above the ducks

Soon after moving into our 16th-floor apartment we came to realize that "fowl fly-bys" was going to become a common occurance. But not just birds...other "flyers" too--bats, june bugs, pigs (well...I'm still waiting on that last one...but I'll be rich when it happens!).

As wingless creatures with our two feet firmly planted on land 24/7, we normally experience birds in flight by the usual means--looking up. Sometime if we're lucky they might fly past us on our lowly level, but in this picture I was finally on top!

I'll admit, this was definitely very much a "spur of the moment" shot, but I was pleased with the result. The ducks (female chasing male) were probably a dozen floors or more below us, so I zoomed in as best I could and later cropped the picture to my liking. I also desaturated everything but the ducks themselves--I love how their colours stand out.

To achieve this shot I used a technique called panning, which involves steadily following the subject(s) with my lens and snapping a shot at a relatively slow shutter speed (something like 1/30 of a second, which better represents how our eyes might perceive the scene). Together, the panning and slower speed create a great sense of motion.

I wonder where they were heading? It was early April, so I feel confident I can at least rule out "south".