen a mandarin duck prior to this moment. When I arrived at the pond I scouted the area looking for the wood ducks and then I saw this!!! I thought to myself or perhaps I even uttered out loud, "What the hell is THAT??!!" I immediately forgot all about the Wood Ducks and I instantly fell in love with the splendor, the colors, the regality of the Mandarin drake. At the time I was photographing this gorgeous creature, I wasn't aware that it was a mandarin duck at all. After spending about an hour taking photos, I ran home and did a quick internet search and quickly identified this handsome fellow as the Mandarin drake.Editing
I do not own Photoshop, so the extent of my post production tweaking is limited to the simple photo editing tools that came with my Apple iMac. On this particular shot I boosted the saturation a little to bring out the colors. And to be honest, this photo doesn't do justice the what this duck looks like in real life.In my camera bag
I love to shoot wildlife, especially raptors. For the birds in flight shots I always use my Canon 7d body with my Canon 100-400mm zoom lens. I also love to shoot macro, bugs, spiders, textures. For this reason I always have my Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens in my bag. Lightning is another one of my passions and for that I use my stock 28-135mm 'everyday' lens. I also shoot a lot of sunrise and sunset shots and I use this same stock lens for those landscape photos as well so this lens always has a home in my bag. I never head out without my Canon Speedlight 580 either. Finally I have extra CF cards, batteries, two remote IR shutter releases and a varied assortment of snacks. With all this gear (and food) in my backpack, I am pretty much ready to handle any lighting conditions as well as any subject.Feedback
Lighting is so critical. You really need to understand how it can make or break your photos. Frequently take brief pauses to look at your shots on the back of your camera to make sure your settings are producing the desired photographs you are after. Take plenty of photographs whenever possible because you can never anticipate what your subject will do next. Plenty of patience is also a prime ingredient in wildlife photography...and a little luck never hurt either. Be safe and have fun...the measurement of a successful photographic outing isn't determined by the photos you capture, rather, it is defined by the amount of fun you have during the event.
