Almost bath time ! -- Redhead Drake preening

[Randy Stout]

This nice redhead drake was preening at my local bird sanctuary in March this year as he migrated through.

D300 600VR 1.4 TC f/7.1 1/1600s ISO 640

Post: CS5, selective sharpening, removed extra reflection from eye, Color Efex pro for localized contrast adjustment, small crop from left and below.

I tried several different minor variations on the crop, as I had room on all sides to work with.

Advice and comments always appreciated.

Cheers

Randy

[Bill Dix]

Lighting and head turn catch the red head beautifully. Love the preening pose. Crop looks just right to me. Might consider a little more NR on the BG, but not essential to this fine shot.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Randy, I like the over the shoulder preening pose, and his HA shows off the red colour of the plumage very well. I do like the eye too. Overall, you have brought out the finer detail on the rest of the body nicely, and the droplets on the head are a nice touch. I agree, a little more NR on the BG wont harm the image.

[Sachin Saraf]

Wow...this is beautiful looking duck and you captured the preening pose nicely..nice low angle (though it does not look like super low) and beautifully exposed...

[Kaustubh Deshpande]

Randy, loved the light on the red head. pose is awesome and I like the comp. excellent details and low shooting angle. I would love to photograph this species. On the duck pond close to my house, there is one pair right now but it hangs out waaaay out of reach.

[Doug Brown]

Really nice preening pose with great eye contact. Exposure is spot-on, and I love the water droplets on the face.

[Karl Egressy]

Wonderful preening pose, great light and amazing details, Randy. No negatives at all.

[gail bisson]

I like the composition amd the IQ and the droplets. I find the yellow eye almost overpowering. The eye is drawn there and stays there so I would decrease brightness of the eye a bit,
Gail

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the red head, yellow eye and preening pose. Nice image Randy!

[Ofer Levy]

Very nice. Maybe a bit big in the frame. Eye looks funny - any manipulation done on it?

[Randy Stout]

Thanks everyone for the input and comments.

Ofer - as I mentioned in the OP, I did remove a diffuse reflection coming off the water which left the eye a bit indistinct. I also darkened the pupil slightly.

I thought that the pose allowed for slightly tighter framing than if he had been in a normal swimming pose.

Cheers

Randy

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

I like the tight frasme with maybe just a teeny bit more room. Nice light and pose. I like the water drops on the face

[Josh Clark]

Great preening pose you captured here Randy. I like the low angle as well. Something not easily done at that shooting location.