This image of a Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) was captured on 12-Jul-08 at Duke Gardens in Durham North Carolina. It was 8:45 AM on a sunny morning. The birds there are wild but very habituated to people. If you bring along a little cracked corn or bread, you will have friends for life. I tossed the corn close, as I wanted to try to capture some head images. I got several pictures I liked but I especially liked the colors and textures of this subject.
Does this work as a head/portrait for you?
As always thanks for taking the time to look and special thanks for any comments/critiques.
just to let you know, ALL muscovies are habituated to humans/people. they are rats with wings. sorry, i dont like these birds, but you did a wonderful job of getting a portrait of one of these scavengers. i might only suggest toning down the whites on the top of the head. maybe just a tad hot, but not much!! nice job!
awesome detail! For such an imposing duck, I would like a bit more canvas. It's a bit too much "in your face" for me. But that is just a personal preference.
What great details in the face! Looks good to me! Maybe try adding a little room to the right, and also try working on the eye ... would really make it come alive! I do like the eye contact.
Thanks all for the comments! I adjusted the whites some in Shadows/Highlights. I added about an inch of canvas in front of the bird, I also tried working on the eye as suggested. I lighten the eye a bit, cloned out some of the reflections, and re-sharpened. Does any of this help?
Phil
PS, I hope everyone realizes that the latin name included in the original post was in jest. :)
Last edited by Phil Ertel; 07-14-2008 at 09:02 PM.
You guys are getting so good !!!! Proud of you great suggestions
Phil I'm a big fan of these ducks and can't wait to get home to post one of mine !!! They have character and are sweet !! ....... need to convince Harold on the ways of these fine avian beauties !!!
I lke the head angle and strong eye contact All very sharp and well exposed You might want to clone the little white specs on his face. If the bg is no problem (far away) do stop down for these portraits. I like it a lot !!!!
Muscovy Duck Portrait
