Greetings, finer people, here is a ladyfriend american wigeon. I took this picture about a month ago with the Canon 7D and 70-300L, but i just found it now. When I saw it, I thought: "Yikes! I don't remember taking this!" There are things I like about this one; there are things I don't. I'll welcome your thoughts and ideas, that's for sure. Here are some technical specifics: 300mm. iso320, 1/800, f9. What we have here is roughly 90% of the original capture. Many thanks for taking the time to look at this picture. Wigeons used to be called baldpates, but that's more applicable to the drake, I suppose...
Never heard of a Wigeon before ?...but nice sharp image in good light, and nice clear eye...cant really see anything to nit pic about ...and now I know what a Wigeon is hehehe
Exposure very good, sharp, nice low angle, like the grass on bill.
Slightly too centered horizontally for my taste, if the missing 10% has any on the right, would add it back in. Short grass isn't my favorite bg, but the distant bg has enough texture to help. I would however consider burning in that background just a little.
Thanks for the comments, folks. Ah! If there was room on the right, I'd add it, I assure you. As for the background, it's already been burned in a bit, but maybe you're right...a little more could help. Phil: wigeons are great! A most loveable species indeed. Once in a great while a European wigeon will wander over to my parts, but generally it's just the Americanos...
Thanks Grace. The light is my problem here too. And as some kook in a park told me on one of my first photography days: "Light is photography and photography is light. Don't you understand?" He also told me all about the "frame of life" but when I asked him to show me his pictures so that I might learn from a hotshot, he became timid. Like a jerk I pressed on and eventually he showed me some files on his LCD. Never before or since have I seen worse focus, exposure, composition, color. It was a surreal experience; I learned soon that he wasn't right in the noodle. He had problems I don't yet have. I still feel guilty. But I digress! A strong light like this does have its virtues, that's for sure, but it's not beautiful and it's not subtle and it's not soft and it's certainly not special. Problems ahoy! Many thanks for the compliment RE those tern pictures. I shall not post a picture again until I have something worthy of you, Madame Scalzo! No jokes, lady! I'm going back to my drawing board! I'd use an emoticon here but I haven't the confidence. Only know that I am smiling!
Jack, Your writing is special...I smile every time I read your prose. 99% of the time, I find those who approach us in the field with all their words of wisdom don't have a clue. I've become a light-snob, seeing the effects of good light on an image. There is just no substitute. But don't stop posting on my account...I'm in the same boat as you and learn something from each and every picture that I view here and post that I read. Again, do so love your terns!
Hi Jack, good low perspective, with lovely colours and detail captured, especially on the head. Im fine with the grass, but would try and selectively run the blur tool over the distant BG ( to 'smoothen' it out a touch more ) and would add to the right as Randy suggessted, and take a bit off the top.
Thanks Stuart...blurring is something I must learn more about. In many instances I feel this would be just the ticket, and I think your advice is excellent in this case. Many thanks! I have other images from this series that I took at f5.6 and the background gets nicely blurred in those cases...
American Wigeon, with me on the lawn
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