Long tailed duck -a study in blue

[gail bisson]

This is a pretty ordinary shot of a LTD but I love the blues and smoothness (is that a word?) of the water.
I left lots of room around the duck to show off all that blue.
Canon 1D MKIV
f 600mm II and 1.4X III
ISO 400
SS 1/2000
f 8.0
PP-crop, NR on BG,levels and DE on the blacks at 6% and USM to JPEG
Comments and critiques always appreciated and learned from with thanks,
Gail

[Randy Stout]

Gail:

I think it is a very well executed image, with nice display of the tail, nice head turn, intense blues. Good shooting angle.

The horizontal break behind the bird gives me the feeling that there is a giant wave bearing down on him!

I know you like the lovely blue, but I might trim a bit off the top. Personal taste.

Cheers

Randy

[PhilCook]

I always find these kind of images with the satin water lustre very appealing, especially when it's blue, this one no exception. Not so sure about the looming wave, but I do like very much the brighter water around the duck ...lovely lustre....and " smoothness " The Duck itself is nice and sharp right down to the tiny droplets on it's back...sweet shot Gail.

[Melissa Groo]

I think this is very pretty, Gail, with the smooth layers of the water, and it's refreshing to have some space around the bird. Great work overall, a really pleasing image.

[Robert Holguin]

I really love this shot.
Excellent placement of the duck in the fame, love the texture and color of the water.
Terrific pose and very nice light.
Very well done.

[Marina Scarr]

This image is magical, Gail. The only thing I would consider is an every-so-slight crop off the bottom where the blue is uneven (and I think I see a dust bunny over on the left bottom), and just a hair on the right if necessary to compensate. This is an extremely striking image!!!

[dankearl]

This is really nice, Gail.
That water behind looks like a huge break less wave and the duck has very nice light on it.
For perfection, I do see the sliver that Marina has mentioned.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Gail, I really like your image design, and great that you waited for this HA. The raised tail adds interest, and of course the different shades of blue work well in the overall image.

'smoothness' is a word. :w3

[Nick Palmieri]

Nice image of this beauty. I love the water and the reflection.

[gary ellwein]

Love the water. It could stand alone. The well executed duck is a bonus

[Karl Egressy]

Nice pose, HA and the bluness and the smoothness of the water compliment the Duc very nicely, Gail. We get this smoot water on the Great Lakes here about twice a year.

[vishaljadhav]

Nice image here, the duck is interesting,
The blue water and all around looks pleasing to the eye
nice one

[Dave Mills]

I normally would think there is too much room at the top BUT this image really works for me as is. Nicely done!

[Tim King]

I like the crop. It makes that swell behind the bird seam big, and it gives it interest. Fine job.

[arash_hazeghi]

this is very cool, I like the low angle and the wall of water behind the duck, it creates the impression that a giant wave is coming. The bird is a bit small in the frame for me, I would crop tighter

[Sidharth Kodikal]

I like this image a lot, Gail. The light is beautiful and the duck looks like he's floating on satin. HA and exposure are perfect and I like the comp too.

[Satish Ranadive]

Gail:
Very very sweet and pleasant image.

Regards,
Satish.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

I love this image as posted Gail. The colors are so beautiful and the movement of the water creates a very tranquil feel. I really like how the lower water is flat giving the appearance of an incoming wave above/behind the beautiful duck

[nick clayton]

I love the fact blue water occupies all the foreground and background of the image. The duck is nicely lit with a good head angle, there is nothing I can suggest to improve this perfect image Gail.