Red breasted merganser (male)

[Jonathan Ashton]

Tripod, Canon 7D Canon 1.4TC mk 1, AV mode ISO 800 +2.0, 1/500 sec f6.3
Well I finally got a day without continual rain, just a few scatted snow showers but the light was very overcast, . .
All C&C welcome.

[Randy Stout]

JON:


You have to love the wild hairdo!

The soft light does help with the wide dynamic range these fellows present.

Because of the shape of the bird and the fact that the water isn't terribly dynamic/colorful, I would be tempted to go a bit more panoish on the crop.

Cheers

Randy

[Sandy Witvoet]

That is certainly the epitome of a "bad Crest Day!". Image surely makes me smile... and then some. I think a pano might be cool too.

[gail bisson]

Very nice shot.
I like the little boot of the foot that is visible under the water.
As Randy says the flat light helps with these guys.
I wish you had been able to get a bit lower but appreciate this may not have been possible.
What makes this shot is the hairdo!
I like the comp as is,
Gail

[Karl Egressy]

It is always a treat to see a picture of this Merganser species, Jonathan. Love the high key presentation, the hairdo and the HA.

[Lorant Voros]

Beautiful bird and nice image, Jon. I would also go with the pano crop as suggested above. I like the water drops on the head. You did well in these lighting conditions .

[Raymond Lee]

Great shot! The overcast light sure allows you to expose both the blacks and whites very well. I like the framing the way it is.

[arash_hazeghi]

very nice, I agree with Randy re crop. I would make the bird larger in the frame as the water is a bit dull. I'm not seeing detail in the blacks. water drops are a nice addition and the HA is good too.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thank you very much for your comments everyone, much appreciated. I attach a repost after considering your constructive comments:

[Satish Ranadive]

Jonathan:
Excellent image.Every thing is just perfect.Great composition in re post.
Love the hair do and red eye.

Regards,
Satish.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Jon, gotta love that hairdo, and I really like how the red bill and red eye stand out against the lighter water BG. The different colours on this fellow must have been tricky to expose, but I feel you have done well. Your repost looks good. Have you tried a version with toning down the water.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hi Jon, gotta love that hairdo, and I really like how the red bill and red eye stand out against the lighter water BG. The different colours on this fellow must have been tricky to expose, but I feel you have done well. Your repost looks good. Have you tried a version with toning down the water.

I think you are on to something Stu - like this?

[Daniel Cadieux]

The last repost does the trick for me - the white on the wing pops nicely against the darker water.. As others I love the hairdo! Only thing I notice here is that the white on the neck matches the white on the wing...but not on the last repost - I'd bring that back up.

[David Salem]

The last version is the best IMO and The water looks better. Love the hairdo, water beads on the face and the colors of the duck. Well done