Female Mallard

[Red Snapper]

Taken at Llanrwst, North Wales.

IMG_7327 by Peter Guy, on Flickr

[antoeknee]

Re: Female Mallard

Whilst the shot is OK there are some things that would make the shot better.

Get lower, you're looking down on the bird
You're shooting against the light a bit so the side of the bird nearest is in shadow, ideally shooting from the other side would be better.
The image could be brightened quite a bit.

[Dave61]

Re: Female Mallard

Nice shot, but do agree with Ant

[Red Snapper]

Re: Female Mallard

Thanks for you comments,
I was standing on a footpath above the river, any lower and I would have been in the river not sure Mrs Mallard would have appreciated that, I see what you mean about the shadow but again to shoot from the other side I would have had to wade into the river.
By brightening the image do you mean in photoshop, DDP or similar ? If so I will give it a try and see how it comes out.
I'm fairly new to DSLR having only had my Canon for a few months.

Again thanks for the advice

[Dave61]

Re: Female Mallard

Thanks for you comments,
I was standing on a footpath above the river, any lower and I would have been in the river not sure Mrs Mallard would have appreciated that, I see what you mean about the shadow but again to shoot from the other side I would have had to wade into the river.
By brightening the image do you mean in photoshop, DDP or similar ? If so I will give it a try and see how it comes out.
I'm fairly new to DSLR having only had my Canon for a few months.

Again thanks for the advice

I think Ant means just lift the shadows up a bit, and yes in PS if you have it.

[Red Snapper]

Re: Female Mallard

Cheers guys,
Yes I have Elements 12 and DPP 3.15, but i dont know what i'm doing with them lol

[Nathaniel]

Re: Female Mallard

Suggest you get a copy of the Elements for Dummies (Photoshop Elements 12 for dummies), which will give you all the information you need to use it.

[Red Snapper]

Re: Female Mallard

Cheers Nathaniel sounds right up my street Dummies guide

[antoeknee]

Re: Female Mallard

Thanks for you comments,
I was standing on a footpath above the river, any lower and I would have been in the river not sure Mrs Mallard would have appreciated that, I see what you mean about the shadow but again to shoot from the other side I would have had to wade into the river.
By brightening the image do you mean in photoshop, DDP or similar ? If so I will give it a try and see how it comes out.
I'm fairly new to DSLR having only had my Canon for a few months.

Again thanks for the advice

My suggestions were made so that when you come to take a similar shot they may be something to consider. Sometimes you just have to go with whats available.

Having said that you said you were 'standing on the bank', crouching could have made a big difference.

Anyway don't get too caught up in the detail for this image just think about some one the points for next time. For example your position, would lower be better. Generally for subjects like this it's better to have the light behind you or off to one side.

Worth spending a little time watching some of the basic tutorials you'll find on YouTube for Elements/DPP. These programmes will help you get the best out of your images.

[Red Snapper]

Re: Female Mallard

I appreciate that Ant,
Sorry i have read my reply and it looks a little disingenuous, that was not my intention, I do appreciate you guys taking the time to comment on my work and hope to improve my technique as a result. As for this shot it was just a quick grab as I walked by, all the other ducks were way off in the middle of the river and this one was just stood below the toe path.

Again Thanks

[antoeknee]

Re: Female Mallard

No problem Peter, hopefully you'll find the feedback useful and we'll see some more of your work.

[Dawesy]

Re: Female Mallard

As the guys above point out there are some pointers to take on board for future shots and some good advice on how this image could be improved in post processing , are you shooting RAW or Jpeg images as this can limit what you can do during processing. I am nowhere near a photoshop expert but can get by with most of the basic adjustments that can be utilised , feel free to pm me if you want to ask anything specific as I use DPP and photoshop elements.

[Brian Sugden]

Re: Female Mallard

Agree with the other comments. However, I would also add that for common subjects like mallard and other ducks that are common on our local ponds, which are not difficult to photograph you need to have good light and composition to make them stand out. For uncommon subjects where you are only going to get one chance you have to go with what you have. Having said that get that all important first shot in the bag then think about improving on it if the subject is still there. Hope this helps.

[Lepus]

Re: Female Mallard

Again ,Im no expert either , but hope this helps , in Elements , in Edit mode look under enhance - Lighting - shadow and highlights . You will see see it auto adjusts , which often is not to bad , but it`s best to play with the sliders to get the best from it , often I tone the shadow slider down , and move the highlight slider up but it really does all depend on the lighting in the photo . If you try it , please show us how you get on .

[Red Snapper]

Re: Female Mallard

Will have a play elements and post the result up here for a second view.