Pair of Ducks cc please

This was taken at the duck pond at the fairgrounds. It was a really dreary day so the colors aren't the best. [/QUOTE]

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/23535328@N08/5​348580042/

I like the composition and the "texture" of the water in this image. I think I would crop just a bit of empty space off the right side. That balances the composition from my personal point of view.

As you say, it is a bit dark. I was able to recover a bit by opening it in Adobe Camera Raw and using quite a bit of Fill plus some Brightness. I also increased Clarity and added a bit of Vibrance.

Hope you don't mind my practicing my PP skills on your images.

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You owe it to your development as a photographer to carve out a bit of time to do justice to this mallard pair. Wait for a nice morning or afternoon when the light is at its best for photography. Bring a folding chair to the pond and position it with the light behind you. Then just sit there and observe. If you give yourself enough time, the creative part of your mind will start envisioning the image that you want to capture. Then you take the shot. You will amaze yourself at how much better your imagery will be if you plan it.

What you have here is basically a snapshot taken on a day of poor light. You can't see the male's eyes. A general rule for pictures of any critter is no eyes, no picture. The male's head is also away from the source of illumination, thereby dulling out his iridescent green feathers which look best with the light at a low angle. Hence a morning or late afternoon shot. The two subjects are at different distances from the camera, which makes it a challenge to get them both in focus. Lastly, they are not interacting, which makes the photo uninteresting. Watch them and take the shot when they do something interesting.

Rimmer wrote in post #11624108
I like the composition and the "texture" of the water in this image. I think I would crop just a bit of empty space off the right side. That balances the composition from my personal point of view.

As you say, it is a bit dark. I was able to recover a bit by opening it in Adobe Camera Raw and using quite a bit of Fill plus some Brightness. I also increased Clarity and added a bit of Vibrance.

Hope you don't mind my practicing my PP skills on your images.

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Thanks for your edit. It does look much better. Your input and editing skills are always welcome.

joedlh wrote in post #11625445
You owe it to your development as a photographer to carve out a bit of time to do justice to this mallard pair. Wait for a nice morning or afternoon when the light is at its best for photography. Bring a folding chair to the pond and position it with the light behind you. Then just sit there and observe. If you give yourself enough time, the creative part of your mind will start envisioning the image that you want to capture. Then you take the shot. You will amaze yourself at how much better your imagery will be if you plan it.

What you have here is basically a snapshot taken on a day of poor light. You can't see the male's eyes. A general rule for pictures of any critter is no eyes, no picture. The male's head is also away from the source of illumination, thereby dulling out his iridescent green feathers which look best with the light at a low angle. Hence a morning or late afternoon shot. The two subjects are at different distances from the camera, which makes it a challenge to get them both in focus. Lastly, they are not interacting, which makes the photo uninteresting. Watch them and take the shot when they do something interesting.

I can see the mistakes now that you pointed out. I appreciate the lesson on when to take great shots and where to sit or stand in relation to the sun. Also to be patient and wait for the perfect time to frame a shot. This day I was actually on an outing for the residents at my job. I was only given enough time to document the trip. So I wasn't able to take the time that I needed. The more CC I get from this forum the less I like my photos. It's becoming hard to find a shot that I think is good enough to post here.

Lonestarlady61 wrote in post #11625578
... The more CC I get from this forum the less I like my photos. It's becoming hard to find a shot that I think is good enough to post here.

Please don't be discouraged, and keep in mind that everyone is coming from a different point of view, and is trying to be helpful in their own way. I enjoy looking through the C&C section and find it interesting how the comments on a single image can range from "really like it" to "you're doing it wrong". Some comments I learn from, some I agree with, and some I disagree with. Being a nature lover, I sometimes find myself thinking, "What do you mean, 'no subject' -- Nature itself is the subject in this photograph?!"

There's nothing wrong with getting a quick snapshot and then trying to get the most out of it when you get home. Hey, the camera only required 0.001 seconds to "take" the image; you might spend anywhere from minutes to hours in order to "make" the image. I think I learn the most by looking at my images later and thinking "Oh, if only I had...".

Please go to Rick Sammon's blog and read his post entitled "Don't Care What Others Think Of Your Work",

http://www.ricksammon.​info …others-think-of-your.html

and be sure to scroll down about half way to read the comments from Steve Inglima, an excerpt from which I will quote here:

"IF the photographer's primary reason to produce images is to communicate to and please others, and others don't like the work...well, that would be cause for disappointment, and then a reevaluation of what is lacking in your work. But...if in your deepest psyche, your photography is satisfying and communicative to yourself, you might owe it to yourself to persevere and let the rest of the world catch up!"

+ 1 for Rimmer
Look at history of art, many artists couldn't make a living during their time.
Stomach C&C is not an easy taste.
Keep taking photos and have fun. Life is too short to get upset
Good luck

I don't mean that I'm getting discouraged. I'm just learning so much here that I see my mistakes before I post them. For example some flower photos that I really love but the focus isn't correct. Landscapes that aren't in focus or the lighting is off etc....

I'll post a photo later to show what I mean. Thanks so much for your encouragement.

By the way I was able to embed the code for the image of the ducks but when I tried to do that on another post it didn't work. Is there something I'm missing?
I have a few images at flicker and that's where I got the code from.

Lonestarlady61 wrote in post #11626147
... I'm just learning so much here that I see my mistakes before I post them.....

You are on the right track, then!

I always remember the words of my favorite poem, written by my favorite poet:

...Read in the records, from earliest times,
How hard it is to be a great artist.

From "A Song of a Painting to General Cao" by Tu Fu (712-770 AD)