Ruddy Duck

[Mike Milicia]

EOS-1D Mk IV, 500mm f/4 + 1.4xII, 1/2500, f/8, ISO 400
About 60% of Full Frame

Photographed earlier this month at The Birding Center in Port Aransas, TX.

Looking forward to your comments and critiques!

[Joe Senzatimore]

low angle makes this one. The detail and color are beautiful. Exposure looks to be spot on as well. Might get rid of the one bright diagonal reed(?) in the URC.

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Mike, excellent choise of shooting angle...higher or lower...neither would have worked as well. excellent open-bill pose, dynamic range and colors. A mild round of USM on bird might improve it.

[DanWalters]

Like the slightly open bill and the reeds in the background. Really nice color as well.

[Doug Brown]

Like it as presented Mike! Great exposure, nice alert pose, and a low shooting angle.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Man, I'd love a chance at these awesome little ducks. I've seen them before, but never close enough for proper photography. I love the image, great low angle, exposure, and the habitat is just enough. I love the vibrating/bubbling water (mating or territorial behaviour?). I agree that diagonal reed in URC could go, as well as the smaller OOF spot at upper left edge, but all else looks great.

[RakeshDhareshwar]

Awesome angle and exposure . The bird looks lovely . Maybe , it is my monitor , but I agree with Kaustubh , that it can take one more round of sharpnening .

[Stan Cunningham]

Love the vibrating water.

[Ronan Donovan]

Great capture of one of my favorite ducks. These things are straight out of a cartoon when you see their mating display. They've always been skittish in my area and I can't get close.
Thanks for sharing,

-Ronan