Photographing Meals

When I used to do more event photography there would inevitably be a meal served during many events. I was never one for photographing people eating so I would usually make a wide photo or two and then take a break. In wildlife photography often the pinnacle of what you can do is to photograph the animals eating. Here this duck grabbed a fish, and was flipping it over and over before finally getting it how she wanted it to eat it. With the harsher light later in the day I had to wait for the perfect flip or moment to capture. Here a look straight on seemed perfect to me. This is a behavior that I have only just recently discovered, but it is really fun to make photos of.

Waiting For That Right Moment

As I talked about above a lot had to go right to make these photos. The duck was floating on a piece of ice down the Wabash River which was spinning. Add in a good gesture for the duck and the light and a lot of luck had to happen to make these photos. Here it all came together for a photo that I really liked. You get a sense of the flipping of the fish along with a good look at the duck. For most wildlife photography it comes down to patience and luck. Here they were both working for me.

One Last Flip

All of the flipping of the fish was to get it positioned just right to swallow. Here you can almost see the smile on the duck before she finally gets here meal. It was a lot of work to get here, but worth it in the end.