This cutie was hugging the shore today looking for something, or maybe just drying off in the sun. No sign of the drake. No, I really didn’t get that close — it’s a 300mm zoom. Eventually she headed out of range. Again the compression of perspective & shallow depth of field (well, it’s distortion really) …
I love the way the focus falls off so precipitously — her specula are crisp, her head’s in soft focus, the background’s a blur. This is another great thing about a long lens. It’s the same effect in this photo from Trout Lake: I know, I know, I should be focussed on the eye, but …
Here’s another shot: Oh, and also there’s this: Kathy Mattea sings “Red Winged Blackbird”
They come ’round in the winter. The trick is light … takes quite a bit of light to capture the iridescence, and light’s at a premium in rainy Vancouver. I was just plain lucky.