The whites look good to me. I think either a tighter crop (to get a head shot) or a looser crop (to get the whole body) would improve the comp. but that's just my opinion.
Really neat colours and iridescence!
TFS
This is one beautiful bird! The colors, eye contact and pose are all terrific! I agree with Alvin that it might be better to show the whole bird, or to move in closer, concentrating more on that beautiful head and breast.
To capture the whites better, it's good to underexpose a bit to preserve them. Although you haven't indicated the camera you used or its settings (and you really should do that for image critiques), you might try to set bracketing exposure compensation in cases where there are potential problems with the extreme white and black ends of the tonal range. Then you'll more likely capture the data you need to make a dynamite image!
But this still is very nice!
Last edited by Norm Dulak; 03-01-2011 at 09:57 AM.
Exposure looks ok on my screen. Head angle and open beak are terrific; iridescence is fabulous. Add my vote for a tighter crop around the beautiful head and breast.
Yes those whites among the darks can be a pain to expose, especially in strong light. The bill is especially notorious for getting blown. Always easier to photogrpah these subjects in early or late light, or during overcast conditions. You've done what you should here - that is exposing for the whites and letting the rest fall wherever it does. Some fill-flash can do wonders on the darks in a situation like this.
I dig the calling pose, and you've lots of details on the head. Good texture to the water. I like the cropping suggestions offered as this one seems to want to go either way, but not at its current crop.
Wood Duck Drake
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