The pulchritudinous ring-necked duck, featuring some obnoxious highlights
Oh folks, my title is insincere...I'm more than fond of the nasty bright light speckles found here, although I believe some to all of you will take issue? Prove me wrong, if you dare! Moving on, this picture was taken the other evening with a Canon 7D and 400mm f5.6 lens! Here are the specifications: iso400, 1/1600, f5.6, and we are looking at approximately 82% of the original capture. Please share your thoughts with me soon! Thank you! I am in love with this duck, and was very lucky to spend a couple of good hours with him. A duck like this only feels fowlish indifference towards y.t. but I don't give a care!
Jack, I share your fondness for this duck. In SE Idaho we usually see them in numbers during the spring migration. It appears you were dealing with rather harsh light. The feather detail and bg are great. I find the featureless shadows to be more of an issue than the specular highlights. Did you try to open them up? I look forward to the comments of others relative to the highlights. For those who do not like them, how should they be managed?
Hi Gary, I did try to dodge those dark blacks, but didn't like the results. And again, I'm quite fond of the highlights, although I suppose burning them in a little bit wouldn't kill anyone?
Laurie, thanks also for writing in. Little highlights are a plus, yes!
I realLy dont find the small highlights to take much away from this one Jack, but could be easily removed if one wished maybe with the aid of the clone tool
Hi Jack,
I like the pose very much.
I would get rid of the huge highlight on the bill but am OK with the other highlights.
I would like to see the blacks opened up a bit. Did you try the shadows and highlights tool in CS?
I would also take a sliver off the bottom,
Gail
Thanks much Gail, I did not try the shadows & highlights in CS, but I may do that...I was using the dodge tool, but having no luck there...I'll give it a go...why not...all I have is time...