Flying Duck for an old man

Critiques [Translate]

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• Lay (8)
• [2009-03-25 6:51]

Hi Gert,
Amazing picture, the duck seems that has stop in the air. Great POV and colours, well done!
Regards,
Maria

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• ramthakur (32112)
• [2009-03-25 7:06]

Happy Birthday greetings, Gert!
Till 60, you are considered young, universally, I presume.
This is a wonderful hand-held shot despite your aching wrists.
The flying Mallard looks handsome in this needle sharp image.
I have yet to shoot a flying bird.
Thanks and wish you better health in the coming years.
Regards.
Ram

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• zetu (6115)
• [2009-03-25 7:22]

Hello Gert
Excellent capture with perfect focus, great details and natural colors.
Well done.
Regards
Razvan

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• BRIMAC (221)
• [2009-03-25 7:25]

Hi Gert,
First of all I would like to wish you a Happy 60th Birthday,your flying Mallard is superb,the lighting brings out very good detail and colour,the sharp focus and unobtrusive background make this a real winner.
All the best,
Brian.

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• anel (15640)
• [2009-03-25 7:52]

Hello Gert,
At first Happy Birthday and a lot of luck for the next decade:-)!
It's funny, but even this charming mallard female seems to send you a glance, just to show you that she noticed you..and bravo to have taken this hand-held!
Best regards
Anne

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• red45 (30243)
• [2009-03-25 7:53]

Happy Birthday my old Friend :-) !!!

I missed shots of ducks in flight from you! If I remember correctly your flying duck is also one of high [if not highest] rated pictures on TN! So this picture isn't surprise for me :-) This one looks really sympatic, with high quality and great colours/BG.

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• NinaM (6594)
• [2009-03-25 7:56]

What a superb shot, Gert, wow! He looks like a rocket flying, the panning is fantastic. The dof is perfect. Your picture is technically mastered, what a nice learning lesson for me. I'm amazed at the preciseness of the sharpness on the body of the duck. You sure are a duckman and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! You were born the same day as my brother. Bye bye and enjoy this special day.

Francine

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• PeterZ (17484)
• [2009-03-25 8:08]

Hello Gert,
Congratulations Gert. Another milestone! I have to wait for 361 days to my 60th.
Superb photo! This is real sharpness! You got a fast hand. Very beautiful colours, also in the OOF BG. Great POV, pose, composition and DOF.
Wish you all health for the next year,
Peter

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• euroblinkie (9931)
• [2009-03-25 8:08]

hello Gert
beautiful picture
super close up
great details and beautiful colours
greeting lou

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• Tamrock (3559)
• [2009-03-25 8:47]

hej duckmannen!
Congrat my friend!
your still a young man!
great pic as usual!
jag åker till villa i morn
om vädret vill!
mvh micke

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• wishnugaruda (16564)
• [2009-03-25 8:56]

Hi Gert!
Happy Birthday to you my friend and all the best for the next 60 years ;-)
This duck is realy worth to be in time for this celebration. Sharp and fantastic, it can't be done better.
Thanks so much and enjoy your day ...
Greetings
Sabine - wishnugaruda

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• CatherineD (6609)
• [2009-03-25 9:13]

Congratulations Gert for this very young photo, with a perfect focus and nice colours. You think you are old? I would say experimented and talentuous photographer... Best regards,
Catherine

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• KOMSIS (1943)
• [2009-03-25 9:28]

Hi Gert,
Flying duck, looks like happy...
Excellent capture with perfect focus,
Great details and natural colors.
Greetings,
Seyfi.

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• ddg (5111)
• [2009-03-25 9:43]

Bonjour Gert, happy birthday my friend!! 60 years it's a young man!!Great focus and perfect timing too. I like this blurred BG , congratulations, Didier.

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• lousat (19621)
• [2009-03-25 10:11]

Hi Ellis,this is the absolute perfection! Isn't easy to found words to comment a fanatstic pic like that. I think isn't possible to make better,just my great compliments,have a nice day,luciano

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• Luis52 (12761)
• [2009-03-25 10:25]

Hola Gert.
Lovely photo. excellent sharpness and beautiful wing effect by f3.5 on Your lens. I like just like it is.
TFS Gert.
Luis52.

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• billynewboy (694)
• [2009-03-25 10:50]
• [+]

Hello Gert
Many happy returns for your 60th birthday.
This is a very sharp and impressive capture of the duck in flight and at one glace I knew that it was taken with a 300mm.
On a note I have been lucky enough to have had the use of a 400mm f2.8 which is larger than the 300mm you use and I used my Manfrotto 322rc2 head on one of the larger manfrotto monopods and it made for comfortable shooting all day with great freedom of movement as the head is a squeeze trigger type ball head. The owner of lense was very impressed with the head and monopod and ordered both the same evening!
The head is about £90 and the monopod was about £40 so they arent cheap but invaluable for comfortable shooting especially with your wrist that you mention.
Best Regards
Billy

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• xTauruSx (604)
• [2009-03-25 11:15]

Hello Gert, a perfect and dynamic shot of this beutiful duck using the panning method with excellent details.
Also Happy Birtday!
TFS and greetings,
Deniz

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• siggi (16082)
• [2009-03-25 11:44]

Hello Gert.
Amazing in-flight shot. Excellent composition, perfect details and sharpness of the duck. vivid colours and wonderful colourful excellently blurred BG. Superb job. My compliments and TFS.
Best regards Siggi

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• Silvio2006 (41158)
• [2009-03-25 11:44]

Ciao Gert, fantastic flying mallard with beautiful colors, perfect focus on eye and wonderful blurry BG, fine details and splendid sharpness, very well done my friend, ciao Silvio

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• uleko (2735)
• [2009-03-25 12:55]
• [+]

Hej Gert!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This is a great reminder of how time flies! I remember your 'flying duck days'! Excellent quality for a hand-held capture. Mallards and Geese seem to be ever increasing in numbers down here while other birds are becoming rarer! Lovely to see the Cranes returning though!
TFS and all the best wishes, Ulla

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• Argus (34871)
• [2009-03-25 13:10]

Grattis på födelsedagen Gert!
You are not old yet but you have reached a good age. I remember when I reached 60...
You made a fine in-flight capture of a female Mallard. The Canon 300/2.8 is a very good lens but you still need the skill to use it as well as this. Nice timing, panning and eye contact too. TFS!
Bästa hälsningar,
Ivan

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• jaycee (21912)
• [2009-03-25 13:13]

Hi Gert,

A very Happy Birthday to you and wishes for many, many more. This flying mallard is a wonderful way to celebrate the day here on TN. Just beautiful as he is perfectly frozen in flight. Lovely colors, details and wing positions. He must know it is your birthday and he is smiling.

Jane

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• boreocypriensis (33611)
• [2009-03-25 14:53]

Hi Gert, Happy Birthday MF! All the best! Nice that you find a beauty flying for you:). An impressive shot in all around, but i especially liked the dynamic BG which you used panning technique to get such excellent image.
TFS and all the best once more.
Have great and healty new years MF!
Cheers,

Bayram

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• Noisette (3905)
• [2009-03-25 16:47]

Hello Ellis
Great shot of this flying duck with superb details as always
nice contrast with blurred BG
beautiful natural colors
very well done
Jacqueline

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

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• Adanac (17609)
• [2009-03-25 19:42]

Hello Gert,
Well many Happy Returns on your birthday Gert. This is a marvelously captured in flight of a hen mallard at speed. Looks like she is on a mission. Great work.
Rick

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• goutham_ramesh (10360)
• [2009-03-25 23:34]

Gert, Once again wishes to you. This is a good flight picture. The slight blur in the wings is excusable as it shows movement. There are not nits Gert! but if i have to pick one then it would be tight framing.

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• LordPotty (12035)
• [2009-03-26 0:20]

Happy Birthday Gert!
I never knew about that nickname 'The Duckman' but I remember Mike Hodgson and a few others posted lots of ducks.
This one is a beauty.
Your capture of her in flight is superb.
All the details are as clear as clear.
Very nice work young friend ;)
Cheers
Steve

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• oanaotilia (1674)
• [2009-03-26 4:40]

Hy Gert
All your flying ducks are amazing! Perfect moment freezed on the body, with "blured" wings.Perfect!
Regards, Oana

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• haraprasan (17792)
• [2009-03-26 10:26]

Hi Gert,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. A nice capture of this beautiful duck in flight. Excellent composition with sharp details. Thanks a lot for sharing.

•      
• cataclysta (5468)
• [2009-03-26 10:33]

Hi Gert
Happy birth day ;-) It is good to see another great photo in your gallery. I like the texture in OOF background As always very interestin photo
TFS
Krzysztof

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• Panoptic83 (644)
• [2009-03-31 1:58]

Hello Gert!

An old man? I do not agree! A man's age is judged by the way he thinks, your images reflect your thoughts and they say you are very energitic.

Wish you a Very Happy Birthday!

Thanks,
Prasad

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• Hormon_Manyer (2650)
• [2009-03-31 14:15]

Hi Gert,
Although I delayed a few days, let me wish You happy 60th birthday and another at least 60 happy years. Your birthday pic is awesome: absolutely perfect timing and colors, not to mention composition and the blurred background. I can only say bravo, and I'll visit Your gallery more often, because there's a lot to learn from You. Thanks for this photo and for being here. Respectfully Yours, László the Hungarian

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• CeltickRanger (15054)
• [2009-04-04 13:09]

hello Gert

how came i have missed this superb in-flight photo
of the female mallard duck ! you are the duckman
the master photographer of flying ducks,
superb in-flight close-up photo with fine POV,
superb focus on the duck with great sharpness and details,
by the background, the duck's head pose, the wings blur
we can feel the speed of the flight, TFS

and late (avec retard) i wish you a happy birthday

Asbed
p.s. and today (the 4th april) it is my birthday,
today i am 2 times 20.5 years old !

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• maurydv (16352)
• [2009-04-05 13:36]

Hello Gert,
at first Happy Birthday; what a wonderful picture of this female Mallard, superb sharpness and great panning effect, marvellous colours, very very well done.
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

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• Alex99 (18529)
• [2009-04-06 9:51]

Hi, dear Gert.
I congratulate you on your remarkable anniversary and wish you robust health, many amazing pictures and posts here. Shared at your birthday shot is symbolic. I remember your famous outstanding shot of flying duck. I think this one is so perfect as that picture. Timing is fantastic as well as blurriness of the BG and crisp sharpness of the bird. Eye-contact is also sweet. Bravo and many thanks for your presence here, huge contribution and encouragement.
Yours Alexei.

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• carper (8424)
• [2009-04-06 10:13]

a fantastic duck shot, I would say again.
I know you as a master duck photographer, special when they are flying, marvelous photo work here. I enjoy it.
have a good evening.
regard jaap

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• Mikolaj (3203)
• [2009-04-10 1:39]

Hello Gert! Dynamic composition. Perfect shot. Ideal contrast. Wonderful sharpness. Well done!

•      
• gerhardt (11585)
• [2009-04-26 14:29]

A belated 60th birthday my "young" friend. I trust (by looking at all your photos) that you are well and enjoying the photography to the fullest.

I chose this duck... (and believe you know why) well because it reminded me of that 1st unbelievable duck I ever saw... yours... do you still remember it?

Anyways... keep well my friend.