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| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 36 |
Dec 23 |
Reply |
Thanks. I like the second crop better as well.
However, I'd like it even better if the darn sun had been in place like it was supposed to be!!! |
Dec 13th |
| 36 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
The best phone to use for a photo is the phone you have in your hand at the time. There is nothing wrong with using an Iphone to take a picture You still have to understand composition and editing is always a possibility.
I think your comments are right on. you said you edited it to be vivid and warm and that you like to create "fine art". With those thoughts as guideline I feel you did a fine job. Over a number of months I've learned you really have a "thing" for this particular look and since you are the maker, well you have that absolute right. I truly believe quite a few people will like this look. So to you a hearty Well Done!
Please note that at heart I'm a naturalist and so this "over warm" is not my cup of tea but I do feel quite drawn to the image. You have an excellent foreground (Iphones do that for an image quite often) and the large tree on the left is a good anchor. I do wish there was a stronger line to pull me into the image.
One thing I have to suggest is that you should look carefully at what should be the bright light you reference in the background. Based on the sky that light should be quite bright, but your editing has turned it into a muddy gray. This is quite typical when an image is highly processed. You really might want to adjust this. |
Dec 9th |
| 36 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
Thanks for the idea but now I don't like the trees which feel very unbalanced in the image.
Therefore I spent the better part of an hour in Photoshop and just removed the light altogether. Tedious work, but it allowed me to save the tree.
While I was being a photo editor I toned down a bright building on the left that began to annoy me and while I was at it I cropped a bit more off the top. |
Dec 8th |
 |
| 36 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
I like the pastel colors of the overall scene and in this case the blue tint to the "dead tree". It sort of connects the tree to the scene and makes it blend in. I think the strength of the tree overcomes the brightness of the sky in the left corner and forces the eye to move across the screen. Normally such a bright area, such as the sun in the sky on the left holds the eye, but the tree is strong enough to point to the distance objects in the water and move the eye in that direction . |
Dec 7th |
| 36 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
A good story telling image showing the home of the Gods. I see they clearly do not want to reveal their full majesty to we mere mortals. The partial cloud cover adds a real feeling of mystery to the scene and the vertical lines (both straight and diagonal) provide an uplifting connection between we mortals and the ancient gods.
I do feel like the bright cliff on the right edge pulls the eye right out of the frame because it is on the edge and is both bright and massive. I would crop it out. |
Dec 7th |
| 36 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
I absolutely love finding old building like this in isolated location in the wilderness. They carry such a timeless feeling and, at least to me, provide a connection to a past age. This location and the building are amazing. The image makes me simply want to absorb the scene. The stark bare wood makes the building pop but the sloping stones, the living roof make the structure look real and inviting. I think your perspective and composition make this come alive.
I like the structure revealing nature of the monochrome but I also like the natural realistic feel the color version. If I was hiking through the forest, I wold love to stumble across this site.
Don't change a single thing. |
Dec 7th |
| 36 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
This is a location that offers so many perspectives and opportunities for photography. Most images I see are in color but I like how your rendition strips away the color and exposes the structure of the scene. I especially like your combination of both the vertical and the horizontal lines and how they move the eye through the image yet they also focus the eye on specific aspects of the composition.
I think the little man makes a tremendous difference in the over all scene and he provides a measure of scale that would otherwise be lacking. Likewise your conversion to monochrome is spot on. There is a good use of tonal range and the exposure is exactly right. |
Dec 7th |
6 comments - 1 reply for Group 36
|
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Reply |
Thanks, I really love that tree. The green is behind the nest so it doesn't hide the birds and the branches came straight from my Amazon catalog on page 23. They even deliver!
I'm afraid I'm hopelessly addicted to my tripod. One of the best features is that it make me slow down and think things through. One of the things I've learned from judging is that most images have simply awful composition. I think part of it is because when hand held the camera is always in motion and it is harder to really examine the background especially the edges. BTW, I love my Platypod for shooting shore birds. It holds my big lens 8 inches above the sand. Great for eye level. |
Dec 28th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Reply |
You make me laugh. Other than my camera, my most important tool is simply patience. With wildlife it is all about capturing the perfect moment. That moment either happens just as you arrive and before you are really ready, or hours later. |
Dec 28th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Reply |
I agree, the interaction even if only by a fixes stare really add a great deal to the image. It is the sole reason I chose this particular file.. |
Dec 28th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Reply |
In situations like this I bring my Iphone and listen to Audible but only with one earbud. I have found you have to be aware of your surroundings |
Dec 28th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
I think the conversi0on to monochrome was an excellent choice. It brought out the textures and structure of the landscape and made the scene much more impactful.Converting to monochrome really leave you with only three tools, structure---in this case showing off the cracks and shapes in the earth, tones where you extend the range from true black to total white---you did this throughout the scene and finally the textures--in this scene I can almost feel the grit. This was all well done.
However I really feel that you tried to make the sky into the star of the show and in so doing you drastically over processed it. It has become fake and crunchy. I would suggest reprocessing the sky. |
Dec 28th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Reply |
Was your nest in Sarasota, Clewiston or Merit Island? Guess I'm a more selective shooter than you. I only had about 150 images.n I keep my bursts short, rarely ever more than 3-5 at a time. Hope you got a few good shots from experience. |
Dec 13th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
First and most importantly if wholeheartedly applaud your photographic progress. Your learning curve is certainly moving upward rapidly. I'm glad you have learned about blinkies!!
May I suggest another little trick that may help in the future. Being a control freak I like manual mode, even for wildlife, but is quite often set my D850 to Auto-ISO. I can set the minimum I want the speed to drop to and the camera will do the rest. I can therefore get some necessary help from the camera but still retain the control I crave.
The shot you were trying to capture would have been difficult under the best of conditions. I know the flamingos were an unnecessary presence but you could have reduced their visual presence by elevating the camera and shooting at a bit of a downward angle. But more importantly, why aren't your birds much sharper?
Perhaps I can offer several suggestions;
1. Are you using back button focus?
2. Are you using "continuous" focus.
I'll mention these two together. when you set your camera up for Back Button Focus you will also be engaging "continuous" focus. Thus when you focus on your subject to MUST continuously press the back button all the time you are going to be shooting. In this way if you or your subject move even a little bit the camera will continue to attempt to focus. If you cease to keep the focus engaged you will likely lose you focus.
I'm attaching a link to a Steve Perry video on getting sharp images. Watch it and just for fun try is little tripod trick. I know tripods are a pain but I'm going to go to my grave insisting that the reason I get sharp images is because I use a tripod or a monopod almost all the time. Look at my eagles this month--note the sharpness. Then read my write up and see how I got it. |
Dec 9th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
A well composed and captured image. Lots of impact with the implied motion and water splash. You left about the right amount of space for the bird to move into and that really helps. The back of the bird might be a bit hot and blown, can you recover and detail in that area??
The other thing is strongly suggest is that you very carefully brighten the visible eye. You can do it with a radial mask in Lightroom, just keep the mask small. It you check out my image this month you can see the results I used the mask on the eye of the upper bird to make it a bit more pronounced. Just make the eye and increase exposure. Sometimes a I add a bit of yellow to help it out, but probably not in this case.
Nice image. |
Dec 6th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
A fine capture and brings the bird and its colors up close. The complimentary colors really pay off here in adding impact. I like the background separation and the soft background. so the camera settings were good choices. For the sake of visual balance I might suggest keeping a bit more of the branch on the right.
You are right about cloning the twig as I would do if I were to frame this (it would me for my enjoyment so to heck with PSA) but for competition you can't clone it.
The sharpness look to be quite good, but I can't enlarge the image in close up to actually see.
Nice cheerful image. |
Dec 6th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
First impression----I love the deep "s" curve--just that simple. White balance is so tricky with these snow scenes I like the color better because I see more detail in the penguins but the snow is ugly gray. So on one level your conversion is the right choice because it makes the snow, well, snow. But the penguins become more black blobs. I wonder if the shadows could be opened a bit on the edited image to increase the detail. I wonder if a slightly lower angle would have added more impact? It would somewhat reduce the softness of the "s" curve, but it would make the penguins in the foreground more impactful because they would be a bit larger and they would feel like you were more in their midst.
Don't get me wrong, it is a wonderful shot, but the creative side of me is just looking for ways to make it more powerful. I'm sure it was a glorious experience. |
Dec 6th |
| 67 |
Dec 23 |
Comment |
As I commented earlier I prefer my crabs shelled. I'm always amazed at what these GBH ingest. My stomach won't handle crab shells easily if at all. Still he has a suitable meal so you have a good nature story. The "expression" on the crabs face tells the story well enough. I don't even mind the crop because the story is about the bill and the crab. d Personally I would like the image a bit brighter. That might be my monitor (it is calibrated) but still. Even the background a tiny bit darker would make the bird have more pop and impact. It is a fine image. |
Dec 6th |
6 comments - 5 replies for Group 67
|
12 comments - 6 replies Total
|
