Hello All,
Had a good opportunity with some buffleheads over the weekend. I’ve been dying to get a shot of them for years and finally got a chance.
Techs:
D850
500 f/4 AF-S II + 1.4x tc handheld
ISO 400
1/3200
f/7.1
In post, I cropped in a bit, leveled the image, sharpened the bird, bumped up the saturation a touch, and reduced noise on the background. All feedback welcome!
Always great to get a Bufflehead in the viewfinder. Details looks very good. Whether it is an illusion or not, the image looks like it needs CCW rotation by a few degrees. Could just be the position of the body in the water, but still makes it look like it needs it.
I took this image to PS to look at a couple of things. It feels muted. A slightly richer black point make a nice difference as does a a bit of an adjustment to the midtowns in a levels adjustment layer. Adding those things really makes the iridescence of the colors pop.
Excellent suggestions. I’ve struggled with how to level this one for about 30 minutes! Every time I move it from this position, everything feels off to me, even though I agree that it seems like it needs some CCW rotation. I did a levels adjustment on only the bird. It def helped. I’m curious, how do you like to set your black point or add some blacks? I think some people do it in selective color. I usually just do a levels adjustment.
I just use a Levels Adjustment Layer and look at where the deepest blacks are via the histogram. I don’t push it all the way to the edge of the values shown in the histogram.
I pushed the image just a touch more than you did. See if you think this is an improvement. Did a bit of luminance masking to help target specific areas. These are such beautiful birds…
I think the blacks on the back looks better, but specifically for my taste, the head look a little a bit too contrasty in the repost. Of course, I’m not a bufflehead expert. But I think there’s enough daylight between mine and yours that I could push a little further and land somewhere good in between. Thanks for taking the time and for the feedback.
This is a beautiful shot. I love the low perspective you get on many of your images (if I’m not mixing you up with someone else 
) You’re already working on the only nit I had on the image. Such a pretty duck!
Good shot and even better after some of the corrections have been made. The original is a little washed out but Keith is that a good job in preserving detail and color.
The original is a little washed out and the whites on the head lack detail. Love the low angle and you had just the right angle of light to display that wonderful iridescence. I find these are difficult birds to expose well.
Great low angle and beautiful water, Lyle. To my eye, the head looks a bit too bright, though the white on the side of the body looks fine. You got some great iridescence and the water drops pop nicely.
