QUACK QUACK 1 - CANVASBACK (M)

Title: CANVASBACK (M)
Species: Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)
Photographer: James McIntyre
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Date: Dec, 2004
Equipment: Canon EOS 1D Mark II; EF 100-400 mm f/4-5.6.5L IS USM
ISO: 200
Exposure Mode: Tv, 1/160 s @ f/16
Metering: Evaluative, -1-1/3

Old McDonald had a farm,
Ei-I-Ei-I-O
And on this farm he had some ducks,
Ei-I-Ei-I-O
With a quack quack here
And a quack quack there,
Here a quack, there a quack,
Everywhere a quack quack,
Old McDonald had a farm
Ei-I-Ei-I-OOOO

In late December, 2004, I spent 2 enjoyable and educational days with NSN Senior Tech Editor E.J. Peiker at his DUCKSHOP in Phoenix, AZ, plus 2 days on my own perfecting techniques. Photographing some species of male ducks in breeding plumage is tricky owing to their extreme tonal contrasts (ranging perhaps from Zone 1 to Zone 9) and the often dark tones of the background water, coupled with hot specular highlights from water ripples and drops. Standard techniques with Aperture-preferred priority and Evaluative metering may not work well in this situation. And with a variety of lighting conditions, this was a wonderful opportunity to learn about main-flash exposure and fill-flash compensation - with and without High-Speed Sync. I experimented with a whole melange of settings and even developed some tricks of my own.

A thousand shots later, I came away a sadder but wiser man, an avowed believer in digital cameras, and a more versatile wildlife photographer. Some of the shots I got were disastrous (but savable), while some blew my mind. I'll post some of the better ones here on NSN as time permits.

Here's the first - a beautiful male Canvasback in prime breeding plumage.

Canvasbacks are members of the Pochard family. They derive their scientific name (Aythya valisineria) from one of their favorite winter foods - Wild Celery (Vallisneria americana). Although these large ducks are divers, they often dabble on the surface. They are favorite targets of hunters.

To those of you living outside of North America who may not be familiar with the childrens' song OLD McDONALD'S FARM, here's a link: www.weekiwis.com/omdfarm.html. Enjoy. Sing along.

Happy New Year,
Jim