Good time to practice

[Gary Esman]

Hello, not a great time of year here in Michigan to get awesome shots but practicing on Mallards can be fun. This was shot last Saturday. It seemed a little to cold out for the birds and many were just not moving, except him. I would wish for a little better light angle to get the gorgeous green glow. Appreciate you looking and let me know what you think. Yes Randy iso 200.

7D, 1/4000, iso:200, 500mm, HH.


Gary.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Absolutely brilliant,the colours are amazing and the detail is excellent. The pose couldn't be much better either! My only suggestion would be to try to get a little more brightness and detail in the green plumage - Shadows in ACR would fix that no problem.

[Dennis Zaebst]

Agree with Jonathon's assessment. The shadows slider in LR is equivalent if you have that software. You might try the adjustment brush on just the shadowed green areas and adjust the shadows there only. Other than that, this is a terrific shot. Very well done!

[David Salem]

Very nice capture of this Drake Mallard. Exposure is perfect and very nice details. Drakes are funny to shoot. You can shoot a flight sequence of say 5 or 6 shots,all in good light,and maybe one with the head turned an inch further, will light up with that green iridescence.
Well done

[Karl Egressy]

Very nice flight shot, Gary. The bird is well lit as you mentioned with the exception of the head. The background couln't be any better. The bird well positioned in the frame.

[Randy Stout]

Gary:

Great colors here, on bird and bg. Excellent angle in the frame. I like the basic comp, fits the pose well. Sharp, well exposed.

In a perfect world, would prefer the near wing to be a bit more open, to show it better, but image has lots of impact.

Worth tinkering on the green head for sure.

Cheers

Randy:

PS: Almost makes me wish I hadn't gone skiing!

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the exposure, details, sharpness and BG. Great close up Gary!

[Frank Schauf]

Great light and flight pose.

[Uri First]

excellent flight capture with super details.

[Mike Veltri]

Real nice Gary, too bad you did not get the head lit up like you wanted.
It's just another reason to go back out and try again.

[Travis Reid]

Very nice..