Surprise act

Image Critiques Avian Critiques
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Surprise act
Surprise act1500×952 146 KB

Having seen two Whooper Swans (related to the US Trumpeter Swan) between the reeds, I positioned myself a bit further hoping they would come my way. They tend to be rather shy, so you have to wait a while for them come your way. As the ‘rabbit out of the hat’ came the Red-crested Pochard, which had been behind the swan all the time. It made for a nice shot, as these both are birds that typically can be found here in the sweet waters in the dunes along our shoreline. Hope you like it.

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Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Nikon D500 with 500mm f4 | 1/1000s | f4 | ISO560 | overexposed 1/3EV | handheld

5 Likes
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Sounds like your patience paid off, Hans. The soft neutral sets off the mom and duckling very nicely. Great capture.

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Oh, I really like this image. Well done.

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The swan is so sharp, and contrasts beautifully with the oof Pochard. It looks like they are friends!Lovely shot, Hans.

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Outstanding Hans! Excellent detail and exposure. These are magnificent creatures.

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Thanks @linda_mellor ! Just to clarify: the duck is an adult male Red-crested Pochard :wink:

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Thanks @David_Bostock , @Mike_Friel and @David_Schoen for your comments !

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Such a beautiful image and amazing moment you captured and I agree with @Mike_Friel that they look like friends hanging out together! Which I believe is the case.

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Hi Hans
It seems you have a habit of photographing magic, well done.
Peter

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Lovely smooth tones, as always, Hans. The placement works perfectly, and it’s nice that the bolder of the two (color-wise) is just an accent and not dominating the frame.

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