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| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 15 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
Oh Doug - this image is delightful for so many reasons! First, this shot is drop-dead gorgeous. You've captured the majestic Quetzal mating plumage tack sharp with luscious color and texture. The bokeh in this particular shot really makes the plumage stand out and helps underscore the significant differences between male and female beaks, while showcasing a classic food-offering ritual.
Sorry you missed the tip of the male's tail - but you show enough to clearly illustrate his light under-tail feathers. Unfortunately for those of us who choose to shoot wildlife, our models are often quite uncooperative - but you get a 95% for model behavior here!
Since you're a seasoned bird photographer, I offer a couple of editing suggestions for your consideration - I removed a few slightly distracting elements - the white (insect?) over the male's left shoulder, and warm yellow background above the female's head, and one straggly piece of moss below the male's right side.
Additionally for your consideration, the second image suggests a slightly tighter crop to focus more attention of the two birds.
You've checked all the boxes here, Doug - this is one for the bird books, for sure!
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Sep 11th |
 |
| 15 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
What a fabulous experience - what time of year did you go to Española Island? I'm going there next month and hope to see and shoot Albatross too. I welcome any suggestions about traveling and photographing in this special place!
You definitely captured the essence of this bird's duty, standing guard over its precious egg! IF you are going to submit this to PSA NATURE competitions, there are not a lot of allowable edits … BUT - otherwise, I offer a few minor editing suggestions for your consideration: In Lightroom Classic, I used Generative AI REMOVE TOOL to disappear many of the stems that distracted our full view of this majestic bird. I also lifted SHADOWS a bit to highlight more feather detail.
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Sep 11th |
 |
| 15 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
Score! Gerhard - this is a stellar shot. Your spoonbill looks mighty pleased with this catch - and you should be too. Tack sharp, with fine detail that even showcases the inner spiny edges of its bill. I wondered if the image might lighten up just a bit, so I played with it in Lightroom Classic, lightening shadows, toning vibrance back to match your bill, head and leg colors which look right to me; and slightly tweaking the color temp on the fish to more closely match your original. I've uploaded it for your consideration, but I'm really not sure if this edit really offers any improvement. Hope you stuck around to see and shoot the next steps … did the fish get eaten? |
Sep 11th |
 |
| 15 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
I agree with Doug's feedback. Nice crop to focus on the well-detailed bird. The fog helped backlight the water droplets as the Dowitcher wrestled with the crab, adding a bit of depth and drama to this otherwise calm, foggy morning scene. |
Sep 8th |
| 15 |
Sep 25 |
Reply |
Thank you, Isaac - I appreciate your comments and edits - sometimes it's hard to know how far to go with harsh bright light. This is why I appreciate feedback from our group! I can see how toning down gives a lot more texture to the overall image. |
Sep 8th |
4 comments - 1 reply for Group 15
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| 36 |
Sep 25 |
Reply |
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Sep 10th |
 |
| 36 |
Sep 25 |
Reply |
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Sep 10th |
 |
| 36 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
Hi Gokul - I really enjoy viewing your images from halfway across the world, as you share scenes I would never otherwise get to see. I find the mounds below the trees interesting - are these lifted/ing roots as these trees struggle with river current and floods? I suspect so, as all of the trees appear to have a similar leaning pose.
This image is ethereal. The sharp foreground and hazy soft blue background make the tree "mounds" seemingly float in the still water. There is a lot to look at here, and I agree with Larry that cropping focuses the viewer's eye on a more specific subject.
For your consideration, I tried 3 crop options (attached here), but like Larry's suggested crop the most, as it focuses attention on the tree trunk's curve accentuated by the reflection. Additionally, I lifted the shadows to bring out more detail in the tree trunks, branches and birds - and lowered the highlights a bit which I believe adds detail to the "white" acacia branches.
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Sep 10th |
 |
| 36 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
Hi Gokul - I really enjoy viewing your images from halfway across the world, as you share scenes I would never otherwise get to see. I find the mounds below the trees interesting - are these lifted/ing roots as these trees struggle with river current and floods? I suspect so, as all of the trees appear to have a similar leaning pose.
This image is ethereal. The sharp foreground and hazy soft blue background make the tree "mounds" seemingly float in the still water. There is a lot to look at here, and I agree with Larry that cropping focuses the viewer's eye on a more specific subject.
For your consideration, I tried 3 crop options (attached here), but like Larry's suggested crop the most, as itLS |
Sep 10th |
| 36 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
Ooh-la-la! Another lush and colorful city night scene - Another one for the souvenir postcard racks - Well done!
The bright buildings are nicely placed between the soft vertical reflections and the (lightened) sharper horizontal background sky, making the buildings a striking centerpiece.
Only two very minor observations about this composite image - on the right side, the tall building and tower seen to tilt slightly to the right. The buildings on left side don't seem quite as sharp. See my suggested edit (attached). I used the Vertical Transform to adjust the right side slightly, and did a quick linear mask to slightly sharpen the buildings. You might want to try the Sharpen function in ON1 NoNoise 2024 - it may help you fine-tune to match the sharpness of the other two images.
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Sep 8th |
 |
| 36 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
Hi Adi - I understand what Larry is saying about the trees in the foreground but this image takes me to many fond lakeside views. And it also brings back memories of bear spray and the long-planned sunrise view that got away because the bear wouldn't be coaxed off my trail to the lake.
I am puzzled by the angles in this image though. Perhaps the wide-angle lens has distorted both sides of the image so the trees appear to be leaning severely canted to the left and right, although the reflections don't seem to quite mirror the angle. But the trees lean left and the peaks lean right. I tried a tight crop (see attached) to still capture the lovely peaks in morning glow, but don't think the left-leaning tree makes a good frame. I love this spot, but it appears that this lens couldn't do this scene justice.
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Sep 8th |
 |
| 36 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
Oh Bill - this reminds me of the trip I almost took to cover a client's Customer Summit many years ago - only to have the country shut down just days before I was to travel to Cork due to an outbreak of Hoof-and-Mouth disease (event was rescheduled to Las Vegas ? )
This could be a travel brochure shot - colorful and compelling. One very minor edit I can suggest is to fill I nor remove the small opening in the trees in the far left (way above the palm(?) tree. Removing that light spot focuses attention of the leading lines suggested by the row houses and the river (and the line of clouds across the sky!).
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Sep 8th |
 |
| 36 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
Michael - Images like this just might - once and for all - cure me of my habit of late rising. I know this area and hope to return to shoot again at some point.
Viewing your image, I can feel the damp chill of the lake air and feel the deep silence and mystical presence of this spot before the day breaks. Obviously, you had time to scout your spot in the daylight and chose well.
Did you clone out the moon reflection - or had you positioned such that it would not reflect? Somehow, my mind's eye wants to see it in the water - although that bright reflection spot would tip the balance and draw my eye away from the moonlit peaks.
When shooting known spots, I like to maintain accuracy of place. However, I did a quick flip - as per Larry's suggestion (see attached image) - just to see the difference in balance. I like the balance, but do feel accuracy of place is more important if the location is to be named. This image makes me feel reverent - like I have to whisper in its presence. Lovely!
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Sep 8th |
 |
| 36 |
Sep 25 |
Comment |
Barbara - this is a STELLAR image. I agree with Larry that the moon adds a nice balance between the trees and the MW. The moon shadows make your image even more compellingly balanced. The only suggestion I could offer is to try a little faster shutter speed next time to reduce the slight blur.
I thought since the "travel tails" on the upper stars appear more prominent near the top of your image where the MW becomes more faint, that cropping down might make the blur less apparent. But after trying a slightly-cropped edit, I realized really love your vertical image just the way it is.
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Sep 8th |
7 comments - 2 replies for Group 36
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11 comments - 3 replies Total
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