Mallard closeup

[James Littlejohn]

Canon 7D + 100-400L @ 400mm
1/500, f/5.6, ISO 800
No crop

I think this came out pretty well. I think it might have been better if the closest feathers were more in focus. It wasn't really possible to use a smaller aperture, though. I needed 1/500 because she was moving a lot and I really try to avoid shooting over ISO 800. Maybe I could have backed off the zoom a bit and cropped in post for slightly more dof.
I like how the other feathers fill the space in the top right of the frame.
Comments and criticisms welcome.
Thanks
James

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2771/4151873700_9ecc5b2bc4_o.jpg

[Bryan Hix]

James I like it very much. Great detail and although not as flamboyant as her male counterpart, still beautiful. I think there needs to be more space up top and I might show the entire second feather from the top right that is cut off (very minor). Also, I would be curious to see what the eye would look like a little brighter. Nice job!

[Harshad Barve]

This is amazing shot , lovely details and bang on exposure
TFS

[Danny J Brown]

Hey James - As Bryan says, this image really shows the beauty of the hen mallard. A nice pose here and the eye is just beautiful. Man, you reallly nailed the beak as well. Definitely a little tight upstairs though but still a compelling image.

[Kiran Poonacha]

loved this, nice details, lovely pose and colours here.. congrats..

[Mark Theriot]

As mentioned - a little more head room would be nice. Great shot though - including the back ground.

Mark

[Jim Crosswell]

Great detail and sharpness in this image James! I would like to see a little room up top as well.