Smew Photo Story
Smew - the elusive duck
Last update: 8. Feb 2025
The black and white male Smew is one of the most beautiful waterfowl species in Europe. The Smew, breeding in cavities in trees, is a species native to the northern taiga. In Europe, it only breeds in Finland and Sweden. By the 1950s, the Smew population was in sharp decline, raising concerns about the future of the species. However, thanks to active nest box programs and other conservation initiatives, the numbers of Smew have grown in recent years.
The Smew has been one of the most challenging species for me to photograph. Ever since I started searching for this elusive duck back in 1995, it took several years before I saw one for the first time—and always from a distance. I had never succeeded in photographing this bird species from a reasonable distance until March 2024. A male Smew was reported at a small lake about an hour’s drive from my home. Due to the cold winter, most of the lake was frozen, except for a small area of open water near the shore. In this area, several ducks had gathered, and one of them was the rare Smew. When I heard the news, I knew this could be my chance to finally get some great pictures of this elusive duck.
SONY A1, 200-600mm (at 600mm), f/6.3, 1/500 sec, ISO 2500
First Attempts and Planning
On my first trip to the lake, I managed to get some decent pictures of the Smew flying and swimming—closer than I had ever experienced before. The light condition was not great, but at least I had some images of the duck. This initial success motivated me to start more serious photography. I made three key decisions for my Smew photography in the coming days:
1. Shoot as low as possible.
2. Focus on shooting backlight.
3. Use flash or LED light when it became too dark to photograph.
The next afternoon, I returned to the lake. This time, the low winter sun created stunning yellow, orange, and red reflections on the water. The conditions were nearly perfect for capturing the shots of the Smew I had been hoping for.
Mastering Low-Level Bird Photography
I prefer to photograph birds on water from the lowest possible angle, but achieving this can be quite challenging. The ice edge at the lake allowed me to get into a low-angle position, but it wasn’t possible to align with the amazing sunset light in the background. To get as low as possible, I held the lens (using the tripod mount) just above the water surface and used the flip-out LCD screen to compose my shots. While it’s always easier to look through the viewfinder, this method was the only way to achieve the low angle I wanted.
Focusing and composing from this position can be tricky, especially when tracking moving subjects on the LCD screen. It can also be physically demanding on the knees, back, and arms to stay in this position for extended periods. I used knee protection pads, which were very helpful, and took short breaks to avoid straining my arms and back. Lightweight gear, such as the Sony 200-600mm lens (2.1 kg) and the Sony A1 camera (0.7 kg), was essential for this type of photography.
Shooting from a low level—just 1-5 cm above the water surface—creates a beautifully blurred foreground and background, with no distracting details. The water reflections can also be magical, especially when shooting backlight.
SONY A1, 200-600mm (at 600mm), f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 1000
SONY A1, 200-600mm (at 600mm), f/6.3, 1/800 sec, ISO 2000
Creating Stunning Backlit Bird Photos
I always try to shoot backlight, especially around sunrise and sunset. The reflections and colors on the water’s surface can be incredible, making the images much more dynamic than shooting with the sun behind me. I was fortunate to have three evenings with excellent light conditions and the male Smew very cooperating.
Shooting backlight, especially from a low angle, comes with its challenges. One of the biggest difficulties is autofocus. Strong reflections from the sun on the water or glowing ice in the background can make it hard for the camera to lock focus on the subject. A camera with a reliable autofocus system is essential, and I found the Sony A1 to be very trustworthy in these conditions. I doubt I would have achieved the same success rate with older cameras or those without a top-quality autofocus system. I was very happy to see that almost all of my backlit images were sharp!
Another challenge is exposure. When the sun is almost in the frame, exposing for the bright Smew can cause the water and reflections to become overexposed, while exposing for the reflections can make the Smew too dark. In these situations, I usually expose for the highlights, ensuring the bright areas are just below the point of being overexposed (pay attention to the right area in the histogram). This approach preserves most of the details in the shadows, which I can later adjust (brighten up) in Adobe Lightroom. A camera with a high dynamic range is crucial for capturing details in both the highlights and shadows.
What I particularly love about backlit photography is the golden and orange reflections in the water, as you can see in the images below. While the background is quite bright due to reflections from the snow and ice, I don’t find it distracting.
SONY A1, 200-600mm (at 600mm), f/6.3, 1/8000 sec, ISO 1600
SONY A1, 200-600mm (at 529mm), f/6.3, 1/8000 sec, ISO 1600
Using Flash for Creative Wildlife Photography
Many photographers stop shooting when the light fades and shutter speeds or ISO values are pushed to their limits. However, some of the best light can occur late in the evening, when it’s "too dark" for normal photography. In these situations, I use my two Profoto B10 flashes, which also have a very useful LED function. Many photographers stop shooting when the light is "gone" and the shutter speed and ISO-value are stretched. Sometimes the best light can be quite late in the evening when it is "too dark" for normal photography. In these situations, I use my two Profoto B10 flashes, which also have a very usable LED-function. The whole idea with this flash setup is to provide sharper images and brighten up in the plumage of the bird, but not too strong flash output so it is obvious that I’ve used flash.
The use of LED-lamp is very useful to help the AF-system tracking moving subjects when it is dark. The first image below has a slight touch of flash to make a moving subject, photographed at 1/50 second, sharper than if I didn’t use the flash.
The goal of using flash is to brighten the bird’s plumage and create sharper images without making it obvious that flash was used. The LED light is particularly helpful for assisting the autofocus system in tracking moving subjects in low light. For example, in the first image below, I used a subtle flash to sharpen a moving subject photographed at 1/50 second. In the second image, taken late in the evening, the autofocus system was pushed to its limits. I sometimes had to assist with manual focusing, which is difficult with moving subjects. The shutter speed was as low as 0.4 seconds, resulting in some motion blur, but the flash froze the moment at the end of the exposure.
While many of these low-light images end up in the "trash box," it’s exciting when something works out. Pushing the boundaries of "normal" photography is important for my creativity and often leads to new techniques I can use in future situations.
Using Flash for Creative Wildlife Photography
SONY A1, 200-600mm (at 600mm), f/6.3, 1/50 sec, ISO 2000
