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Pacific Black Duck II or III or maybe IV
The days are getting shorter and my time down the waterhole is getting shorter, and darker. The wind was dreadful and the "most of the time" soft water was being whipped up. Late afternoon with most of the light gone. I'm not sure how this works for most folk.
In ACR - Exposure to the left -1.2 and shadows to the right +60 A little clarity and vibrance added.
In PSCS6 - Blur on BG to try to even out a bit. Added canvas to the RHS. NR on BG. A little dodge and burn. Cropped and smart sharped for posting. I'm thinking now, perhaps a bit more off the RHS?
Canon 5D2
Sigma 150-600mm @ 524mm
ISO 1000
1/400 f6.3
Evaluative metering
Tripod
C&C Always welcomed and appreciated!
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Hi Glennie! I know you have this local watering-hole where you get lots of opportunities for great shots like this. In this particular one, I wondered where the blue highlights are coming from (in the splash underneath the duck), they seem a bit strong and for me distract a bit. I went back and looked at some of your other PBD photos and the blues are not as apparent in the water. The green on the flank feels a little painted, maybe the same thing that is boosting the blue is boosting the green?
Anyway, you PS skills are so far above mine. When I look a the original you provided and where you took the edited version, I can see what went into improving the pic. Job well done!
Well, remember, I'm a real newb and others may say the colors do not bother them at all. Take my comments with a grain of salt. Do you post at all in Avian forum? Seems like your skill level is about there .... :)
AP
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Beautiful bird, Glennie! I think the bird itself is spot on but I am not a fan of the OOF in the lower frame. It is holding me back from going into the picture. Maybe it's because the transition to the in-focus part of the water is rather abrupt. What do you think of brushing the blur off a little bit using a soft big brush?
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Wonderful, and very nice job of adding canvas! Vibrance is bringing up the blues and greens; just go into HSL to back off the blues.
I'd try just a little higher exposure -- it seems just a bit dark. Agree with Adhika on the OOF FG. Worth a try.
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Andrew - Thank you for your comments. Yes. I think I might have pushed the vibrance a bit too far. Good pick up! The green in the wing is actually not as green as it could be. So I'll endeavour to keep that. Andrew, I've really only been at this craft of bird imagery since late last year. No. Not ready for the Avian forum. Stick with this forum and you will learn so much. Diane is the "Grasshopper" and she sees all!
Adhika - Thank you. I greatly appreciate your comments. You are seeing so much that I am not.
Diane - I'll try a repost a bit later. With yours, and others, suggestions. Thank you.
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BPN Member
Love the "moody" BG and beautiful detail on the birds. Agree the OOF foreground is a bit abrupt.... all in all, a lovely image. (and, BTW.... I've seen a couple of your images in Avian.... STUNNING! 
)
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Thanks Sandy. I've put two images in the Avian forum for the "theme"...and they have been kind.
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Glennie: I like the re-post with the toned-down blues. As I gaze at the picture more, the only nit (and it's truly a nit) for me has to do with the foreground. Do you feel like there is a lean from right to left? Not the bird -- it is fine. Just the water. Or like the water is higher in the FG lower right vs lower left? There is this one dark ripple line in the lower left that I think is giving me that sensation.
Look, that is a minor, minor thing, maybe even not worth messing with. Your picture and framing are really well done.
I hope that my skill levels with post-edits will start approaching yours someday. Of course by that time, yours may be approaching Diane's. 
AP
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Ahhh! Well spotted Andrew. You have a good eye for detail. It may be a minor thing, but all these minor things make me look more at what I am trying to achieve. I do know that this craft is subjective, and folk see with different eyes. What is pleasing to someone will be not so pleasing to others.
Back to the ripples. The wind was blowing strongly whipping up the tiny waves, but that's a good excuse. I think the problem has arisen out of the adding of canvas to the RHS. I've borrowed content from another spot, and it has not quite matched. I think the problem could be fixed by toning down the darker ripples. I think I could do better.
Thank you for a most observant and kind critique!
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Beautiful details in the duck, I like the changes in the RP, I might crop a little more from the bottom but that's a minor nit.
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Found a minute to pop in here -- this is very nice!! Great pose -- it looks proud to be photographed. Good suggestion to remove a little from the bottom. I'd consider doing some partial opacity cloning on that brighter ripple coming in from the LL.
Nice work!
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Post a Thank You. - 1 Thanks
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On thinking about removing a slice from the bottom; I was concerned about the reflection. It's not much of a reflection, but I didn't want to crowd it?
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I agree -- I hate to cut into reflections. Try reducing the contrast there, with an actual contrast adjustment or partial opacity cloning.
