Mallard Lost in the Snow

This was taken in Scotland last winter. With hindsight, I wish I had dropped the ISO and the shutter speed to maintain the same exposure but I was set up for a flight shot when I spotted this opportunity.

I lopped a little bit off the right and bottom to get the framing right and just added some local contrast adjustment in LR2.

1D MkIII, 500mm, 1/1,000th sec, f/5.6, ISO800

Lovely image, great eye contact and the snow really makes it.


liam.

A bit different, and all the better for it. Nothing wrong with the exposure as far as I can see.

David

Certainly a different setting for a Mallard.

I might be tempted to add a bit it curves just to give it a little 'punch', as it looks a little flat, plus sadly you can see a certain amount of noise in the mallard and I am not talking 'quackers'

Looks great to me! Maybe a little more space on top. (come to think of it a lot of space on top, to make it much smaller in the frame - conveys a real sense of remoteness)

Sorry, meant to clarify, re 'noise'. I was referring to the 'grain/dot' rather than the noise the Mallard makes.

I really like this John and the clarity looks spot-on on my screen. A nice bit of mush as well. I'm still not sure about the composition as I'd prefer more space at the top but I can see she's looking towards the bottom corner so maybe just a sliver

I like this one very much. Beautiful shot.

maybe a little high in the frame for me but otherwise very nice.

Matt

Can see why some would like a bit more space atop, but I like this as is, a great sense of isolation and a different treatment of a 'common' species... Oh a belated welcome...

Image works well John - a tad more space up top would help imo but still a good image as is.



Mark

Superb shot, like this just as it is.

nice shot something different

really like this, as said a bit more space at the top perhaps though

Like the image but for me a portrait composition would have worked better giving the image the room it needs above the ducks head or moving back with your lens either way it would have given you more room,love the white foreground and the duck stands out very well

Works for me, although as a personal preference I too would agree a little more room up top. Great work though.

Fran

Different and very successful.

Thanks to all respondents, I really appreciate your feedback

I was a bit nervous about putting this image up because the composition was heavily criticised previously but not in a way that left me feeling like I had learned anything. I fully accept that the comp could have taken a myriad of different forms and so this is no more than my personal rendering of the scene. The "more at the top" comes across loud and clear and I may try that out, to see how it looks (when I learn how to do such things in PS) but I must confess that I love it as it is. The portrait suggestion also intrigues me, so thanks for that too. There is a little noise in the bird (hence my own nit-pick on the ISO/shutter speed setting) but I don't think it detracts. As to the lack of punch, I think it's ok but the light was dull, dull, dull on the day so there may be something there for me to look at again.

Thank you one and all for your warm welcome, feedback and encouragement

Hello John.

Good capture

Your probably sick of hearing this but some more room on top as well for me. I also think a portrait version of this would work well. But at the same time if you like it as is then thats the way it should stay.

Hey John

Cracking image, great use of space and compositional rules are there to be broken, stretched and experimented with. I love it

Andy

Thanks Guy, Andy, I appreciate your feedback It's going to stay "as-is"

Hi, beautiful image.