Juvie Bufflehead gives me a second look

[Jay Ing]

Liked how this little fella passed me by but still gave me the eye. Whites on his face are so hard to keep down while keeping light in the rest of the frame. Suggestions?

Details: D850 (new camera... yeah), Sigma 500/4 with 1.4 TC, 1/3200, ISO 560, 5.6, EC -1.00, HH, C1P and PS CCC with Neat Image on NR (background only), jpeg SSharp

[gail bisson]

Love the colors in the water and the comp you chose that includes the water trail.
With regards to the whites- if I have a bird with a VERY small amount of white I do not worry too much about blowing the whites eg. the white on a female harrier's rump but if there is white on the face (where everyone's eye goes to first) I am more careful and expose correctly for the whites ( a few tiny blinkies are OK) and bring up the rest in PP.
I try to avoid photographing high dynamic range birds ( black and white or lots of white) in strong light and actively seek such birds out on high overcast days.
Gail

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the water color, HA and composition. Good advice by Gail regarding exposure. Nice image Jay and congratulations on the new camera.