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Mallard x 10/redo
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Mallard x 10/redo

by Barbara Graham

Gallery: AvianPosted April 22, 2017248 views8 comments
Mallard with nine ducklings
Atlanta, Georgia
4/21/2017 – 11:22:12 AM
Canon EOS 7D  EF400mm f/5.6L USM
1/640 sec;   f/11;   ISO 640
Manual;   Evaluative metering
LR5, PS6, Rotation 1.25 CW, Levels on everything, then Levels separately on the background (see below), Topaz DeNoise on background, Smart Sharpen on all the ducks, you can see the crop, but see below also.

I wasn't sure whether to make the background lighter or darker, but it seemed to look a lot better darker and the ducks showed up better that way, too, I'm not sure why.

I added .25 to the right side and 1.25 to the left side.  I'm not worried about the right side, but does the Content-Aware fill plus clean-up look okay on the left side?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you! 

Comments

8 comments
Comment posted by Richard Ditch on April 22, 2017 at 12:54 AM
I don't think Blue-winged Teal breeds in Georgia, so it is unlikely this is one. Plus, the blue patch showing on the wing is much darker than a Blue-winged Teal would show. If there was more yellow in the beak I'd be happy calling this a Mallard. You might want to check what breeds around Atlanta.
This is a nice line up fo chicks, and sharpness looks good. I'd like to see more on top, assuming it is not too distacting.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments
Comment posted by Barbara Graham on April 22, 2017 at 2:21 AM
Richard, I think this is a Mallard.  I found several images of female Mallards with no or very little yellow in their bills.  Thanks!
Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments
Comment posted by Hans Overduin on April 22, 2017 at 11:28 AM
Nice image, Barbara, unusual cut, but it works excellent cool. Cheers, Hans
Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Kellermeyer on April 22, 2017 at 4:09 PM
I would vote for mallards. I like the presentation with the wake and reflections. Nice image.
Registered on March 19, 2013, 52 Posts, 161 Comments
Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 22, 2017 at 9:22 PM
And nine ducklings worth of cuteness.  Pretty amazing, Barbara.  I do notice some anomalies in the canvas addition on the left, but probably only because you mention it.  The primary thing is that the reflection doesn't seem to match the vegetation.  I'm guessing you took several shots of this and if you have any (I know I would) where there's extra space on one end or the other, you might steal that and blend it in for a more realistic look.  The easiest way I've found is to add a ton of extra canvas that you won't really need and copy and paste from the other file into that area.  Then you can clone into the area where you really want it to achieve a nice blend and finish up by cropping to your final dimensions.  I'm sure other people have other solutions that work even easier.
Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Comment posted by John Tobias on April 23, 2017 at 7:37 AM
A fun image!  Can't say much about your processing as it is more than I can do!  I do think you could have a bit more room on the right side and on top., or less on the bottom.  It may just be my monitor, but I find it just a bit too dark.  Still, a cute image nicely seen.  thanks for sharing.
Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments
Comment posted by David Schoen on April 23, 2017 at 12:48 PM
A nice panoramic image which I think needs a little more space and slightly brighter.  It doesn't need to be much brighter but just enough to give it a little more definition.  I like the vegetative reflections.  Perhaps this would work as a photo art project also.
Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments
Comment posted by Barbara Graham on April 24, 2017 at 6:19 PM
Here's a redo on this.  I used Curves to brighten it just a little.  I used Dennis's suggestion to use another frame to get the fill-in for the added canvas on the left.  Dennis, all of what looks like vegetation is reflection of vegetation you can't actually see.  Richard, I went ahead and left more of the clay in, which is not a distraction but not an attraction, either, but it does help this become more a normal crop with more space in it.  I did still stop before the vegetation began, because to me in this image that would have been a distraction.  David, I don't usually use Avian images for photo art, but that's an interesting idea for this one.  It's important to me that the regular image be reasonable, though, because I do think that, as Richard said, this is a nice line-up.  Thanks, everyone!
Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments