Pretty Pair

[joel quenneville]

These wood ducks, photographed at a local marsh gave me quite a show. I took many pictures of this couple but this is my favourite because the heads are parallel and the more colorful male is in front.


1/800s
f/5.6
ISO 800
Nikon D300
Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 + 2x TC @ 600mm
+ 1 2/3 EV
Fill Flash at -2/3 EV

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Wonderful to capture Mr and Mrs together. Looks like the lighting was a little harsh. Like the poses and the eye contact with both as well as the low angle.. If you were photographing in raw you might be able to recover a little of the over exposed areas and also if the Fstop had been a little higher you would have captured more detail in the female. Many thanks for sharing Joel

[Keith Carver]

I like the pose of this couple. Even with your effective 600 mm focal length, you got remarkably close to these wood ducks, known for being skittish. With the full sun lighting, you might try reducing contrast just a bit. Also I agree with Judy that increasing dof would have given a sharper female. Having photographed many wood ducks, though, I appreciate what you've done here. Wonderful image, overall.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Nice mood and eye contact. I would crop a bit off top and bottom, sharpen the hen more and tone down the highlights.