Nesting Mallard

[ashrael]

I took this picture of a nesting mallard on Mother's Day in my parents' raspberry bushes

f/6.3
1/500
ISO 1000

Critiques?

[ashrael]

Any image processing suggestions?

[CLKunst]

Hi Ashreal!

Welcome to the forum. This is a nice private photo of a nesting duck. Not sure if you cropped to get in that close or if you used a long lens. It would be nice to have a little breathing room around her so we can see a little more of her position but overall a decent shot. You might get more raves about this one from a nature perspective in the nature and wildlife forums. They'll give you lots of great advice about birds, etc.

[jetrim]

Agree with CLKunst. It's a picture of a duck, but without any additional info or context it's nearly impossible to offer any kind of suggestion. From a technical standpoint it's fine (exposure, color, depth of field, focus, etc.) but the fact remains that it is just a shot of a duck sitting in the weeds... Maybe if you got all the way down on the ground to give a "duck's eye" view of the scene it might breathe more life into it and capture the viewer's interest more, but honestly I'm at a loss for how to improve what you have here.

[shootme]

Agree with above, but I'd have probably got on my belly to look straight on, as long as that didn't scare the duck.

[ashrael]

Actually, this was taken from my belly, relatively close, and is only slightly cropped. Thanks for the input.

[GB1]

Nice shot, but I wish it was just a little bit sharper or had better DOF. I like the way the area 'opens up' for the duck, kind of like "I'm coming out" or whatever. The fellow looks like he/she's smiling here, making it a fun shot.

G