An early morning shoot on the Cape Cod Canal before heading back to work - a female Common Eider
Over exposing has been a problem - hopefully I did better here . In order to get the flap I used a 1/2000 shutter speed and a 5000 iso - hopefully the noise aint that bad
Is this a composite: No
Doesn’t look over exposed to me. The reflection of the sky in the water sets her off beautifully and the frozen action is great. They sure have the oddest heads in the duck world. There must be an evolutionary advantage to that bump. I like the fact that we can see both sides of the wings at the same time. Terrific!
Thanks @Kris_Smith - generous - and yes those Eider heads are odd but unique. Breeding season is around the corner. Waiting to see how those those colors will change, especially in the males
Exposure is right on with excellent light. This is an enjoyable wing position. Water is really pleasing. I think the face is a little soft and that the point of focus was on the lower body towards the water. You may also get some softness from noise of shooting at ISO 5000. In general though the noise level is acceptable on this image. And it’s my guess that you could probably sharpen the face with some localized use of the sharpening brush.
Hi Karl, very nice image. Light, focus, and exposure all look good to me. Nice wing position. Which camera body were you using?
Thanks @David_Schoen
I agree - head a bit soft - used only LR for sharpening. Will try Sharpen AI ( Topaz ) on the head
A lovely image, Karl. The light is excellent as is the pose. The other folks have covered the slight softness of the head.
Nice pose with the wings positioned as they are. Light looks very nice and the colors in the water work well with the eider. Noise doesn’t appear to be an issue and the eye seems sharp to me.
Lovely pose and wonderful colors!! Noise looks fine at this size.
