Decoy
An abandoned duck decoy left in the snow at a local wildlife area.
An abandoned duck decoy left in the snow at a local wildlife area.
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Jan, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I found this Blue Wing Teal decoy several feet offshore at a local conservation/water fowl area in late January 2016, late in the afternoon. It just looked so colorful there in the snow and frozen lake, like it was waiting for duck season to begin.Time
This was nearing late afternoon, around 3pm, with the winter sun low in the sky. The sun's position made for some rather long shadows.Lighting
I thought about walking out on the ice to retrieve the decoy but without the proper footwear I didn't want to take a chance of breaking through the ice. About two weeks later I did just that-walked out on the ice and retrieved the decoy. Not three feet from the shore the ice broke and I dropped straight down in to about three feet of ice cold water. Luckily I was able to keep my nearly new Nikon D7100, new Tameron 600mm lens and the decoy safe and dry while I struggled to get on shore.Equipment
I used a Nikon D7100, Tameron 600mm f5.6 lens and no other equipment.Inspiration
I was originally looking for eagles and ducks but didn't find many that day. This decoy was easy to see among all the drab dead trees and grasses, and it just really stood out.Editing
Post-processing involved simply brightening the overall image and defining the colors slightly.In my camera bag
I normally keep a 18-55mm, 55-200mm, and a 80-300mm lens in the bag, along with a Nikon flash, filters, spare batteries and other things I might need (except dry boots and clothing!), while the 600mm lens is usually on the camera.Feedback
I find that simply stopping and looking-not just seeing-really helps me to find different things. There is always something out there, we just have to look for it. And if we look long enough we'll find it.
