My Duck Post

I know it's customary to post a duck picture and I probably should have done so in my first post on POTN, but better late than never. I thought I'd add a couple more since this is in the "Birds" forum...

All shot with a 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM lens on a Canon 40D. Post-processing: tweaked fill light, highlights, and shadow then sharpened in Picasa. Saved at 85% quality in the Gimp.

Click the picture to go to the Flickr page where you can see the large version.

Sleepy Duck
1/320 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, Av mode, fl:300mm, partial metering

This little guy looked fast asleep as I came upon him in London's Regent's Park. As I focused, he opened one lazy eye.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/garryknight/2​452324213/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/garryknight/2​453193012/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/garryknight/2​452361293/

I like the in flight shot...

I like the first in addition to the in-flight ... a bit wider crop on the first would make it even nicer I think.

It was taken at 300mm. I could have pulled back a little, but I wanted a close-up to get the eye detail. Anyway, thanks for the comments.

The in-flight shot is a belter of a shot, great BG, well controlled whites, well balanced exposure-yep, there's a lot to like here.

The 40D does have an excellent burst rate, but it's still the guy behind the camera that has to get the shot, the camera won't do it for you

Nice series. Love the in flight shot.

Thanks for your kind comment, Les. Though when I think about how many times I tried to get a decent shot of a bird in flight with my Canon S3is and failed (too blurry, out of frame, sky blown out, etc), I'm inclined to think that the 40D played a big part in actually getting the shot.