Why does this image not work?

[gail bisson]

Canon 7D
100-400mm at 235mm
SS 1/320F 7.1
Cropped by 15%
I can't figure out what is wrong with this. The birds are ok, the water rippling is nice but the image is flat. What is wrong. I couldn't get any lower as there was a wall between me and the ducks.
Your advice is greatly appreciated

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Gail, the main things that come to my mind are the shooting angle and the lack of separation between the two ducks. I understand that you couldn't get lower, but when you shoot at an angle like this the water tends to overwhelm the birds due to the perspective. When there is more than one bird in a shot, we typically like to see some separation between them. This shot would work well with just the female in it. The angle of the male is a bit unsettling to the eye and since he is so much more colorful your eye is drawn to him. Also, the reflection of the female is a little too "Picasso-esque" and also draws the eye away from the subjects. My last thought (aren't you glad? :c3:) is that the color of the water is so close to that of the female that she gets even more lost in the overall image. IMO, cropping away that reflection from the bottom would help this image a lot.

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Gail,

Greetings. The lighting is such that there is no visual cue for depth in the water.

A slightly darkened foreground might help. This may work for you (or not)...

94219

Just a quick black to white gradient layer with opacity adjusted to taste, masked birds.

A thought...

Cheers,

-Michael-

[dankearl]

I just think they need a bit of separation.
Nothing wrong with the photo, though, sharp and nice colors.

[gail bisson]

Thank you all for your input!Thanks for taking the time to play with the image Michael.It does look better.
Gail