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| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 35 |
Oct 20 |
Reply |
Thanks for your feedback, John. I must confess I have not been as faithful as you in following up with my friends in other groups. I wil try to do better in the future. I value your opinon and consider you one of my best resources for critique. Hope you are safe and well, |
Oct 26th |
| 35 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
I have been enjoying the color lily images you have been posting to social media. This one is also appealing with the soft pinks and greens. I agree that a square crop would bring more focus to the subject. I am also thinking that adding some dynamic contrast just to the bloom would give it a bit more drama. I feel this is a lovely image, but that it is not quite finished. It seees to me to need something to "punch it up." |
Oct 17th |
| 35 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
For me there is a lot of potential in this scene, but there are several things that minimize my enjoyment of it. First is the very bright area in the middle, because my eye just wants to stay there and not move through the image exploring the interesting church or the small area of water (is it just a puddle?) that takes up a lot of real estate in the foreground. I almost feel like there is a split center of interest here with that basically featureless area separating them. Also, cutting off the top of the hill is, for me, an issue. It appears that there is a bit of detail in the sky so it would not be another featureless area; but then adding that in further complicates the scene for me. Your post processing is always top notch an I admire the way you use soft color. I am not sure I have a workable suggestion for improving this image. If you were to go there again would you consiter shooting it from further to the left so that you get some angles rather than so many orizontal lines? Just a thought. I am sorry I can't be more helpful. |
Oct 17th |
| 35 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
As I view this image I wonder where the viewer's eye is meant to come to rest. Is it at the bridge deck, which is very interesting, or on the space in the back that the bridge is leading to? Wherever you have meant to draw the eye, I thinkit should be the brightest part of the image. For me there is too much of the trees at the top which I do not find very interesting. I would suggest cropping from the top to just above the curved branch leading in from the right. Also I think opening up the very dark shadows a bit would add to the drama in the scene. |
Oct 17th |
| 35 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
I think you have captured a very interesting sky with the long exposur,e and for me it definitely contributes to the mood of this image. I also find the low key treatment very effective in creating the sense of the approaching weather. One thing that I think would add to the impact (but of course you would have to go back and do it under the same weather conditions) would be to stop it down to at least f/16 to get the tiny pinpoints of light along the shore to be star bursts. As it is, I find the image engaging. I like the curved line leading into it and would not crop it out. Did you by any chance also capture an image of this scene in portrait orientation? Just curious. |
Oct 17th |
| 35 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
I think you have arranged the composition in a way that focuses my eye on the tree, and that the light on it makes it pop out from the background. The image appears to have dark blacks and bright whites, but I wonder if the area inside the cloister were brightened a bit if it would increase the impact for this image. Just a thought. Try it and see what you think. |
Oct 17th |
5 comments - 1 reply for Group 35
|
| 40 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
Hi Julie...I am another visitor from Group 52. It is fun to see these Cockatoos in a natural setting, as iI have only seen them in captivity in the past. I find the color tone of the image pleasing, and I appreciate that the eyes of both birds are sharp. My first reaction on viewing this was that I wished the bird on the right was looking into the frame rather than out of it. If flipping it helps that I would definitely do it. I like the space on the left and right in the original image although cropping from the bottom seems to me like a good idea. Also, I think that if this is not intended for a nature competition I would suggest removing the vegitation protruding upward between the two birds. |
Oct 12th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 40
|
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Reply |
Hi Isaac,
That is really interesting. Where I live there are so many deer in the community that there are frequent car-deer collisions. But the animal lovers rant and rave against a limited hunting season and act like the hunters are deranged criminals. I just cannot figure out the logic some people use and why they don't do a little research. I really appreciate the information about more lumens in a bolt of lightening. Thanks for sharing. |
Oct 17th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
Mike, after telling you I struggle with images that have these very bright suns, I came across a YouTube video that I think may be very helpful. I have viewed it but not tried the techniques presented yet. I thought this might be of interest to you. It is "CreateGorgeous Landscaps With NIK Color Efex Pro." To use this techniquw you begin with an already edited image, open it in PS and convert to a Smart Object...from there you can go to NIK. In the video,the presnter deals with an image that has a blown out sun in it. Hope this is helpful. |
Oct 16th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
I find what you have created here very interesting. The bird is well captured - I would expect no less from you - and I think the wing position and the detail in the face give me the impression that the bird is looking right at the camera.
I never know what to do with blown out suns. I have tried all kinds of things but never gotten a satisfying result. if this wre my image I would go to OnOne textures and add Rice Paper Light or Rice Paper Vignette and reduce the opacity to a level that is kind of subtle then paint out the effect on the bird. It won't be at all realistic, but it might be very artistic. |
Oct 15th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
To me the colors are lush and lovely. I also think the soft diagonals in the top right cause my eye to travel right ot your subject. I wonder if the shadow in the top left could be opened up a bit? I would also suggest doing a little border patrol and removing the tiny "sticky outie" on the left and maybe also the little stem in the bottom right corner. Have you ever thought about applying some texture to imags like this one? I think, given your artistic eye, you could easily create something really unique with added texture. I have a very good book called "Art Beyond the lens" by Sarah Gardner that I think you would enjoy. She tells you exactly how to do it in Photoshop and shows many examples of her own work. |
Oct 15th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
How fortunate that you had flowers right on your deck that attracted these amazing little creatures. The catch like makes the bird look very life-like in my opinon. I think the red is beautiful, but for me it is too intense and takes attention away from the hummer. A vignette blur might work, but I would also consider desaturating red and lowering red luminosity a bit, then perhaps do the opposite with green on the bird. I think it benefits from the crop on the right as Mike has presented it. |
Oct 15th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
I have learned from Mike, and his buddy Don Hamilton, that when I shoot birds I need to use spot metering. Mike had two articles in the PSA Journal over the course of the last year or two that give really good advice on bird photography. You can look them up under the Journal tab on the PSA web site.
When I first looked a this image, I was astounded at wht you were able to accomplish through post-processing. However, my experience is that when the whites are blown out, there is not much you can do to recover detail. I have tried cloning in details in blown out areas, but have never been happy with the results. Fortunately for photogrpahers there are millions of Canada Geese, so I'll bet you will get a chance to try it again. |
Oct 15th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Comment |
I find the layers very beautiful and your post processing has enhanced the color without making it appear unlrealistic in my opinion.I like that you included a little bit of foreground to anchor the image. I agree with the others that the sky needs some attention, but I would not crop it. My thought was to add Neutral Density filter and a bit more contrast to that area. This is a scene that - if it were in my area - I would return to through the season and shoot basicallythe same composition over and over, Sometimes it takes more than a single image to tell a nature story. |
Oct 15th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Reply |
I have never heard or read that the flash hurts their eyes. I checked with my husband who is an avid birder as well as a photographer, and he has no kowledge of that either. If you want to know more, you might get in touch with your local Audubon Society. Thanks for your comments. |
Oct 12th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Reply |
Oh goodie, another John Gerlach follower! I have followed him since his days in Michigan wheer I also lived for many years. I have also subscribed to Nature Photographer for many years.
With regards to this image, not a lot of planning went into it. I had just gotten my new Canon R5 and wanted to master its auto focus system. With time on my hands due to Covid 19 and plenty of hummers on the back porch I had some targets, The flash was actually an after thought. However, this has gotten me interested so I am going to plan ahead for next year and have something other than the feeders to draw them in and make a better image - I hope. The good thing about the hummers is that they always return! Thanks for your comments and suggestions. |
Oct 11th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Reply |
Thanks for the suggestion, Lisa. I am not sure the left side bothers me that much, but I will definitely give it some more thought. I am not sure this image is destined for competition or exhibition, but for nature competitions, I don't think there would be any allowable way to fix that. |
Oct 6th |
| 52 |
Oct 20 |
Reply |
Thanks for the flash tips, Mike. It would be easy to set up in my location; but alas, they have now migrated so I won't have another opportuntiy until next year. As for the shutter speed, I prefer to have a little more wing blur to suggest motion. I know that is a matter of personal preference. If you watch Moose's video, he has quite a bit of wing blur, which I think is too much. I guess that it is a matter of taste.
I am really loving the R5. The auto focus tracking is amazing. And I don't mind have 45 megapixels either! |
Oct 6th |
6 comments - 5 replies for Group 52
|
12 comments - 6 replies Total
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