Ducks at Lake Wilderness #1

The lake was really busy on Saturday, but I found a few ducks hanging out in quiet areas

The elegant female was asleep very near the shore, but protected by overhanging vegetation. I don’t think anyone would have spotted her unless they were looking.

The light was perfect to isolate the duck, dappled sunlight, and I used a polarizing filter to cut down reflections from the water. Just the duck and the little ‘nest’ of pine needles were illuminated.

It feels as much like a painting as a photograph because of the lighting.

The lens I used is one of my all-time favorites, the 85mm f/1.2 Canon, which I use on my Sony α1 with a Metabones adapter. (One normally can’t use lenses and camera from different manufacturers.)

The Canon 85 seems to preserve natural colors better than most lenses, and is also very sharp and clear. I love working with it. I could have brought a longer lens to get closer to the duck, but I trusted this specific lens to capture something interesting.

Most of the ducks that I saw were mallards. I’m not sure about this one—maybe a female, maybe a juvenile, maybe I’m completely wrong.