Sense a trend here?

It's funny how it works.  I never set a "theme" or a "goal" when I go out shooting.  I usually just keep my eyes open, go to some favorite places, try to find where the weather can be part of the shot, or look for some kind of activity. Here, on 3 different shoots this week, I ended up with a theme.  3 different times I found ducks taking advantages of the weather we've had lately.  So, tonight's post ends up being another duck.  But, this one is a little different.  I always try to post something I think turned out nice.  I mean, who wants to see my "bad" work.  And there is plenty of it.  But, tonight, I post another duck because even though alot of people commented on my past "duck" shots, I think this one beats them all.  Several things caught my eye while shooting in this situation.  I liked the idea of a lone duck coming in while you had all the geese milling around in the background.  I liked the light snow falling in the background.  I liked the fact that I really nailed the focus and sharpness of the duck and was able to keep some "bokeh"(blur) on the background to keep my subject in the forefront and the main subject of the shot while still setting a scene.  I was able to keep the shot tight enough where it only included what I wanted it to include.  The focus and sharpness really brought out the features of my subject and only my subject.  While the content of the shot maybe wasn't the best I've ever photraphed, I think it goes down as one of most technically perfect photos I've ever taken.  Trust me, there were challenges in the shot.  First, and foremost, a moving subject.  I've always struggled following a moving object looking through the viewfinder.  All the white snow can really mess with the exposure of the shot.  Another area that is hard to get right in the camera.  Most of these things can be fixed in post production with software, but not always and it is time consuming so the more that is right in camera, the better. All that being said, I have to give credit to the new camera I got several months ago.  Often times people comment, "You must have a really nice camera".  I usually reply, "Yeah, and Rembrandt had really nice brushes".  I really believe you can get great shots with basic normal cameras, even phone cameras these days.  But, in this case, I think my gear helped me alot.  And maybe this is a sign that I'm actually starting to learn how to use the gear I have.  Or, maybe I just...got....lucky. 

Remember- Keep your bill warm

Tonights post is a public service announcement.  In this cold, snowy February, always remember to keep your bill (and other body parts)  warm....especially when sleeping.  I think the one in the midcenter right really has it down by standing up.  I'd rather have cold feet than cold..................other parts.

Clear for landing

Decent temps the last few days.  Gave the ducks and the geese time to play around some open water.

The world is clean again

With this winter of no snow, it seems like everything looks dirty.  Sometimes you need a good snow to clean it all up again.  We got perhaps our biggest snowfall of the year last night(about 2") and its amazing how much better everything looked today.

New Friends

Found a couple of new friends the other day.  Fittingly, I believe, I have named them Hose(sic) A and Hose(sic) B.  Hose A, very friendly.  Hose B, pretty shy.  I know how they feel, though.  I think I had bowl cut haircuts like them when I was young.

Curiosity

Not much to say about this one.  Just a nice shot of a couple of horses hanging out.  One of them checking out what's on the other side of the fence while the other checking out the goofy guy with the camera.

Shuffle off to......

And the answer is.....Buffalo.  There is a famous picture out there called Cranes in the Mist.  My version is Buffalo in the Rain and Fog. I've seen this guy before.  In fact I think I posted a shot of him in the past.  But he's always been laying down and pretty lethargic.  This time he was up and moving.  Not sure if it was the rain/sleet coming down or that another buffalo was with him.  Unfortunately, the picture doesn't do a real good job of showing just how big and powerful he looked when shooting shots.