|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Thanks for your input. |
Jan 23rd |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Hard to say. I hadn't noticed. Maybe as you suggest it is a monitor issue. I'll play with it a little tomorrow and see what I end up with. |
Jan 23rd |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Thanks Barbara
I thought is was a bit odd that the reflected bird turned out to be the more dominate and thus adds a bit of humor to the scene. Like you, I sort of like the fall colors. I wondered how others would react to it. |
Jan 19th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Thanks Arne
Perhaps not the best Everglades images I've ever taken but I likes the "fall" colors, so it is what it is. I do agree that the upsidedown bird does a good job of masquerading as a subject. That branch is an anhinga hang-out and they will perch there for hours to dry their wings and have been doing so for years. i know the sky is supposed to be dark it reflection and this actually is (it is dark enough to show the clouds that do not show in the sky) but after reading your comment, I will adjust this and make the foreground water darker. Thanks. |
Jan 19th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Great idea about getting the starbursts. That may be quite impressive. |
Jan 12th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
On occasion a decent cell phone image can be captured and this is an example of such an image. It appears sharp and well exposed and the well saturated colors. For me the issue isn't the phone but the composition. I feel the twin rising rock formations are in competition with each other with neither one actually winning. The subject has to be dominant. Perhaps eliminating the formation on the left and cropping off some of the "big sky" from the would make the right side formation feel more dominant. Perhaps a lover camera angle might 'lift" the right formation and make it more dominant. That stair case on the left may make a good leading line. |
Jan 12th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
I'm a firm believer in the adage that bad weather makes good pictures and this foggy, cloudy and semi-dark image just proves my point. I love the turbulent waters (and the shutter speed used to get this effect). The muted greens also add to the mood. However, as Michael noted, the first thing I saw/felt was that the crop is too tight. I would like a river bank on the left to enclose the river and a bit move space at the bottom |
Jan 12th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
I think the concept is a very interesting one. First I commend your courage to venture out into the middle of the road where you can dodge traffic and still capture images. Just know that you have lots of company when it comes to doing this sort of thing. I know lots of photographers who do this exact thing.
I love shooting at night because the various types of night lighting show things that the naked eye just does not see. My first suggestion in to do some radical cropping. There is way to much solid blackness that is void of all detail. You may have been better off by cropping this into a pano and removing just about all of that black void at the bottom. Second while the metalic disks are an unusual touch to the image I personally do not feel they provide enough interest to carry the image. I would like to see the subject mater to be shown a bit larger in the frame. For me, the right side of the image is far more interesting. |
Jan 12th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Sunrise was at 7:06 a.m. and the photo was taken at 7:51 a.m. In my description above I said about 8 a.m. but it was slightly before that. Had wait for the sun to get high enough so that the scene was not in partial shade created by the trees behind my camera position. |
Jan 12th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Hi Barbara
As you know, I'm a sucker for this type of moody day photo. I love the light, and the rich feel of the colors. The cool blue-grey tones really make for an inviting image. The non-peak fall colors and the inclusion of the floating leaves that also show fall color adds demonstrates use of the design principle of repetition. The boat is is lovely extension of the line of the pier. I find it interesting how you have included sharp rising diagonal lines and also included some interesting cures to soften the mood.
I'm glad you didn't get your sunset---this is soo much better.
I'll pretend I didn't notice those harsh hard rocks in the lower right corner. They really aren't there are they? :-) |
Jan 12th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
My initial thought is I'd like to see more balance, but I'd have to see the flat mirror image to give an honest answer. |
Jan 5th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
That is a really good idea. I'll give that a try in the future. |
Jan 5th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Thanks Michael. I struggled with that bird but I could not figure out any way to make the actual bird more visible. At least he (it is a male) turned his back to the camera as his chest has streak like lines on it. I did work to keep the reflection against the cloud . |
Jan 5th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
I'm with you about the sun. That area of sky is just over exposed and lacks detail. I have two solutions, one old fashioned and one modern. The old fashioned fix would be to use a GND filter on the left side of the image while shooting. This would darken that area of sky and quickly solve the problem. The modern solution would be to shoot two image one about 1.5 stops lower and then blend the two in PS during processing.
While I like the image (love the fall colors that I do not get much of in Florida---see my image this month) I feel the image is just out of balance. The large mass of tress on the right feel ponderous compared to the left side. For me the left side feels just out of place. |
Jan 5th |
| 36 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
The first thing that strikes me concerning this image is that it feels like a painting that should be on the wall of an Italian dining establishment (pass the pasta please). I like the leading line of the curved street and its compliment, the curved line on the wall on the right side of the image.
I would suggest several crops to clean up what I see as distractions. I don't like the bright shutters on the left edge, nor the little bit of clutter on the road at the bottom edge and also the area to right right of the pipe on the right edge. My crop suggestions may be seen in the attached image. Just my 2 cents worth. |
Jan 5th |
 |
6 comments - 9 replies for Group 36
|
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
GOTCHA.
It h as to remain natural so it can't be removed, just opened a little bit.
Thanks Great catch and well seen. |
Jan 22nd |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Great observation. Are you referring to the upper win where it joins the body or the underside of the lower wing where two feathers appear quite dark? |
Jan 22nd |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Thank you Cindy. Funny, you used the same word my wife used when she saw this shot--elegant.
I'm worried about the bird population in general. By this time of year the rookeries should be pretty darn full of various nesting birds and they are almost empty. Can't blame it all on the bullies like the Woodstorks. But there are a lot of birds missing so far this year. |
Jan 20th |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Thanks David
When you shoot small water birds that constantly get their body's wet you will find that the small feathers on their breast and even under their wings always appear soft. It is simply that they are wet. If you look at the bird's head and legs you will see they are sharp and in the same plane as the breast. Thus the breast is as sharp as it gets. |
Jan 20th |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
I find this to be a nice abstract shot showing structure and line. You mention running it through Silver Efex during processing. for my 2 cents I would have pushed the Efex to get bolder and sharper black and whites so that the image would have more pop. Here the blacks and whites just feel soft. The bolder tones might be more dramatic. |
Jan 5th |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Bud
Your images demonstrated why Ben Franklin proposed the turkey as the national bird for the USA. He noted that the bald eagle is a thug and a bully and NOT a noble bird and thus unfit to be the nation's mascot.
Yes, eagles will attack anything they can find to snatch a meal as your shot well demonstrates. I am a bit confused and find it hard to believe that your original shot is actually the original. The position the position of the birds relative to each other does not match. This would be an easy image to add canvas space on the right since nothing is there. But I would suggest cloning out the white spot on the ground on the left from the finished images. It is a sort of distraction. |
Jan 5th |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Michael
Many years ago, when I was young and had hair,I went to a bird photography workshop run by Moose Peterson who was a Nikon Ambassador of Light. I swore by two things when shooting birds. The first was shutter speed, the faster the better and the second was TRIPOD use. I remember him showing how to carry a tripod in the field, how to pad it so it did not hurt your shoulder and how to quickly break it down from full height to flat on the ground. He never used a tripod with a center column. I have lived by his words ever since. I use a tripod for shooting birds 99.9% of the time. My photo this month is an example of tripod use. In my opinion 1/640 is too slow for birds on the wing but I know sometimes it is necessary that is where the tripod really pays off. that extra bit of steadiness really helps. Matched with a gimbal head the results speak for themselves. To support what Bruce says I generally use a single focus point to avoid the camera trying to focus on unwanted subjects like corn or branches. My lens (it is a f4 and is sharp even wide open) has a switch that allows me to select focus range. One setting is from minimum focus distance to infinity and the other from a mid distance to infinity. Using the second setting allows the lens to focus faster when shooting at distance, We are only talking fractions of a second but een that matters. And in low light it really helps to prevent lens hunting. You might check to see if your lens has such a setting. My lens also has 2 buttons on the barrel which I can use for preset distances. For example. If I'm shooting a bird in flight that is at distance and it is going to return to a nest I can set one of the buttons when I focus on the nest. Then I can track or chase the bird around the sky and when it heads for the nest, just touch the button and the lens will focus immediately at the distance of the next, even if the camera is not pointing at the nest. By the time I swing the camera to the nest my focus is set and I always get a perfect sharp shot of the landing on the nest. Of course you have to be standing at the original position and can't be walking around. |
Jan 5th |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Thanks Bud. My lens thinks all birds are created equal and deserve their moment in front of the lens. This bird, like you say, really are colorful. The trick is trying to show those colors to advantage. |
Jan 3rd |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Reply |
Thanks Bruce. I try to keep the birds on clean backgrounds, but they live is very busy world so it is a challenge. But that is the fun part,
|
Jan 3rd |
| 67 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
I have to agree with Bruce. While it has been nearly 15 years since I witnessed this event your image actually brings back the sights, drama and action that the visitor experiences. I can almost hear the sound of all those wings flapping at the same moment. Enlarging the image to full screen actually puts the viewer in the midst of the action. I feel the best part is that almost all the birds in the air are sharp which, at least for me, makes it feel real. This is one of those bucket list images that every wildlife photograph need to actually see to fully grasp.
I do not know what is better the amazing image, or the skills of the photographer! Even more stunning when you see the shutter was only 1/800 |
Jan 3rd |
4 comments - 6 replies for Group 67
|
| 72 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
Hi Bruce. What you describe is why we shoot wildlife. The thrill of being there and capturing the moment is what keep us going back in all kinds of conditions. What separated this image from other for me is the way you have captured the touching noses and touching lower jaws. The diamond created from this is unique. |
Jan 3rd |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 72
|
| 91 |
Jan 25 |
Comment |
An effective composition with the blurred corn framing the bird and also displaying the environment. The wing position also shows the struggle of fighting the wind. Naturally it is a sharp image where it needs to be and that sharpness provides the necessary detail for the white bird against a mostly white background. It is a unique flight shot. |
Jan 3rd |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 91
|
12 comments - 15 replies Total
|
