Spot on Gadwall

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
1

Spot on Gadwall
Spot on Gadwall2560×1600 1010 KB

This male Gadwall duck swam under the overhanging foliage at the back of a tidal pond to take a nap where the eagles couldn’t see him. It was very dark back under the brush but at one point the morning sun broke through a hole in the cover and lit him up. I grabbed this shot and a few others while I had the opportunity.

Specific Feedback Requested

Normally I would have adjusted the curves to bring up some detail in the shadows but in this case I thought it would actually distract from the spotlighted duck so I left it the way it was. Opinions on that decision would be appreciated.

Technical Details

Sony a6000, SEL55210 @ 210mm (315mm w/crop factor), ISO-100, f/6.3, 1/800, hand held.

5 Likes
2

A nice image with a lovely reflection, but the composition feels imbalanced toward the top right quadrant.

Keeping the dark look was potentially a good idea but a look at the histogram confirms what my monitor shows – that the blacks are heavily crushed. On the monitor I see totally black areas with not enough smooth transition to lighter areas – posterization that is probably not from posting a JPEG.

Have a look at bringing up darks in the raw conversion so the histogram isn’t pushed against the wall. Balance that with low exposure and bring up Highlights/Whites as needed for the duck, and see what you get for comparison.