The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
An almost live look into my backyard since I took this about an hour ago. While sitting on the couch with coffee, I noticed a ton of bird activity out back. In addition to various fly catchers, robins and a surprise pair of ravens, we had these guys - Wood ducks!
It’s that time of year when they fly madly through the woods looking for nesting sites. We have one hollowed out tree that is in hot contention every year and because those leaves grow in fully, we never know who wins. Some years it’s squirrels, but Hooded Mergansers also give it a try. I’ve even seen Pileated woodpeckers check it out which is natural seeing as they probably carved out the cavity in the first place. Anyway, we’ve added a wooden nesting box that I built last year and so far I’ve noticed what I think is a Hoodie checking it out. So maybe we’ll have some bouncing baby ducks before long.
Specific Feedback
I did my best to get both of them sharp and with good poses. Also wanted to show the environment more than just a bird portrait. Thoughts?
Technical Details
Handheld out the 2nd floor window (with it open)
Lr for color boost and the usual S-curve for contrast and taming highlights. A bit of a crop, but not that much. Used a mask to bring up the exposure on his face a bit. Ran it through Topaz Sharpen on OOF very blurry with more blur removed to make sure it got all the noise, which I think it did.
Another HO-LEE-COW!! And another duck in a tree shot – who knew? This is seriously wonderful, with a dreamy, enchanting setting and both ducks in focus! The near OOF leaves are wonderful and add a lot to the image. And the perfect blind to watch them from. Hoping to see babies soon!!
(Our neighbor has a pair of Mallards hanging out in their pool. We’re both hoping for babies too.)
Hi Kris, Nice to get both birds sharp and their heads clear of the branches. Looks like they are called wood ducks for a reason. Interesting to see them in this habitat which is part of their natural behavior. Nice capture!
Fantastic capture, Kris. Lucky you to have these beautiful ducks right in your backyard! Sharpness of the birds looks spot on for me and the setting is to die for! Great shot.
Thanks @Diane_Miller, @Allen_Sparks & @linda_mellor - It’s amazing I got anything since it was 7 am and still not bright out due to heavy clouds. Still, they were so gorgeous and RIGHT THERE so I had to try. Really pushed the ISO but had a good exposure and Topaz made it useable. Glad the rather large framing element of the tree branches works. I’m glad we have baby leaves now instead of bare branches of just a week ago. Funny, it never occurred to me why they were called Wood Ducks until you commented about it, Allen. Spot on!
Thanks @Jim_Zablotny - very lucky they were there now before the leaves got any bigger. You can practically hear them growing! Pretty soon a lot of perches will be hidden. But then again, they only flap around in the trees for a few days until they find a suitable nest location.
I love this image, Kris. An excellent composition and all that out of focus foreground greenery with a window for the ducks, both of which are in good focus, really works. Definitely a winner from my point of view.
Gorgeous composition of these two house hunting Wood Ducks, Kris!
Wood Ducks, yeah, I didn’t immediately put the name together with them actually perching on tree branches. Learn something new every day, right!
Not sure how it fits with your vision but to me it feels like a crop from the right and top using the same aspect ratio would strengthen this by shifting more attention on the ducks. Crop to the point where only about 1/4 of the tree trunk on the right is visible?
Just a thought really, it does work very well as presented!
Thanks @Robena.Sirett, @Dennis_Plank & @Merv - right place at the right time for sure. They are a beautiful pair. I thought about cropping the tree more, but I like it. It’s unusual to see them in such dense surroundings. Plus I really like the end of the branch and the leaves with different focus values. For me it completes the frame for them. Pretty much the best photo of Woodies I’ve ever taken.
Thanks @Allen_Brooks - they posed for me so well and I was happy to have noticed them as they flapped about in the trees. Crazy things. I think a female was flying around the other day, trying to lure the little ones out of the nest, but it was dinner time and I didn’t go out to investigate, just noticed her flying through the back.
