Wildlife photos are hard to pull off. To get shots that really resonate with people you have to be able to get close, if not in proximity, then at least with a long enough focal length.
While these ducks are technically considered to be wildlife, I think it would be fair to say they are as close to domesticated as it gets without someone actually taking them home. While they tolerate us humans who ruin their health with bread crumbs, I wouldn't call them friendly.
This male was having nothing to do with this female who was getting very close to his supply of bread. While I think his behavior is deplorable, I am a bit in debt to him for helping me fulfill this assignment, one for which I didn't have any other ideas for.
On Taking Assignments
I frequently listen to the On Taking Pictures (OTP) podcast, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for good conversation about creativity, especially as it related to photography. In January 2014 the hosts, Bill Wadman and Jeffery Saddoris, began a new segment of weekly assignments that they gave to listeners. Results of the assignments are posted on the OTP Google Plus group. I decided that I would commit myself to the assignments for a year without interruption, and that I would complete each one before the next assignment was announced on the show each Tuesday morning. My 'On Taking Assignments' blog posts are the culmination of my year-long focus on these assignments.