Hubbard Park – Meriden, CT

Located about 20 minutes from me in Meriden is this wonderful park that is home to numerous waterfowl and other wildlife. I have been going there ever since I took up photography, mainly because it is one of those places that’s different every time you go and it seldom disappoints. This is where I go when I have the itch to take photos, but can’t think of anywhere to shoot. The park is great itself, but there is also a road and hiking trails that lead to a tower called Castle Craig, where you can climb the observation deck and peer out at Meriden and beyond.

All four seasons offer something new. The summer has a wide variety of birds, from gulls flying above to swans gracefully swimming past the fountains. The fall brings amazing color to the otherwise green surroundings, and during the holidays, the park transforms into a nighttime treat for both kids and adults alike in its “Festival of Silver Lights”. Then comes my favorite time of year at the park. Early spring brings in hundreds of mallard ducks and always me with my camera.

Duck Soup at Hubbard Park

On March 6th, 2011, I stopped for one of my usual photo fixes. A couple of young children were throwing bread in for the ducks to fight over and I hurried over to capture the action. I am proud of this image on its own, but a lot of Photoshop work went into it to get it this way, so I have a little extra appreciation for it.

I carefully removed all of the flying bread that was all over the scene. I also removed a couple of the green headed troublemakers that didn’t understand composition fully. Finally, I went into the normal adjustments of color, but with this image, it seemed to go on forever before I was pleased with it. Images like this one are why I get so behind in editing and have a backlog of some shoots going back to 2010.

I’ve created an album on the Facebook page so you can view the original photo. See for yourself.