Hey Captain!
by becky-lee

Comment by glad2badad:
Clever idea. You've used a very shallow DOF it looks like and the focal point may be off just a tad as the duck beak seems soft - nothing terribly bad, just an observation. You probably could have cropped (or framed) this image even tighter to eliminate the front railing (hard to tell what it is at first). If needed you could trim some of the top also to keep the duck in a ROT positioning without losing the Jolly Roger on the sail. This would help bring greater focus and detail to the main subject, the duck. One other consideration...the background...a royal blue background, instead of white, would add some color and mimic sky/water. Just a thought, and of course, all of the above is JMO. :)

Good luck in the challenge.

Hey Captain!
by becky-lee

Comment by Jaded_Housewife:
ahoy! lol. Very cute. seems OOF though maybe just needs more contrast. 5

Hey Captain!
by becky-lee

Comment by CNovack:
Very creative. I like all the details you put into this shot to give it a feel of a pirate ship. The Captain Duck's hat has the pirate symbol on it and in the background one can see the same symbol repeated in the sail. Next the Ducky sits next to the Captain's wheel. You have all the elements here to push the composition into an above average shot but it has some areas that need improvment. First the crop. The bottom portion that has what looks like 'bars' does nothing for the overall image - matter of fact it is distracting and draws attention away from you main focus. Cropping that out would give you a square crop that would serve to focus your viewer's attention more tightly on the main subject - the pirate duck. Focus and lighting need improvement. The hat is in really sharp focus but the beak and the body of the duck appear more soft. An aperature of 5.6 or even greater will increase the depth of field and so to the level of detail in all elements seen here (if you use an higher aperature & an ISO of 100 or lower you will also want to steady your camera with a tripod or some object to rest so that the image is not blurred from hand shake) Lighting - shadows under the beak cause the lower beak to become less visible and distictive. Perhaps bringing in another light source (or two) to shine in front or at the side would serve to lessen shadows or eliminate them. Lastly - background. Backgrounds can be an important part of the composition as well. That stuccoed white wall that can be seen in the background does not help invoke the imagery of a pirate ship sailing the seven seas. It detracts. A picture or image of a blue sky with white clouds is one suggestion for the background. An easier one would be moving the sail such that it blocks out the stucco wall and thus the viewer also gets to see more of that pirate symbol on the sail which further strengthens the composition's setting.

Hey Captain!
by becky-lee

Comment by noraneko:
Duck is not quite in focus

Hey Captain!
by becky-lee

Comment by mist:
Nicely inventive. Some more work on the framing and better sharpness could help it, I think

Hey Captain!
by becky-lee

Comment by TheStick:
Very clever shot. Wish the white wall on the left was replaced with a different background.

Hey Captain!
by becky-lee

Comment by theSaj:
Har har...fellow pirate ducky...

I see there be three of us photo entries. I do say I envy your wheel.

Surrender your ship to us or our photo will blow your photo out of the water.

"arrrrhhhhh"

(PS - focus is a pain on these little rubber buggers isn't it?)

Woman in the moon
by becky-lee

Comment by posthumous:
Now, YOU know how to stage a staged photograph! This is Man Ray quality work. You know just how much of the dark-painted face to show, so that it shimmers between one illusion and another. 10

Rainbow Ride
by becky-lee

Comment by Structor:
Congrats on your high finish, well done!

Woman in the moon
by becky-lee

Comment by smurfguy:
Interesting shot. Odd, but artistic!