|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Yes, yes, yes, now the bird is really the center of attention. Brightening the bird did the trick! Our eyes really do go to the brightest (or most colorful) part of any image. And we are artists who can make selective changes in the tones to achieve that goal without fiddling with real nature. |
Feb 26th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Before ACR, I used layers in Photoshop. Now I use either Photoshop or Lightroom and use the Adjustment Brush. In Photoshop I used the Camera Raw filter (CTRL-SHIFT-A) and then hit the K key to get to the Adjustment Brush. They recently changed how it works. Like it better the old way. Anyway, I brush the areas I want to change. I drag the sliders and they affect the areas that I brushed. You could also use Photoshop burn and dodge tools, which I used to use. You could also use layers and change the Blend Mode and paint the areas you want lighter or darker. I learned all the old techniques from books. Nowadays there is YouTube where you can learn anything for free (instead of $49.95 books)! I selectively lighten or darken areas in all my photos nowadays. I saw a great youtube video on it by a great photographer, and these subtle changes can make a world of difference or simply give an image that look of perfection. Of course, we're changing the real world, but I don't feel it is like the old days when we overdid the edits just because we could! We are more like painters who can change the lighting to be the most becoming. |
Feb 26th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
I always experiment with the Highlights slider whenever there is anything light in my photo. It's amazing how details tend to pop out in addition to those light areas becoming less distracting. And if you like the results except the photo looks too dark, you increase the overall exposure. Got that technique from one of the big photo experts, I forget who. |
Feb 26th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Isn't it amazing how someone can find something distracting in the background that the photographer never noticed and then we always notice it? Happens to me more often than I'd like! |
Feb 26th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
The photos in the links were interesting. I really like YOURS, though! |
Feb 26th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Thanks for the details of your reaction to the image and how you felt when you saw it. Having an odd number of birds was one helpful element. The image is more suited for a textbook on birds rather than a photo contest. As more of a documentary shot, I see now it would've been good to bring out more details by sharpening and brightening the shadow areas of the birds. |
Feb 26th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Thanks. I think the birds stand out more. |
Feb 26th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Oh, yes, this crop really has impact! It's all about what's in his mouth. But your first submission says "winter" in a stronger way. |
Feb 17th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
I cropped this way in order to have the birds near the line intersections of the rule of thirds. But I agree I would've otherwise cropped more off the left. |
Feb 17th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
I like your use of the descriptive word "barren." I was having difficulty finding a winter picture. I no longer go outside in cold weather and go sauntering around with my camera! A big barren tree became a little bit more interesting because the birds looked to be participating in the same activity, which was looking down at goodness knows what! It was sort of funny! I guess the image is sort of telling a story. Otherwise, not a photo I'd do much with! |
Feb 17th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
I usually take one-bird photos. This composition was different for me. I chose to show this picture because the many bare tree branches represented the "winter" aspect of the assignment. This was a hard assignment for me to fulfill. As for telephoto, I usually shoot with my Canon PowerShot superzoom camera with its 28-1200mm range. My hands aren't strong enough to hold a regular big zoom lens or even attach one to a tripod. Nikon has a similar camera. |
Feb 17th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Nope, I didn't realize one birdie was taking off! How fun! I was wondering why they all were looking down. All my other bird shots show them looking straight ahead. And I knew one of you would tell me which kind of bird they were. House sparrows. They abound here. |
Feb 17th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
I find this picture to be especially inviting because I've never seen a hummingbird with this kind of plant and background, or this kind of composition. The main subject is probably supposed to be the bird, but I think the vertical flower is equally as important. Yes, my eye goes back and forth between them, but to me, that's the point of the scene. You got rid of that big bright area in the background by cropping, and now my eye goes straight to the bird/flower combo in the middle of the picture. In fact, my eye goes straight to the bird's eye every time I re-look at it! Gorgeous colors and detail make me wish I could've been there in person to see them. |
Feb 17th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
The colorful face and those beautiful white feathers stand out so well. I love looking at this bird. Gorgeous photo! Dramatic edit! I hadn't thought of changing the background of the original the way you did. You changed a busy snapshot into an interesting portrait. You made the face show its details rather than being in shadow. Blown-out white areas in feathers don't bother me because they look that way in person. When I use a low enough exposure to get almost invisible contrast in such areas, the rest of the bird (usually for me, a swan) looks different than it did in person. But then again, most of my editing is done to make it look the way I wish it looked! With this image, my eyes keep going to the background by the neck and back because that area is so bright. My edited version is meant to make the eyes go to the bird's face rather than the area behind it. |
Feb 17th |
 |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
My first impression was how icy it was but yet how beautifully the bird accepted it as his environment. So, I have a good feeling when I look at the picture. I've lived through such ice storms and find them to be full of photo opportunities. I must confess my first thoughts were about the pointing, iced twig. I kept wondering if it was a good thing or not. It could easily be digitally removed, but the result would be a much less unique image. The bird is still the secondary subject in my mind because the ice is so bright white while the bird is of muted tones. Here's the way I would've edited it. Removed the little white piece at upper left, darkened the icy brightness overall by lowering Highlights, and brightened the primary subject of the bird. Add a tiny vignette all around to keep the eye from wondering right out of the frame. The bird's stomach looks as sharp to me as it would in person, which is a little soft because white feathers don't really have much detail at this distance. Overall, I really like this image because it reminds me of those Texas ice storms and also because it makes me happy that the photographer found this gorgeous bird out there. |
Feb 17th |
 |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
Those icy branches are a great base for this cardinal photo. Their angled, crisscross pattern act sort of like a leading line to the bird. My first reaction was how interesting the branches are. Then I wished the bird wasn't so dark. All by itself the bird's face is underexposed. My other suggestion would be to darken or remove the extraneous light areas in the background. See my version below. |
Feb 10th |
 |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
When you look at my edited version in its large size (by clicking on it), you can see the eye and face better. |
Feb 10th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
The simplicity of the red bird against the white snow is what made me think, oh so pretty! You included just the right amount of the bird feeder hanger to set the scene. This is a good example of when a white vignette does its job. Only the black blob is distracting to me. Crazy me, I didn't even see the other bird until I read the other comments! He/she doesn't add anything to the picture, in my opinion. I love your red frame! It repeats the color of the main subject so well. Overall, I'd like to see the image brighter. I like to see snow that is actually white. Here's my rendition. |
Feb 10th |
 |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Reply |
Click on the edited version to see it larger. |
Feb 10th |
| 12 |
Feb 23 |
Comment |
Your image screams WINTER, and our assigned subject was "winter" bird. You also included snow, as was suggested. Wow! Congrats on fulfilling the assignment so well. I had a simultaneous reaction, which was brrrrr. I felt the coldness. A crop showing more snow would add to that feeling. I do feel the bird is squeezed into the frame now.
I didn't notice he had a berry in his mouth until just now. That's a great catch, so I would have wanted to make the berry stand out more. And since the eye goes to the brightest part of the picture, when I edited your photo, I not only made the berry brighter, I also selectively darkened the background's white areas just above the branch and lightened the area around the berry. I think it makes the initial impact a snowy winter bird caught with a berry in his mouth. I appreciate hearing about how you set up to take the bird photos. |
Feb 10th |
 |
6 comments - 14 replies for Group 12
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6 comments - 14 replies Total
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