After the swim

[The Barbarian]

 

[Bynx]

It looks like a plastic doll.

 

[Jaemie]

I am Iron Penguin!

 

[The Barbarian]

It looks like a plastic doll.

Yep. Penguins have a special gland that they use to oil their feathers. It holds the feathers together, and sheds water.

Maybe setting the detail slider higher would be better?

 

[FanBoy]

There's not enough contrast for an HDR image. It looks like a plain snapshot.

 

[Bo4key]

There's not enough contrast for an HDR image. It looks like a plain snapshot.

..and the foot is cut off and there is no catch light in the eyes so it looks lifeless

 

[The Barbarian]

There's not enough contrast for an HDR image.

You perhaps mean "too much?" The original HDR was not contrasty enough to make it look real, so it's blended with the zero exposure to keep it from being obviously HDR. I like animals to look real when I shoot them, so for me, HDR is a tool to make that happen.

I like overcooked HDRs, if they are done well, but for nature, I use a lighter touch. Here's one a little more cooked. It was in a very dark building, with very contrasty and yellow lighting, so it took a high ISO and a very slow shutter speed.

 

[The Barbarian]

I like the catchlight idea, though. And if it's cooked just a little more...
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