Incoming Mallard Deschutes River, Bend, Oregon

[gareth thomson]

Pentax K-5
Lens Model: PENTAX-DA* 300mm F4
Aperture Value: 4
Exposure Time: 1 / 1250
Focal Length: 300
ISO Speed Ratings: 400

Removed 2nd bird from background
Several adjustments: exposure, levels, curves, and saturation

Your C&C appreciated. I've learned a lot in the few weeks since joining the forum. Appreciate all the help everyone has offered. gt

[dankearl]

Very nice color and Bg.
it looks like a big crop and the wing position is not ideal.

[Satish Ranadive]

Beautiful image.Very nice colors and backdrop.I like the way bird pops up against BG.

Regards,
Satish.

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Gareth, very nice capture. I like the feathers on the back of the wings coming up. The image looks a bit noisy. I think a bit of selective sharpening on the head would go a long way. I would also consider adding some canvas on the left and bottom and removing some from the top.

[Marina Scarr]

Lovely image. The slight variation in comp suggestion by Miguel if you have the space would improve this image.

[Shawn Zierman]

The background on this one is pretty cool, almost like a zoom blur effect...
There are a few minor but noticeable pp marks, for example around the bill, and
around the toe of the exposed foot...I think re-visiting the crop/composition and
working with Miguel's suggestion, and maybe even a little looser, is worth considering.
Love the light quality, and imo, it's a pretty dynamic flight pose and angle of view on the
bird....but why not iso800 to get more shutter speed for the subject?

[gareth thomson]

Hi - thanks for all your advice. Here's a repost w/ a bit more on the left and bottom and some off the top --- except for the bit off the top, it was what I originally uploaded, then changed my mind when I saw the preview, and cropped tighter. The use of the low iso was unfortunate - beginner's blunder. I could have sharpened more, but I tend to shy away from over-sharpening, probably to the other extreme.

Thanks again everyone. Since joining the forum, I've become much more critical of my own images. Hopefully my skill behind the camera and in photoshop will catch up. =:•)

[Shawn Zierman]

The added space on the left and bottom are improvements.
It looks like you added more space on top on the repost and the suggestion was
to subtract space from the top....?