One of the techniques I have been working on is to take images with a low point of view. When shooting ducks/waterfowl, this greatly improves the backgrounds, often resulting in the far shore of the lake as the BG. Unfortunately in Southern California, where most of the lakes are man made, this is often difficult. This morning I went to one of my favorite spots locally, and tried to do this. I was literally sitting in the water with the camera mounted on a tripod, but I still could only get the camera down to about 8″ above the water. I hoped to get down to about 2-3″. As a consequence I could not get the BG I wanted, but because of the soft dawn light it did not make as much of a difference as it might have otherwise. This is a Mandarin Duck, certainly not a native of California. Originally these were escapees from private collections but now they are successfully raising young here in So Cal. Still they are certainly not common here so I was fortunate this one was so cooperative. This is about 75% FF and I had to crop differently than I originally wanted as there was an OOF duck’s tail in the R lower frame.
- Created Timestamp09/24/2026 16:05:49
- CameraCanon EOS R5m2
- Aperture5.6
- Copyright2026 Jim and/or Debbie Babbitt
- Focal Length840
- Iso1250
- Shutter Speed1/640
Simply gorgeous image! Love your narratives as they are always a learning experience!
Stunning!
A lower angle would have maybe lost the contrast provided by the ripples in the water, which add to the image, as far as I’m concerned.
Simply gorgeous shot of the Mandarin. It’s interesting to hear that they are now breeding in your area. Don’t catch cold sitting in the water!
Congratulations – this Great Bird Pic is being featured as part of our Members’ Showcase on 10-1-26.