Not an ugly duckling
This was a beautiful orphaned baby duckling we rescued through WIRES wildlife rescue, exploring outdoors for the first time. ...
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This was a beautiful orphaned baby duckling we rescued through WIRES wildlife rescue, exploring outdoors for the first time.
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Canon EOS 4000D
Aperture f/5.6 ISO 320 Shutter 1/400 Focal Length 205/1 
Mosman, New South Wales, AU
Apr, 2021Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 22
Hidden Gem Award
Staff Favorite
Superior Skill
Peer Award
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at home while caring for a duckling through WIRES. I took this as it was exploring the garden and outdoors for the first time.Time
We had been waiting to let the duckling out into his outdoor pen for a while, and eventually deemed him old enough to start exploring. We waited until the sun was up in the sky and the air was warm, so the conditions were perfect, and then let him into his pen to explore, eat and, later, swim. This photo was taken at 11:43am on the 20th January.Lighting
As we had to wait until it was nice and warm and sunny for his first exploration, there was full sunlight for the capture, but with careful positioning, shadows could be kept to a minimum and the light wasn't too harsh.Equipment
This was shot on a canon 4000D with 75-300mm lens. No other equipment was needed, as I free-held the camera to capture the action spontaneously.Inspiration
I have always enjoyed caring for rescued animals with my family through WIRES and wanted to share the joy of these rescues with the wider community to raise awareness for these beautiful animals and the work the WIRES does. If a little duckling can bring so much joy to me, I want to share this as much as possible and spread my love for nature. Taking this photo, I could share this with the wider community and also have something to remember him by, as the 8 weeks from baby to adult goes very fast!Editing
I would normally do some minor post-processing, but this photo didn't appear to need much adjustment, and I wanted to preserve the original capture and what I truly saw and experienced in the moment, so I chose to simply leave it as is.In my camera bag
I am only 15, so do not have the money for extensive camera gear and all gear I have is purchased with my own pocket money. I have a Canon 4000D, 75-300mm canon lens and 18-55mm wide angle lens that I always take around with me. I do not own a tripod, but most of my work is spontaneous wildlife photography, with little to no time to set up equipment, so this is not that important. I am currently saving up for a tamron 150-600mm lens, for close-up wildlife photography.Feedback
For wildlife photography, I find you have to always be ready in-the-moment and take up every opportunity you have. Have patience and don't worry if you don't get it first time- there are always more opportunities around the corner. Unlike other areas of photography, it is difficult to plan ahead, but I keep standard settings on your camera so I'm always ready, and when I find a subject I will take a few shots, and if the subject is still there, then you can play around with settings, but opportunities can often be fleeting.
