Mallard Ducks in Flight, love them or hate them?

[jprzybyla]

I captured these ducks about a week ago at a lake in the downtown area. When I post processed as normal the final looked like an artists rendition, not sure why. Tall building at the top of the frame cast a brownish/golden reflection on the water. C&C welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

#1



#2

[Brownbear]

Hi Joe, I prefer your regular beautiful bird images. Just my personal preference, and likely because I adore your bird images so much. in this set the light is beautiful, and I prefer the 1st image.

[Dusty]

Joe can't make my mind up on these two images.

I know how hard it is to get the BG looking right and the birds to look right when you capture a image like this. The first image I agree with you when you say it looks like a artist rendition as the bottom bird looks like that to me, there is a white halo round the birds head and a few white spots at different places around the birds body. Also the birds in the bg look odd.

Don't get me wrong I might have ended up with the same exposure in the images as you have. Hope I have made sense to you.
Dave.

[kaneohebud]

Joe:
BIF? I love them.

[jcuknz]

It is worth remembering the adage that evens is bad and odds is good. I don't think the OOF swimming ducks make the top one an 'odds'. I like the images but am put off by the saying. Perhaps a triptych is the way to present them with the two outstretched winged birds bracketing the second drooping wing bird? Area-wise 2-1-2 which adds up to five?

[Mike Buckley]

I love the style; it beats the bird on the stick every time for me. The limited color palette is wonderful.

The first one would be dramatically better for me if you have it in a version where the lead flying mallard is just enough forward to allow the duck in the background to be completely displayed. I would be willing to guess that you had a version like that and discarded it because of something else that is less attractive in it.

I never have believed in the guideline that there should be an odd number of subjects.

[cliffmccartney]

Joe - both images are great. The colors, tone, and background water are lovely.

I think I prefer #1.

I'd probably play around a bit and see what it looks like without the two birds on the water.