M&F Blue-winged Teal

Barbara,
I would have called this one "at odds." I like the juxtaposition of these two. I also like that the two bills are touching as you noted. Could be slightly sharper. Is this a large crop? You definitely had some nice soft light.

Thanks, David. More than a minor crop but not a huge crop. I processed this a couple of weeks ago and can't remember more than that. :(

Nice shot. I love these little ducks. I used to see them regularly in the early spring, but now they don't seem to hang out where I do. I suspect that some of the softness is due to hand holding a 400mm and the very limited dof.

Even with the centered subjects the composition seems to works with this Barbara. I like the overall tone of this, the colors are pleasing. The bills touching do become a distraction I would think some separation would be more visually appealing. Looking at this the vertical lines of reflection seem to pull the eye away from the subjects as well. Lines will lead the viewer in that direction, vertical lines will typically take the eye up the image and horizontal will have a tendency to lead left to right. A clean background would bring the two quackers out much better.

Always good to get a drake and a hen in the same frame and sharp. I wonder if a slightly lower angle might give it more punch?

I like the drake and hen pair you captured. I also like the circle ow waves, the reflection, and the natural colors. Great image.

Good exposure Barbara. I might have gone with a more centered comp given the birds are looking opposite directions. I would have liked to see the male sharper as it is the closest bird. The female is OK OOF IMO. I like the water and reed reflections.

I agree that placing the Teals a little more in the center for this particular composition might have worked better, and a little more DOF might have helped.

Nice job on the exposure Barbara. I always enjoy seeing a pair like this. I do wish there was more separation between the bill of the male and the reflection of the female and more DOF would have been nice but it doesn't look like you had a lot of light.

This is a pleasing image. I actually like the "real" beak just coming into contact with the reflected beak. It makes it different. For me the grass reflections are a small distraction, but not hugely so. Nice job!