The pose of the Mallard

[Anthony J Howe]

Here is a series of shots of the female mallard who come out of the water to pose right before me, just a few feet away.

'Now would you say this is the right pose'?
http://web.mac.com/anthonyhowe1/iWeb/Site/Photos_files/mallard1.jpg

'Drat it my feathers have become ruffled, wait a second'
http://web.mac.com/anthonyhowe1/iWeb/Site/Photos_files/mallard2.jpg

' Hang on, hang on, I'll just preen them back properly'
http://web.mac.com/anthonyhowe1/iWeb/Site/Photos_files/mallard3.jpg

Right, now hurry up I'm losing patience. I think this is my right angle'
http://web.mac.com/anthonyhowe1/iWeb/Site/Photos_files/mallard4.jpg

[seanm]

Super shots Anthony, the first and last are winners for me, due to the better exposure. Well done.

[Wayne Wood]

very nice series of the Mallard here Tony, hard to pick a fave but # 1 stands out to me for some reason

[snappa]

Nice set of shots Tony. Number one for me too.

[Reyno]

Excellent exposure and nicely posed captures Tony.

[dewmuw]

Nice one Tony - could have called it "Does my bum look big in this?" :)

[Sindri Skulason]

Excellent shots Tony. Very sharp with good details. Love the pose and composition. :-)

[Ferco]

nice! love the first and last shots! nice one!

[Gary Fairhead]

Very nice Tony with the first image getting most of my attention. I like the pose in the second but the BG in the first image has it over the second and that edged me over.

[Anthony J Howe]

Thanks Sean, Wayne, Snappa, Reyno, Damian, Sindri, Richard and Gary for taking the time time to give kind comments, very encouraging.
And Like most have said I too like the first one.

[justin carpenter]

beautiful series tony, super sharp and well composed.

[Rubberhead]

Super job and crystal clear photos.

(I believe it may be a drake in eclipse plumage.)

[kr88]

Nice series Tony, your certainly found a nice looking mallard to photograph. You produced great looking shots with great carity and nice colors. Well done!

[tupe]

Nice series, Tony. I like the composition in the second shot best, and it doesn't hurt that he's looking at the camera.

[Overkill]

The right moment and the right plice... and great pictures!

[PaulDB]

These are great shots. And i just noticed where you live. I've been there, you must have loads to shoot there. Some nice landscapes too down the road in llandudno.. Really nice views from the orm.

[busbyea]

Very, very nice Tony. Good detail, lovely color, and some nice looking poses too.
Well done!

[Anthony J Howe]

Thanks Justin, Rubberhead, Keith, Joe and Overkill for taking the time to comment.
You are probably right Rubberhead, it looks rather large for a female.

[catsith]

tony, they are stunning, and love the commentary! so much humour on this forum, it's great

[Woolburr]

Can't stop laughing at the third one...well done.

[Jim_T]

Great shots of a female mallard.. They're pretty unremarkable except for the blue patches on the wing.. But you made them very interesting....... Good work.

[Anthony J Howe]

Thanks Tina, Dan & Joe for taking the time to comment.
Glad you liked the commentary Tina. And the third bird Dan.

Great shots of a female mallard.. They're pretty unremarkable except for the blue patches on the wing But you made them very interesting....... Good work.
Thanks Jim, yes I do indeed agree, it's the blue patch on the wing that make people notice. While I was shooting the mallard a little girl with a her mother said 'what a beautiful blue colour on that duck'.
Thanks Jim.

[marie]

:cool:
beautiful duck and the shots really show it Anthony

[bromm]

Great shots Tony, its nice when every once in a while a bird will just decide to "pose" for you, instead of having to belly crawl on wet grass, crawl through wild rose bushes etc. Well done.

[selven]

Well done - I like the way you've combined photographic excellence with a sense of humour.

[Anthony J Howe]

Thanks Marie, Trevor and Selven for your kind comments.
Yes it is a change from the belly crawling Trevor, to get a decent shot of a duck.

[Mitcon]

Lovely captures Tony, the first is my fav. Really looks like it was putting on a pose lol, all very good images though. Well done.

[Anthony J Howe]

Lovely captures Tony, the first is my fav. Really looks like it was putting on a pose lol, all very good images though. Well done.
Thanks Mitcon, the duck came barely four feet away and I had to to stand back a few feet to to take the shot, so it does appear to pose for the camera. But most likely wanting some titbit.