Not a Ring-billed Gull

[Jim Keener]

This one's for fun, though C&C would be entirely appropriate and appreciated.

There is a small lake, Lake Fulmor, near where I lived in Idyllwild, California on Mount San Jacinto. About 110 miles east of Los Angeles. When I lived in the area, I would visit the lake perhaps four days a week for a walk and possible bird and landscape shots. An advantage of the regular visits was that I got to see the life cycle of two families of Mallards, from mating behavior through the first flyoffs by the young.

The lake is small and attracts tourists who sometimes feed the birds. That's why this fellow closely approached the deck where I stood.

There is a prize: Two attaboys to the first who writes the reason I posted this image.



ORIGINAL


Canon 1DX, 70-200mm f/2.8, 2X TE. FL: 400mm
Yes, I was prepared for BIF: 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 12800! The bird was in the shadow of the deck.
AI Servo, Single point expanded, Eval metering.
LR: increased (light) shadows, whites. Decreased highlights and blacks. Increased clarity. Increased green and yellow saturation. Highlighted area around his eye.
PS: Smart sharpening.

Thanks for viewing.

[Jim Keener]

Funny. As soon as I posted, I slapped my forehead and said to myself, "More at the bottom; less on top!" I'll work on that when I've had a few comments.

[keith mitchell]

Jim my eyes are not what they used to be but do I see a little scene in the reflection on the ducks breast? will wait for other comments before making a fool of myself.

Keith.

[Jim Keener]

I see a little scene in the reflection on the ducks breast?

Attaboy! Attaboy! It's the world's first selfie made with a duck. I didn't know until I was working on this in LR that I was reflected off the duck's breast.

[keith mitchell]

Jim it just shows the state of my eyes I thought it looked like two riders on a cowboy scene.

Keith.

[Glennie Passier]

Ha! That's pretty funny. I can sometimes see myself in the eyes of ducks!

Keep them coming Jim!

[Jim Keener]

Ah, but Glennie, I'm keeping abreast of things.

[Diane Miller]

That reflection is amazing! I was going to guess you posted it because you finally got close to a bird! But I see it's an older image.

Definitely more at the bottom and less on top. The water is very detailed but the duck is a bit soft -- more in contrast than focus. You might do a soft-edged quick mask painting the head and body (loosely, staying "inside the lines") and do a curves to increase contrast a bit. But I'd probably leave the reflection alone -- it is well-defined enough.

[Warren Spreng]

That reflection is amazing! Looks like a video screen on the duck's breast!