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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/redhead-1453-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"redhead-1453-ron-dudley\\"")
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1\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n The first couple of times I looked at this shot I passed over it fairly quickly – after all it’s “only” a duck. In this case an adult male Redhead in breeding plumage but it’s still a duck and ducks tend to get less attention than they deserve from far too many folks.<\/p>\n But I like the mood of the image. It was taken soon after a snow squall so the water is choppy, the lighting is dramatic and there are snow pellets (graupel) on the back of the Redhead. In that light the head turn made the shot and I even notice and appreciate the water drops coming off the feathers above his tail. Excellent eye contact, including a catch light, top it all off.<\/p>\n I also like all of the well separated colors in the image including red, gray, black, orange and multiple shades of blue.<\/p>\n He may be “just” a duck but I think the qualities of both the image and the bird add up to more than that. For me it’s all about mood, even though it’s subtle.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note:<\/em><\/p>\n I hope it’s obvious that I’m being sarcastic when I use the phrases “only a duck” and “just a duck”. To me there’s no such thing.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes only subtle differences separate an unremarkable photo from one that makes me take a second look and appreciate it far more. For me this one did just that.<\/p>\n