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| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 63 |
Mar 19 |
Comment |
You never seem to disappoint. How you find such unique subject each month is amazing. This composition is really complimentary to this image. I like that the limb is not straight with downward angles shown at both ends. Again, you handled the background perfectly and it really sets of the snail. The fact that you got this with its head out and the antennae open is just perfection. Even thought the back end of the snail is slightly soft, it is not noticeable unless you look closely so it does not matter. Lisa's idea of sharpening and adding contrast looks like it might work well. |
Mar 10th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 63
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| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
Areyou using Lightroom to process your images? If so, use the adjustment brush on the background, don't you the global controls on the basic panel. If you use the adjustment brush it wil only target what you apply the brush to. |
Mar 19th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
I'm learning that the reduced size needed for posting here often ruins sharpness. I just mentioned it in your photo, because you said it was taken while you were in a boat. |
Mar 11th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
I've been to both places. Got good photos from the Alligator farm but even thought I've tried to work that dang fort in St. Augustine all my shots look like "tourist" images. I'd love to see something really good from the fort.
I'll be going back to the Alligator Farm in a couple of weeks. |
Mar 11th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Comment |
Like others here i had not heard of this technology until now, but I can't find it on Nikon. |
Mar 11th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
I like this crop. Didn't even think of doing it this way----great idea. |
Mar 11th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
Thanks Richard for your kind compliment. I hope it shows, but I love Cades Cove. I also love bad weather and I firmly believe that it helps to create great images. Since photography is about light, and using it, I always carry light with me. I have a pair of flashes, but I also have two sizes of flash lights, a small bright LED and a monster Deer Shiner that I generally keep in my car. Over the years I 've done a lot of light painting--it is a thought that is always in the back of my mind.
As for the deer or bears I wish I could bring them along and insert them as needed. When you figure out how---let me know.
I do have an image of a cabin in the cove that I photographed at night and had a bear drop by to "NOT" help me--it was touch and go for a few minutes. I'm post it here---but the cabin is the subject and it violates the Nature Code. Still the story and the image is pretty interesting.
I hope the discussions here are helping to broaden photographic horizons.
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Mar 11th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
Thank you Madhu. I feel this forum is the place to discuss techniques that will make all of us better photographers. I have gleaned a great deal from your instructive macro images. I carry strips of velcro in my bag to pull limbs of brush or to hold lights when in the field. So there are lots of little things in my camera bag.
I'm really glad you liked the image. As for the fog, I did not remove any of it---what you see is what was there. I did lighten some of the trees on the far RIGHT and I did lighten the foreground a little bit. As always highlights were brought down and I adjust the black point in Lightroom. There was a 3 stop GND filter used when I took the image to control the sky. I tend to make most of my images a bit on the dark side, as I like the moody feelings, especially with a scene like this. Thanks for the comment. I value your opinion. |
Mar 11th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
Richard
There is a place in north Florida, just south of St. Augustine called the Alligator Farm where they have a boardwalk through the rookery and you can get so close to the nests that often 200mm is too much. If you are ever going to be in Florida you should check it out. Really a neat place.
I think you can show enough of the environment and still eliminate some of that sky. Also for the foreground my basic rule is that it is more and more of the same stuff (like what you show) that I can cut it in half. If it changes, say if the bottom of the frame was water---then you can get away with leaving more of it. Just my 2 cents worth. |
Mar 10th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
Thank you so much Cheryl. The photo was a last minute addition to a show I did last fall and it has sold quite well in a short period of time. My composition originally was to use the path as a leading line to the tree (since the rolling fog and the pinks in the sky also point that way) so when I realized there was too much foreground light painting the brush to enhance the leading lines was a natural result.
This photo demonstrates my two photography mantras: Bad weather makes good photos and always shoot in the Golden and Blue Hours. When you get them both working together---I think magic happens. |
Mar 10th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
When I first took this image and saw it on my computer I thought about making it brighter but in the end I liked the moody look. I felt it brings out the feel of the day's rain storms and I liked that. As for the foreground light, There was just too much empty wasted foreground so while i was shooting i kept thinking, I have to either crop it or do something with it. My handy flashlight provided the answer. I've come to use light painting quite a bit with photos I take in the evening or at night. I carry both yellow and blue balloons in my camera bag to tint the color of the light from the flashlight. You should give light painting a try---it is really easy once you get the hang of it.
Thanks for the compliment on this image. |
Mar 10th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
Thank you Michael. This is one of my favorite images of the Smokies as I feel it embodies what the name says. There is also a 20x30 of this on my wall. Every year there is a little known National Park Day called "Thank a Ranger". I sent a 8x10 framed copy of this to the rangers at Cades Cove as my way of thanking them for the work they do. |
Mar 10th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Comment |
I think you have a good eye for seeing this scene and getting. Framing and capturing this from a moving boat shows some high level shooting skills, especially when this is a spur of the moment shot. As others have noted the background is quite busy. I would strongly suggest either cloning out or cropping those red/pink flowers just above the bird's head. Red is an arresting color and these reds are right in the center of the image and attract the eye. It may not work with this image but in Lightroom you could use the adjustment brush and decrease clarity and sharpness and then brush the background to soften it just a bit. I'm not a fan of vignettes but MAYBE a very soft one might help.
It pains me to say this, but I have come to expect such sharpness after seeing your macro work, and this whole image looks a bit soft. |
Mar 10th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Comment |
You have captured a tender family moment and that is always a good thing. Like others have said the chicks and their fuzz is a bit over exposed as is the under side of the adults neck. Maybe they could be brought down a bit in Lightroom. The image is really all about the birds and I feel they become lost in all the brush. I would crop from the top down to just above the horizontal branch coming in from the right. I'd also crop off about half of the brush at the bottom. It is distracting and served no real purpose. By the way, the green trees are bald cypress. |
Mar 10th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
I will not mention secret of your photographic skills outside of this discussion group. Ansel's relatives and friends will never know. You just keep submitting photos like this one. :-) |
Mar 10th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
The Auto ISO works fine on my D810 but if it is too hot for you adjust the +- compensation that will balance it out. On my d810 I set the lowest ISO at 64 and the highest at 3200 if the day is cloudy or set it down to 1600 if it is bright. |
Mar 10th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Reply |
T That is my mistake. To be honest, working from the small image, I didn't even notice that there was a third turkey on the lower left. If I had I would have removed him. Any way it goes, the full bird on the left has to have so me breathing space. Your crop makes him too tight It he was facing to the right you might be able to get away with it, but not with him looking out of the image. |
Mar 7th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Comment |
Wow! You produced a wonderful image!
Before I get to my comments I would like to note that I am attaching a short video from Steve Perry from his Backcountry Gallery collection. This video explains how to use Auto ISO on your Nikon D810. I noted that you took this at ISO 125 and that it came out a bit dark. Setting up your camera to use Auto ISO would have automatically given you a correct exposure. The Auto ISO is tailor made for this type of shot. I'm including it here as a reference for future use. I use it all the time when shooting wild birds that may fly from sun to shade faster than I can change ISO. Give it a try and see if it works for you. The link is below I think you will have to copy and paste it into your browser:
https://backcountrygallery.com/all-about-auto-iso-nikon-cameras/
This is a bright cheerful image with lots of WOW to it. The colors are excellent and compliment the lizard well, although I wish those green leaves were red like the others. You could not do anything about them, so it is what it is but the image would be better if they were not green. This is not a criticism, just a thought for the future. You mention the head angle, but I feel this is a fine angle, a head on shot would not be as interesting. You do have one eye, clear and sharp, and that is all you need for animals. The diagonal line of the lizard's body creates a strong leading line and additionally places the lizard on the diagonal fixation points. The background, aside from the plants has a beautiful soft blur and offers no distractions. This is a wonderfully solid image. I would suggest moving the left edge to the right to crop off the bright yellow leaves in the bottom left corner and their brightness competes with your image.
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Mar 6th |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Comment |
I think you have a pretty good image of the turkeys but I also think your crop is way too tight. I am including my crop of your original. In it I have placed the turkeys on the left fixation points (think rule of thirds) and placed the other turkey on the upper right fixation point. My version also gives the bird on the left a place to look. In your crop you placed him so close to the left edge that he has no place to look in the picture and instead looks out of the picture. I think you did a really good job of working this image in post and brought out the colors quite well. |
Mar 5th |
 |
| 67 |
Mar 19 |
Comment |
OH MY!!!! I think old Ansel might be proud of this effort. I think you did a masterful job of putting this all together and then in post you really brought out the details. I believe that the B&W version is the best choice as it really makes the clouds stand out. There are a couple of hot spots in the clouds but they are minor and are lost when you look at the entire image so they do not matter. I think your composition is excellent as you have enough foreground with the brush to frame the image and add detail and then the rock curve wraps the image quite nicely. THe selective brush work you did works well---it nicely mimics the Zone System old Ansel created.
This one is worth hanging. As a side note, if you were to enter this in a competition I noticed that the hot spots in the clouds do not show up in the color version. Maybe you could make some adjustment in that area.
I think that this is your best image thus far----you should be quite proud of this effort. |
Mar 5th |
6 comments - 13 replies for Group 67
|
| 72 |
Mar 19 |
Comment |
This is a wonderful image. The composition if fine and you did a great job with the processing.
What did you use to light the tent?? |
Mar 31st |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 72
|
| 88 |
Mar 19 |
Comment |
I love the photo as is. This is a shot that is on my bucket list so i always enjoy seeing how others frame it. I think your composition helps set the scene, I think the tighter composition is good for what it is--- a close up. But I feel this falls needs to be set in the landscape so that the viewer can appreciate what is there. I feel you made the right choice. (Note, if I was there after photographing the scene I would also have zoomed in for a close up----after you were there. But the showpiece is the full scene. |
Mar 31st |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 88
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9 comments - 13 replies Total
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