Really lovely, Dan. Was the light flat and even? it looks perfect for this hard-to-expose for duck. Did you blur the background in your post processing?
Thanks, Grace.
Light was usual Oregon Overcast, I haven't shot under iso1000 for months!
I used Topaz NR on the BG.
I bought it to do star photos but am really liking it.
You can lay it on as heavy as you want, This may be too much?
It is a nice product for those of us who are always shooting in low light.
Good preening pose here and you got some really appealing colours surrounding the scaup. The eye looks great, as do the fine details on the head. As for the NR / blurring....it looks awesome on the BG but may be much for the FG (especially the reflection).
Thanks for the explanation, Dan. I read what Daniel said about the foreground and agree, it looks a bit unnatural. The details and color on that duck are stunning.