Mr. Woody - getting fired up for the fall season

[Randy Stout]

This proud fellow was taken two years ago in Cleveland. I had not processed it before. Fall for me means wood ducks!

D700 500mm f/4 1.4 TC 1/2000 Aperture priority -1 f/6.3 SB800 Better Beamer -2.00

Post: CS5 selective sharpening, minor rotation, 20% crop

Advice and comments always appreciated.

Cheers

Randy

[Morkel Erasmus]

Just gotta love the light, pose and colours here Randy! I always enjoy seeing these beautiful ducks in images. :bg3:

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Randy, loved this one. perfect wing position and bird angle...not easy combination to nail in wing flaps. light is great. I liked the size and placement of the subject as well.

[Nancy A Elwood]

Just lovely Randy! I have yet to get Woodies. Like the pose and the BG colors, very complimentary.

[Gary Esman]

Hi Mr. Stout, nice wing flap here, loving that purple patch. Exposure looks awesome. He is a beauty.

Thanks for sharing, fall is surely on its way we have a lot of geese flying over. Thanks, Gary.

[Arthur Morris]

Nice pose. Nice soft light. In soft light I always add 60-90 points of cyan to the REDs to tone them down

[Karl Egressy]

Nice pose and nice soft light. My Wood Duck season is usually Spring.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Your image does this beauty justice. Love those colors and the pose.

[Randy Stout]

Thanks everyone for the comments and input. Much appreciated.

Artie - good reminder about the cyan. The eyes on these guys often come off too bright, almost as if the red channel is 'blooming' for want of a better term, and your cyan tip really does help tone that effect down. I tried it on another woody that I will post soon, and liked the result. Thanks!

Cheers

Randy

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks everyone for the comments and input. Much appreciated.

Artie - good reminder about the cyan. The eyes on these guys often come off too bright, almost as if the red channel is 'blooming' for want of a better term, and your cyan tip really does help tone that effect down. I tried it on another woody that I will post soon, and liked the result. Thanks!

Cheers

Randy

You are most welcome. You gotta be careful when handling Mr. Woody.

[Herb Houghton]

Nice comp Randy, I like the outstretched wing and soft light. The BGD colors are nice too.

[Jim Crosswell]

Great image Randy! I like the composition, pose, action and lighting.

[noelle zaleski]

Love the pose Randy, along with a gorgeous BG. I keep going back and forth wondering if you should tone down the whites on his neck a bit.

I have been chasing a few juveniles around my lake but they have not let me get close enough yet. :S3: