Mallard Duck, Golden Light

◄ Central Park, Romantic In The Rain │ Crowds in Times Square ►

I shot this image of a beautiful mallard hen (duck) on a fishing lagoon in Papago Park, Phoenix Arizona. The light was sunny winter, late afternoon light with a warm, golden glow. Because this scene was slightly backlit, I had to brighten the image a bit to emphasize the subject. I also used a Nik Software (Photoshop PlugIn) Color Efex Pro 3.0 tool called Reflector Effects that digitally mimics the use of a gold reflector to brighten the golden reflections in the water and in the feathers of the duck. It adds a subtle but appealing golden effect that restores a bit of the sun’s warm color to the image in a unique way. While the original mallard duck image is quite attractive in its own right, the Reflector Effects adds a bit of drama and sparkle to the overall image. Camera: Nikon D40, Nikon 55-200mm lens.

Here is a Arizona ghost town image that was also enhanced with the use of Color Efex Pro 3.0 Reflector Effects. -Donald Peterson

Tags: Arizona, Digital Camera Reviews & Tips, ducks, Phoenix