Ferruginous Duck

Gallery: AvianPosted January 22, 2015147 views8 comments

Geneva, Switzerland

D300s 300mm f2.8 G ED VR2 with 2TC series 3 attached
ISO 500 1/400 at f /10.0 EV 0.00 WB Manual Centre weighted average
Hand held
RAW file original 50% crop
Photoshop PS6

Ferruginous ducks are rare migrants to Switzerland during the winter months. This particular bird, as evidenced by the cyst behind the left eye, is spending its second winter here.

Your crits. and nits are most welcome.

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on January 22, 2015 at 10:49 AM

Nice pose and detail. I like the smoothness of the water with the reflecting clouds.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on January 22, 2015 at 10:54 AM

Lovely serene scene . Nicely presented.
JohnR

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by Keith Bauer on January 22, 2015 at 11:28 AM

David:
A very pleasant, serene image. The reflection is quite nice. The colors in the image feel muted. I don't know if that was your intent or not. The image isn't as sharp as it seems like it should be. I know you've been fighting this issue for a while.

Here's a quick version with a bit more work on the black and white points as well as some sharpening that I think helps with feather detail.

PS. The larger version did not have an embedded color profile. I commented on this issue on the previous image from Allen Brooks that it should be sRGB for the most consistent viewing across color managed browsers.

Registered on November 20, 2003, 458 Posts, 4836 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 22, 2015 at 5:51 PM

Stellar duck image - that flat and clean water is awesome

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on January 22, 2015 at 10:48 PM

Somewhere between yours and Keith's alternative. I like the sharpening he got. My rule is to sharpen up until I start to get halos and "chunkiness", then back off. I really like the picture overall, with the still blue water and the handsome duck.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on January 23, 2015 at 9:40 AM

a nice calm feel to the image, David. I like the composition. I agree that the original looks a bit flat and could use a boost to color and contrast, though like Phil, I prefer somewhere in between yours and Keith's.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by David Rowe on January 25, 2015 at 5:14 AM

Firstly, a note of appreciation for your comments. Undoubtedly the colours in my post were flat and there is the enduring problem of lack of acuity in the image. Keith’s repost is a great improvement - the colours are more vibrant and a better rendering of the rich chocolate tints of this bird. Detail in the plumage has been notably improved albeit at a cost to the appearance of the hard edge outline. Thanks Phil for your comment on your approach to tackling the 'sharpening' issue. My dilemma at present is how to reduce the noise at low ISO values while still being able to invoke a perceived degree of sharpness. When employing PS6 or Lightroom, regardless of whether I use NR before or after sharpening, the result is invariably mediocre. David

Registered on December 20, 2013, 133 Posts, 286 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on January 25, 2015 at 10:14 PM

Really like the composition David and the calm water. I am also one for something between your original and Keith's repost.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments