During my birdtography adventure last week, I came across a pair of American black ducks swimming in a pool of water near the road. I used my car as a blind so not to scare them away. (for more on photographing from blinds, check out my birdtography column in the March/April 2025 issue of BWD Magazine). The male duck swam out into open water, allowing me to capture some well-lit images. Meanwhile, the female stayed back in a brushy area where I was unable to photograph her.
As the two ducks swam around very slowly, I realized I could have easily used a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second or even slower to capture satisfactory images. However, anticipating some action, I opted for a faster shutter speed of 1/3200 of a second. I wanted to be prepared in case the ducks took flight, as I believed that 1/1000 of a second would not be fast enough to secure a sharp image of a duck in flight. Had I used a slower shutter speed when they took off, I would have struggled to adjust the shutter speed in time, resulting in nothing more than a fleeting glimpse of their rear view as they soared into the sky. As they flew away, I captured several sharp images of the female in flight using a fast shutter speed.
Whenever you anticipate action, be prepared to capture it.
See high-res images on my Flickr site:
Birdtography 
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