Ducksby
arpitaComment by Manic: Greetings from the
Critique Club!
First Impression:
Interesting colours on the water, pity the ducks aren't centred more, feels too red.
Composition:
I'm not quite sure which lines you're trying to imply here: the line of the ducks/beaks or the lines on the water behind them... but given the title, I think it's safe to assume the former. The most obvious thing is that the ducks are all partly out of frame - it might have been better to have gone for a wider shot, which gives you more control over the framing. On the other hand, did you try cropping a bit tighter on the ducks' heads? This might have emphasised the line of beaks more.
Background:
The water in the background makes for a good contrast with the ducks' bodies, but I can't help feeling that the ripples are slightly distracting. Of course, this isn't something you can control easily! Perhaps a slightly shallower DoF would have helped blur the background more.
Camera Work:
As you mention in your photo details, this was a last minute shot, and it conveys the feeling of being more of a snapshot rather than a carefully composed shot, since the focus (and sharpening) look a bit ropey. It'd be interesting to know which lens you used to take this shot, along with the shutter/etc settings...
Post Processing:
Since you've not listed what you did in post, I can only make suggestions - did you try playing with the levels, possibly bringing out the white/highlight more? This would probably help make the white ducks stand out against the background more. Also, the image feels a bit too red, mostly from the reflections on the water, so I'd recommend playing with the hue/sat controls on the red channel a bit. Finally, the sharpening (to correct for the probably blurry original) feels a bit off, as pointed out by some of the comments. One final suggestion - did you try desaturating the image to B&W? Or even selectively desaturating everything bar orange, thus making the beaks really jump out?
My Opinion:
Given the fact that ducks are uncontrollable creatures, your line of beaks is a good moment captured. However, the setup of the shot could have been better. This image meets the challenge, but technical flaws let it down.
If you have any questions about this critique, please feel free to contact me via my profile page.
Photographer found comment helpful.
