Cinnamon Teal

[Rick Furmanek]

Shot this pair yesterday afternoon at our Riparian Preserve.

Canon 30D
100-400mm L IS UM
Hand held
1/1250 @ f/5.6
AV
ISO 400
400mm

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Really like that you were able to capture the two together and the lighting is beautiful. My wish would be for a larger crop. More room at the bottom and to the right and a little less at the top. It is preferrable to have more room to the right to allow space for the ducks to move out of the frame. Also the reflections are a very nice bonus in this image.

[Fabs Forns]

Shot this pair yesterday afternoon at our Riparian Preserve.

I hope they are still alive :)
Just kidding, we are trying to get away from the word shot and use create, photograph, etc...

Great to find a cooperative pair, they look like dynamite together, and I echo Judy's comments about more room.
In my opinion, you could use some noise reduction on the background to improve an already looking image.
Thank yo for sharing it with us :)

[Maxis Gamez]

Very nice light and pose. I wish for a lower angle and more room. Horizontal would of work better.

[Arthur Morris]

I like the COMP, the framing, and the crop (if any). My wish is that the image were made in sweeter light. BTW, you handled the off-angled light well.

later and love, artie

[Glenn Bartley]

A very fine image. I like the vertical crop. Some selective noise removal on the BG, a bit of a boost in saturation and a bit more USM would help this image out I think.

[Neil Knapp]

Very cool image, Rick. Really nice capture on the pose, although it doesn't look like they were going anywhere:):):).

I agree about a bit of selective NR on the background. What I've found is that often the NR on the background softens the BG enough to make the subject "appear" sharper without actually sharpening the subject. This has been very useful for me in cases where there is enough noise present in the subject that further sharpening would make the noise objectionable.

___
Neil

[Rick Furmanek]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Here's what I've done to improve the image . . .

1. Noise reduction on the BG

2. Smart Sharpening on the birds/slightly on the reflection as well

3. Slight increase in saturation on the birds

I intentionally cropped it vertically because I wanted to incorporate the reflections since they came out so clear. I was looking for balance in the composition. After trying it several ways, this is what I liked best.

[James Shadle]

Rick,
Artie said you handled "the off-angled light well" IMO it was the slight head turn to their left that made that work so well.
I don't mind the tight crop so much. But on a tight vertical like this I would love to see the birds and refection dead center so that you had the same amount of room above their heads as you have below the bottom of the reflection.

The mirror like water really is a huge bonus.

James

Next time you make changes suggested by members, would you post the "after" in a reply so we can compare it to the "before" image?

[Rick Furmanek]

Artie said you handled "the off-angled light well" IMO it was the slight head turn to their left that made that work so well.

They were turned slightly as you mentioned. I walked back and forth and moved the shot up and down before I settled on this one. I liked the light and the symmetry of the birds and how well they reflected. I could have opted for a lower angle on this one, but the female would have been hidden a little more than I desired.

I don't mind the tight crop so much. But on a tight vertical like this I would love to see the birds and refection dead center so that you had the same amount of room above their heads as you have below the bottom of the reflection.

Will take than into consideration. Thanks. I tried it numerous ways before I settled on this one. The detail of the lighting was so good on the drake that I opted for the closer cropped version.

The mirror like water really is a huge bonus.

That's what stopped me in my tracks. I had been searching for a good shot of this species. I'm pleased with what I got.

Next time you make changes suggested by members, would you post the "after" in a reply so we can compare it to the "before" image?

Will do. Was trying to be aware of bandwidth with multiple photos on your site. Thanks so much for your feedback.

[Gus Cobos]

Very nice image, love the colors and subject placement. :D