alanpeterson

Tiny Wings

A Wood Duck duckling sits upright and flaps in Sequoia Park's duck pond.

A Wood Duck duckling sits upright and flaps in Sequoia Park's duck pond.
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NIKON D800

settings

Aperture f/8 ISO 800 Shutter 1/2000 Focal Length 800/1

upload_date

Jul, 2015

Views

815

Likes

+106

Awards

Winner in Wood ducks Photo Challenge

Peer Award

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

All Star

Magnificent Capture

Love it

Superior Skill

Genius

Virtuoso

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

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A Short-eared Owl at sunset in Arcata Bottoms

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One Short-eared Owl trying to steal a vole from another at Arcata Bottoms.

Another Wood Duck drake has visited Sequoia Park.

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in Sequoia Park in Eureka, California. One of my friends had taken a picture of a Wood Duck drake at the park's pond in late June, so I took a trip there a few days later to see if it was still around. During the intervening days, five Wood Duck ducklings had emerged from their nest in the surrounding trees and were taking shelter on the pond's island.

Time

This shot was taken in the late afternoon, shortly before the sun fell behind the trees. Sequoia Park's pond is in a deep valley surrounded by tall redwoods, so there's a very short window of soft afternoon light before the trees cast their shadow over the pond.

Lighting

This was taken in natural light. The ducklings timed their feeding session just right to catch the day's best light on the pond.

Equipment

I shoot birds with a Sigma 300-800mm zoom on a Nikon D800. For this shot, I was using it handheld while lying on the ground at the edge of the pond.

Inspiration

The ducklings were absolutely adorable during my first visit to the pond, so I made a trip back the next day when the weather was clearer and I had better light to work with.

Editing

There are some basic color balance and contrast curve adjustments as well as a little sharpness and dodging brushed into the eye to bring it out as a focal point. It needed a little straightening too, since the gaps in the fence were barely big enough to fit my lens through and it was difficult to pan with a subject without skewing the lens.

In my camera bag

For shooting birds, I normally carry a Sigma 300-800mm zoom and Nikon D800 on a Joby sling strap.

Feedback

For most of my Wood Duck shots, I timed my trip to take advantage of the softer late afternoon light, then waited at a spot where I could hold my lens low to the water at the pond's edge with the light more or less at my back. Like with most wildlife, waiting quietly for your subject to approach will usually get you a closer view of ducks than trying to go where they are.

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Tiny Wings