Bouncing bufflehead duck

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Bouncing bufflehead duck

January 14, 2019 by Mike Powell

I love the way that Bufflehead ducks (Bucephala albeola) run across the surface of the water to gain speed before taking off, like this male bufflehead that I spotted last Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The images were already pretty much monochromatic because of the limited light, so I decided to do a black-and-white conversion of them.

If you look closely at the first image, you will see that my camera’s shutter speed was fast enough to freeze the motion of the water, but slow enough that the wings are blurred, which I think enhances the sense of speed. The wing tips are blurred in the second image as well and we also have a really cool reflection of the bufflehead after it has successfully taken to the air.

Posted in Art, Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife, Winter | Tagged black-and-white photography, Bucephala albeola, bufflehead, bufflehead duck, Canon 50D, male bufflehead, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA | 15 Comments

15 Responses

on January 14, 2019 at 6:50 pm | Reply Dan Antion

Great action shots, Mike.
on January 14, 2019 at 7:53 pm | Reply Ms. Liz

Oh yes, love the frozen water and blurred wings.. how fascinating. Great capture!
- on January 15, 2019 at 5:49 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Just to be clear, the waterin the photo is still liquid, even though its motion is frozen. 🙂
  - on January 15, 2019 at 1:10 pm Ms. Liz
    
    Thanks Mike, haha.. its ok I was up with the play, do love that photo!
on January 14, 2019 at 9:08 pm | Reply Robert Kirkendall

I love b&w
- on January 15, 2019 at 6:04 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Robert. I too love black and white and still have some black and white film in my refrigerator waiting to be shot. There is something really pure about photography when you take color out of the equation.
  - on January 15, 2019 at 3:05 pm Robert Kirkendall
    
    There is. Orson Welles once said that black & white is the actor’s best friend, it heightens drama and distills the action down to its essence. I used b&w for my Community TV show for that reason. Looking forward to any possible b&w pictures on your site. 🙂
  - on January 16, 2019 at 4:45 am Ms. Liz
    
    That’s an interesting comment Mike! When I spent a week exploring b&w on my blog it was really fun and I found some interesting photos and art in b&w. I was surprised how much I enjoyed them! Interesting you’ve still got some b&w film in the fridge!
  - on January 16, 2019 at 12:24 pm Mike Powell
    
    The film is from about two years ago when I took some shots in black in white and developed the film myself. I then scanned the images and manipulated them digitally, so I wouldn’t have to set up a full darkroom. I do plan to shoot some more–there is something really special about shooting with film, because you have to be so mindful of doing things manually and methodically.
on January 15, 2019 at 12:45 am | Reply Jill Kuhn

Stunning photos Mike! 😃 You are so talented!
on January 15, 2019 at 8:47 am | Reply Ellen Jennings

Great captures, the duck and the water splash, Mike!
- on January 15, 2019 at 9:03 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Ellen. As you know well, there is a lot of luck involved in capturing a waterbird’s takeoff, especially when it is unanticipated.
  - on January 15, 2019 at 9:29 am Ellen Jennings
    
    You’re welcome! Wonderful that we learn to capitalize on that luck!
on January 15, 2019 at 3:20 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Nice in Black & White! Cool shots!
on January 15, 2019 at 9:19 pm | Reply Molly Lin Dutina

Slick!