I was instantly drawn to the vibrant colours of these beautiful Mandarin ducks at a local pond. The reflections from the trees and dark skies gave contrast to the image, so with a little patience and staying low to the ground, I was very pleased with this image.

The pond is situated in a quiet village in the East Riding of Yorkshire. I was quite fortunate that there were a few pairs of these beautiful ducks on the pond, and I even spotted a Wood Duck on the same patch.

I’m always looking to try various compositions with my wildlife photography, and I think this worked very well. I’m usually not so lucky having the subject up so close, so I used manual focus and was very pleased how sharp this image came out. The female Mandarin ducks were also showing very well, and I captured some lovely early morning images of these too.

I really enjoy early mornings and late evenings out with my camera, there is something I’ve always loved about the peace and quiet of an early start away from the crowds. I’m very fortunate to live close to some wonderful wetlands and nature reserves, which give me so many opportunities to capture the stunning wildlife on show.

I’m very passionate about wildlife photography and landscapes, and have been taking it seriously for over 10 years. I feel I am improving each year, so that really pleases me.

I used my Nikon D850, accompanied by my 200-500mm Nikkor lens, and edited the image in Lightroom. I use single-point focus in general to ensure a sound depth of field. Fortunately, the light helped after waiting patiently, and there was no crop needed here. I slightly enhanced the colour in the water, but the colour from the overhead trees really came through the ripples in the water.

I’m very much enjoying the quality and friendly members of FRAMES and will continue to post my best images here. The group of photographers really inspires me to improve and keep learning. The diversity and various genres from all over the world are amazing, so I can’t praise FRAMES enough.

What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!

The vibrant colours and composition.

If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or differently?

It’s a tough question because I really like this image.

David Goundry shared this photograph with the FRAMES Facebook Group.

Photographer

David Goundry, Kingston upon Hull, UK

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Equipment and settings

Nikon D850 + 200-500mm Nikon lens
ISO 64, f/5.6, 1/400 sec. at 400mm