Oh For The Love of Ducks
Hand raised duckling...turn into loving ducks
Hand raised duckling...turn into loving ducks
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Feb, 2018Views
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Contest Finalist in Capture Pets Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on my farm. It is alway great for a photographer to use what is around him at arms length.Time
This photo was taken during the ever beloved golden hour. The golden hour helps to get it right in camera. It is a lot less work process your photo when you have the warm rich colours from the sky light itself. I live in Northern Canada so the golden hour happens around 10-10:30 pm. That can be late for little ones....so we make sure they have a nice afternoon nap.Lighting
The light in any photo is the everything of the photo. This was the golden hour, and I needed to be in an area when that magic warm light was going to hit my subject. It is a clever move not to let that light fall face on your subject. In this photo that light is coming from the side, spilling all over the place. This brings warmth into the whole picture with making it flat, keeping shadows and depth rich.Equipment
I love the Pentax camera line. Pentax does not spend the large amounts of dollars on advertisements like Canon and Nikon and Sony does. Be not fooled these cameras are workhorse. They are made strong, weather proof, and tough. I really use my camera when I am out on a shoot. Although I am not careless with my camera, I do not baby it either. I lay it down, pick it up, set it on top of things. I use it on windy days, rainy days, and make it work. It is a solid machine and I love that. This photo is hand held. With children I find a tripod restrictive, because I sometimes need to follow them quickly. I used a 50mm ens , letting my subject fill my frame. No flash was used.Inspiration
The true inspiration of this photo came from the child herself. I know she had a passionate love for Ducks. If you want such a emotion to come into your photo, then it needs to be true. She loves ducks and there fore all I needed to do was dress her sweet, wait for that magic light and let her hold a duck. These were ducks that were use to the human touch, and safe for her to hold. Always be safe!Editing
There is so very little processing in this photo. However it was taken in RAW and was transformed into Jpeg in lightroom. Lightroom has very powerful tools to bring each photo to its full protential of beauty.In my camera bag
I really take the time to back my bag for each shoot. if I am shooting landscape, I have a lens that will go from 18-135. If I am photographing people I will use a 70mm-200mm at 2.8 so I can create buttery Bokeh. I love the telescopic lens, it is so much easier then carrying many lenes, and one of the things I dislike doing is changing my lens outside. It is so easy for dirt to blow into the camera and on the sensor. I own a tripod but use it only in star and sky photos or long times photos. I like the freedom of quick movements and snapping like crazy.Feedback
Weather is such a fickle thing. It can also be everything in capture a photo like this. I shoot children either in the golden hour, or on a cloudy day. Clouds offer diffusion of soft light, not casting and face shadows. Children have such soft amazing skin tones and harsh light can play against that. make sure your child is rested and happy. If using animals always make sure the child and animal are safe. To capture true emotions in a photo like this, it needs to be true. If a child loves dogs...then you will be able to capture that love. If a child does not care for dogs and you pose the child with a dog and say...Hug the dog...love the dog, you photo will reflect that it is forced and it will not come off with the emotional truth of the connections. A child pretending to be asleep, is not a child asleep. it will never have the same softness of tender sleep. With children and animals make sure the connections is real. This little girl loved ducks beyond belief... She always wanted a pet duck... Wouldn't you say that really shows.... Thus the title.."Oh For The Love of Ducks "
