I went to our local Wood Duck pond last Wednesday and didn’t have much luck with portraits, but this pair spent some time grooming one another on a hillock some distance away. Last year’s lily pads make for a bit of an ugly foreground, but I tried to minimize the effect.
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
I like the action , though I would have preferred that the female’s bill was more visible in the second to show the action better. I used different processing on the two images particularly for the foreground and the grassy hillock, so I’d particularly like feedback on which of the two works better to minimize the distractions. I’d also appreciate input on which of the two crops you prefer.
Technical Details
Sony A1, FE 200-600 + 1.4 TC @ 840 mm, balanced on rail of viewing platform, f/9 1/1600, iso 3200, manual exposure. Processed in LR & PS CC. The first is cropped to 5641x3852, the second to 4494x3132. Taken March 22nd in the shade.
These are awesome, Dennis. Love the interaction. I have a similar interaction shot from earlier this month. Looks like breeding season is in full swing. I think I like the second one best. From a processing perspective, I like the second one better too…just my opinion though. Both are terrific.
Great photos. I love the second one…great interaction, funny hairdo, brighter birds, great crop. (Though I wouldn’t mind equal balance on the left and right either). Tells a great story!
I vote for the second as well. It cuts to the heart of the scene without the highlight across the water on the bottom. While the contrast is better in that shot, I wonder if you could pull the blacks down a bit. It’s also a bit noisier than I’d expect from an A1, but it is reminiscent of film.
Aside from that, I love the pair bonding ritual going on here. Something we don’t see often. The yellow around her eye is a nice touch, too. Not many photos of lady wood ducks since he is so flashy. For a bit of subtle manipulation, you could mask the birds and increase their saturation and exposure just a bit, to help them stand out more from the surroundings.
Oh, I like these, Dennis. I think the second is my choice as well. I can see better what the female duck is doing to the male. I didn’t realize that they did this. I’m not bothered by the old lily pads, it is a part of the environment. They are beautiful.
Very cute interaction that you were able to witness and capture beautifully. I’ll have to be contrary from the rest of the crowd and say I really like the top one the best. I love seeing their environment and it also just seems more natural, us the outsiders peeking into this sweet, tender private moment between this cute duck couple. Well done!
Hi Dennis
Very nice inter action between the WoodDucks. Both are sharp and have great coloring. I spent more time than one should on trying to figure out what was crawling out of the center Lilly-pad, so I guess I would go with the second post.
Peter
I also prefer the second image. I love the first as well but that leaf in the LRC keeps pulling my eye and so does the leaves in the LLC (up about 15% from the bottom of the frame) although the male appears to be very content in the first image. In the second image the male appears to be angry (I know he’s not but he looks upset). I like the tighter crop in the second version as well. The only thing I find distracting in the second image is the bright water poking in along the LLC. If you tame that down, you have a really superb image Dennis!
