Sleeping Contortionist

Gallery: AvianPosted March 7, 2015336 views6 comments

D300S 300mm f2.8 G ED VR2 with 2TC series 3 attached
ISO 800 1/800 s at f /8 Matrix metering EV +0.33 WB Auto Hand held
RAW file original
Photoshop CS6

The title gives me some sort of excuse for not establishing eye contact! I debated whether to post an alternative with the beak and head in a horizontal direction, however the shot was less sharp. What intrigues me most with this shot is the large amout of different directional pointers.

Your crits. and nits are most welcome

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on March 7, 2015 at 9:01 AM

I like these unconventional duck poses. The feather detail on shots like this really stands out. Very nice.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Frye on March 7, 2015 at 10:37 AM

Unusual pose with good detail - was struggling with straightening issues as you have two planes to straighten on -- the black tail feathers and the underbelly -- would like to see what it looks like with the straighten on the plane under the wing. I have struggled many times straightening floaters when presented with more than one option. Before I forget - like the square crop.

Registered on February 3, 2007, 387 Posts, 1136 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on March 7, 2015 at 3:09 PM

Hi David, I like the pose and think the title along with the image tells the story. I might try to selectively bring up the shadows and dodge the backs a bit. I also think it needs a little CW rotation.

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

Comment posted by David Rowe on March 7, 2015 at 3:48 PM

Thanks, Jerry, Scott and Kurt for your comments and suggestions. I modified the original and I must say it looks a lot better.

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

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on March 7, 2015 at 6:00 PM

Wow, a duck doing yoga

. The pose, exposure, and sharpness are very nice. Repost deserves a megabeer--Well done

..................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by David Rowe on March 8, 2015 at 2:42 PM

Hi Scott
You raised an interesting problem relating to the best choice of plane for leveling. The repost was conducted on the intermediate TIFF file – I followed Kurt’s suggestion and went for CW rotation but that entailed a fair amount of additional clone stamping on the edges. Straightening the original RAW file should have been one of my initial considerations.
Kind regards,
David.

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