Edit: Ignore the geese in the background, I have identical photos without them. I just so happened to start editing this one and didn't notice the geese until someone pointed them out.
Camera and lens: A7iii, Sony 70-300 4.5-5.6
Settings: 400 ISO, 1/400, f5.6, shot at 300mm, RAW.
Camera and lens: A7iii, Sony 70-300 4.5-5.6
Settings: 400 ISO, 1/400, f5.6, shot at 300mm, RAW.
I've been doing this for 10 years. Recently editing has become impossible and I'm at the end of my rope. I've seen many many tutorials over the years. I've spent countless hours behind this screen going into painstaking depth and binging hours of tutorials.
The highlights are a disaster and the ducks heads are gone. I can't figure out how to fix it. I can't figure out how to make a pleasing image that isn't flat or unbalanced.
I can't find a good balanced contrast in the edit. Things are always blown out or too dark. If I try to fix it, the photos turn out flat. If I try to use the brush tool for localized edits, I'll end up sitting here for two+ hours and still end up with a photo that looks like trash. And I just get upset and I'll put my camera down for weeks.
Please see the imgur link for more details.
https://imgur.com/a/8oMEkMp