Blue-winged Teal

[Bill Dix]

From Ding Darling in January. There wasn't much going on at Ding this day, except for a flock of teal cavorting in a shaded pool. Managed to catch this guy in a sunny patch. Topography here kept me from getting any lower. I liked the emerald water. C&C always appreciated.

D7000, 500f4 + 1.4, ISO 800, 1/1600s @ f/7.1 manual, tripod.

[Michael Rominger Jr]

Love this image Bill! Love the water and reflection as well. I also like the foliage in the water as at least to me it adds to the feel of the environment. Nice and sharp. The white on the face is a little hot and personally I feel the exposure on the body could be toned down a little as well. Would be a wall hanger for me though! TFS!

[Daniel Cadieux]

Man, this does not look like a Florida photo at all...at least not the ones we see posted on the web! Nice greens in the water, but perhaps a bit too many debris for me. The image does seem to be contrast heavy too IMO.

[Bill Dix]

Thanks guys.

Michael, the whites on the face are in the 230's, maybe a few spots pushing 240. I did tone down the brights on the flank, but maybe not quite enough.

Daniel, I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I can assure you it was in Florida. It is indeed very contrasty; Florida sun gets pretty strong by 9:00 AM. I haven't tried lowering the contrast in CS5, but maybe it would help.