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Ducks
Ducks
arpita


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Implied Lines (Advanced Editing II)
Camera: Canon EOS-300D Rebel
Location: Baylands Park, CA
Date: Oct 24, 2004
Galleries: Animals
Date Uploaded: Oct 24, 2004

Very last minute submission. O god please don't let it be hammered too much. Wish it were sharper.

Statistics
Place: 151 out of 173
Avg (all users): 4.6634
Avg (commenters): 4.2857
Avg (participants): 4.6389
Avg (non-participants): 4.6907
Views since voting: 985
Views during voting: 271
Votes: 205
Comments: 8
Favorites: 0


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AuthorThread
11/06/2004 12:58:45 PM
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.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
10/31/2004 06:14:26 PM
returning for comments:
A good comp and great line up. Bumping up.
10/29/2004 10:28:00 PM
too bad the black one is incomplete and out of focus - excellent light on the water and parallel formation of the two white ones
10/29/2004 02:47:06 PM
The waves in the water give a small connection to implied lines to me, but the photograph itself suffers from a number of technical flaws. The composition of the ducks could have been centered a little more (would have liked to have seen more of the darker duck, as it's just a distraction where it is), and the focus is off, giving it a very "snapshot" feel.
10/26/2004 10:47:50 AM
Looks a bit soft on the focus.
10/26/2004 09:22:03 AM
Nice line, aimed a bit too high though.
looks like it has been sharpned a bit too mutch
10/25/2004 03:46:27 PM
oof
10/25/2004 12:23:11 PM
Beautiful, but the pic is blurry. This could have been VERY nice.


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