Trying to diversify my portfolio. This is an image of a Mallard duck, certainly a common bird, that used to be migratory, but now is a year round resident in many city ponds and lakes. This shot was taken before the sun actually rose on the lake, but was shining on the hillside in the background. I could have shot the picture with settings that allowed the color and details of the duck to show, but that would have overexposed and blown out the background. Instead, I chose to properly expose the background and allow the duck to become a virtual silhouette. I kept waiting for the duck to turn and give me a more symmetrical view, but alas, was not to be. I thought it was interesting that only the white neck ring showed any detail on the duck. This is about 75% FF. An OOF duck was partially cropped out and then cloned out in the L part of the frame. Any thoughts on this one? Worth keeping?i9
- Created Timestamp10/15/2026 15:04:45
- CameraCanon EOS R5m2
- Aperture5.6
- Copyright2026 Jim and/or Debbie Babbitt
- Focal Length840
- Iso2000
- Shutter Speed1/1000
Lovely image.
I like it, too. A keeper!
Love this silhouette image and definitely a keeper as I am partial to this type of image! Great focus, lighting, wing position and stand out of the white neck ring.
Thanks for asking for opinions. At first glance I loved the silhouette and the orang background. On closer examination feather details aren’t there but look like they could be – perhaps a soft focus? There’s nothing you could do about the bird’s orientation but the lack of symmetry in the two wings is bothersome to me. Keeper? Yes.