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Ruddy Duck

Discussion

2 replies
Posted by Craig Strand on May 31, 2009 at 8:44 AM
Ruddy Duck
A male ruddy duck, chugging along to get back to his mate. Ridgefield NWR I like the water and reflection on this one

canon 40D, 600mm f4.L +1.4 tx
F/8 @ 1/1000 ISO 500
Posted by Stephen Cunliffe on May 31, 2009 at 10:59 PM
I too like the water and reflection, and the sharpness, but I am bothered by the rich blue of the bill. In life it is surely a lighter blue,so perhaps the whole image is a little underexposed?
Posted by Craig Strand on May 31, 2009 at 11:55 PM
Stephen, your right... normally the Ruddy's bill is observed as a much lighter "powder" blue hue. However this particular image was shot very early in the morning and under a slightly overcast sky. I could lighten things up in PS and then would probably come close to blowing out the whites in the cheek area. The sun was also at his tail, adding to the darker shaded bill. Thanks for your comment and observation.