Mallard hen captured by Z 6III / Z600f4TC @840mm
Next to Canada Geese, Mallards are the most common waterfowl you’ll find in a park pond. They so love their bread (really bad for them!) In the wild, while one of the most common, wild Mallards are the most reclusive and hard to photograph birds you’ll ever come across. The sad thing is, that you have no clue looking at the photograph if I just walked up to the hen and photographed it or, put in over two hours to have it come close to me. It was the latter but importantly is the actual photograph. Hens tend to get little photographic love, their natural camouflage plumage that hides them on the nest doesn’t lend itself to jumping off the frame. But if you want to challenge your photography, and visual storytelling, make a photo that’s uncommon of the common. Gesture and light can go a long ways making up for lack of color. Don’t fool yourself and say, it’s just a mallard!