Serenity

An extended family of wood ducks live in a swampy section of this small lake, as far removed as possible from the areas where people can park, walk and fish. They prefer to quietly move in and out of semi-submerged groves of dead trees, enjoying the shade and solitude. Having seen them a few times this summer, I wanted to photograph them on a morning when the sun was behind me, and no wind so that I could get a mirrored reflection of a duck and trees. Today was the day. I waited for an hour and a half until a colorful male quietly paddled into view and then stayed motionless, allowing the water surface to smooth out nicely. In my opinion, time well spent.

Nikon D7000 DSLR, Cambron 500mm lens, f/7.1, 1/3200th second, ISO 3200

Sharpened