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| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
That would be an amazing image from your first trip. Hope you were able to take one, still have it, and share it in the future. Nature is so much stronger than mere humans.....it certainly can give us glimpses of its power in shots like this and your previous trip! |
Jan 27th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
Thanks Gary, I knew the shoreline was a little unusual because the photographer in me would automatically cut it out, which I did at first. But when I saw the bird, my fate was sealed. This area was totally decimated by Ian, many older homes were under water and floating away. Ft. Meyer, Sanibel, and Captiva all suffered greatly from that hurricane, and this image is a testament to their efforts to rebuild and recover. While they still have a long way to go, they will most certainly come back. Some things will never be the same but they are working to make it better! |
Jan 27th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
It is really about enjoying that sun going down. I rarely get to do that on the East coast....finding a decent place for a sunset is hard. Sunrise is always on the beach, but unless I go north or south of here there is no anchor to include unless I get lucky and see a boat or someone surfing.
I'm always amazed that people leave as soon as the sun sets.....the real beauty is well after the sun has gone below the horizon. Which was the case in this image. and shortly after we got to watch the Fireworks on the beach...a first for me. |
Jan 27th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
Not a problem ......Every so often I will forget to include the Title but not common. Because I have to copy and paste (twice) to keep them separate, it is an easy thing to happen....so should you ever see your image or another's without a title just shoot me an email. I most often have one. |
Jan 27th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
In fact Dhananjay the nick name for Anhingas are Snakebirds in US.
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Jan 25th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
Abeautyful winter scape! I'm shivering just watching all that ice! Not a whole lot I can add, other than I too would probably crop out some of the ice. I like Ian's take on it as well. But I also think the ice adds even more context to the image. Regardless, anyway you want it, would work. The colors are beautiful and say ice and snow to me and prepare me for the image before my eyes really take in all the scene. The ice leads me into to the stream and forbidding sky behind so I think it serves a valid purpose in the image. Nicely done! Hope you are not buried under snow at this point!!
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Jan 18th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
As most of you know I do a lot of bird photography and like to leave them in when they contribute to the scene. In this case the only thing I might be tempted to do is see if you have another image with the Pelican not quite so dead center.....but there is so much about this image that generates calm and beauty , from the lazy Pelican, the mist, the soft colors, the autumnal trees, and the other birds in the background it makes me dream of finding that perfect scene! I like it very much as is but would love to see the Pelican off-center just a little. |
Jan 18th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
Oh what a beautiful spot....I've never been a fan of taking a cruise, I think I would get somewhat claustrophobic.....but the image you took is certainly one of a kind and most likely impossible to do unless you are on a cruise ship. What hits me the most is the absolute staggering size of those cliffs ...and that small boat is perfectly placed in this panorama. I also inspected the part that Dave mentioned and there certainly was some event that made that spot so ragged. I love this image and would consider printing it and hanging it on my wall......and I did not even take the shot! Nicely done Ian! |
Jan 18th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
Dhananjay, this is reminiscent of the many wetland areas in Florida. I've never considered conversion to a B&W image but I like it, particularly since it was such a misty/foggy day. The birds I'm seeing in your image are essentially black and white anyway, so I really like the not so common idea of B&W. We have, in almost every wetlands in Florida (or at least those I frequent on a regular basis), dead trees as well and they are very popular spots for the diving for food birds, like Cormorants and Annihings, to dry their wings. They have renamed them and call them "Snags" but the same thing to the birds, a place to dry off.
But what I notice most is the incredible number of birds obscured in the background.....you know they are birds, but ethereal because of the fog! Unique and distinctive! |
Jan 18th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
Unfortunately Dave, we have not seen a blue sky in a long time! I think it's been close to three weeks and maybe one day each week had blue sky (though there were clouds as well )....just not total sky cover. Given your weather, totally get why you included them!!! They are very attractive, just like why I left a little of the beach in my image....it meant something special to me. I've seen the devastation that the area was dealt from Hurricane Ian..and it is just special that they have made so much progress (CAT IV hurricane is devastating).......and a tribute to their incredible commitment and really hard work! |
Jan 18th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
Arches was one of my more memorable trips out west. We did both Monument Valley and Arches on a 2 week trip. The sheer magnitude and beauty of the park is fantastic! Hope you got some of Delicate Arch!
I too would eliminate some of the sky, and darken the really bright patches but those are minor things. The scale of this image is incredible! I would most likely not make any lighting changes to the sky, since it is quite lovely, I would just use less of it. On the other hand I realize why you did include it .....the clouds are unique and add a great deal to the image.....so maybe I just talked myself out of that recommendation. |
Jan 16th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
Butch, Lovely image, but one where I have no skill set.....the best I do is Supermoons. In FL there is not much in the way of places that would provide a pleasing foreground or any type of artifact or monument along with the utter dark you really need.Sorry I can not comment much on technique or results other than it looks to be a great image to me. |
Jan 16th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
I know but the reason I included it were weird and all mine! I do a great many birds and Captiva is a special place in my heart ...given the impact of Hurricane Ian I wanted reassured that the birds had not deserted. Were I to print it or anything else I would submit without the shoreline, but I thought it gave some perspective a story how close the boat was.... |
Jan 14th |
| 73 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
Interesting note, the waves were significant, which is why I included the coast. And in case you didn't pick up on it there is also a small bird I left inĂ¢â‚¬¦..This is actually the Gulf side of the Island and for that matter the whole Peninsula, and it is rare for them to get any significant wave action. The three days we were there we had a proper surf. |
Jan 4th |
6 comments - 8 replies for Group 73
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| 76 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
Unique process and I do like the idea....I think in something this "different" you make conscious decisions on the end image.i have no expertise in the process since most times I either just want to get rid of a busy background and replaced either with something more pleasant or less cluttered. But I do not think that is the intention of blending in this case. Or perhaps ever. I will give you props for attempting something that Im sure I could not do at this point. But Im primarily a nature photographer (especially birds) so for me to comment on technique is inappropriate. But for a novice I happen to find the image pleasant and unique. |
Jan 27th |
1 comment - 0 replies for Group 76
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| 94 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
Thank you Judy, 5 days of sheer bliss. Nothing but worrying about mu camera settings for the shots I really wanted. |
Jan 27th |
| 94 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
Thank you Sarita, you will be seeing more from Costa Rico. Im still not totally done processing them!!!
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Jan 27th |
| 94 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
Thank you! I had a marvelous trip and a great few days to reinvigorate! This one is going to be printed and hung on a wall!!! Maybe a t-short would be nice as well! |
Jan 27th |
| 94 |
Jan 24 |
Reply |
Leslie the flowers are also affectionately called Bouncing Bells. And if you look them up you will find they are also edible. The flowers in CR were almost as amazing as the birds ;-)
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Jan 16th |
| 94 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
It's impossible to direct them, they outweigh you by a fair margin! I've resorted to longer distance shots for that very reason and try to isolate as good as you can...not always possible for sure and at that close range close to impossible. I've been to Africa twice and had to discard so many photos of elephants because I could not isolate them. But I sure do like that Matriarch. She is sharp and clear....I think on this one I would be tempted to crop severly and eliminate the sky and the elephants on the left. You might also try sky replacement .....and just do a 1X1 frame including sky. Just a few random thoughts. Nothing will take away the pleasure of that experience, which is the most important. |
Jan 8th |
| 94 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
At first, I thought this was the ocean....until I read your description and realized those were banks of clouds. I agree with Sarita, I would cut off some of the top of the sky ...all the interest is in those beautiful colors and the silhouettes of the people. I like that you took the image from above, it gives a completely different vibe to the image. And I so agree with you the best camera is the one you have with you!! And the cell phones do a decent job...I struggle with what they call their settings and can't imagine how they relate to what we see on a proper camera! |
Jan 8th |
| 94 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
Spoonbills are starting to change colors and they are so vibrant. I was photographing them over New Years...as we were in Captiva for a couple of days over holiday and I took the opportunity to go to Ding Darling which has plenty of Spoonies. Most likely that is where you were referring to in Sanibel. They're still pale pink over here at the moment. Just a beautiful shot showing off all their gorgeous colors! |
Jan 8th |
| 94 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
Not much to add that others have not already shared. Composition is great and Landscapes do require a different editing process.I started out on landscapes and "graduated" to wildlife. Mainly because Florida is a great birding state but you can only take so many sunrises on the beach and sunsets are much harder to achieve on the east coast. But the flat landscape is limiting. I edited the image just by using one of the "canned Profiles called Modern 7". I think it overdid the sky but certainly perked up the foreground. More than anything it was the trees that looked flat and that took care of it. But there are many ways to skin that cat (so to speak ....I'm a dog person ;-) ) |
Jan 8th |
 |
| 94 |
Jan 24 |
Comment |
Awesome shot of a beautiful bird!! I would not change one thing about this image. The colors on the bird.....like WOW! I have to look this one up...it is soooo stunning and different! Love the branch ..since it draws you into the bird , which clearly is the star of the image. Fabulous job!!
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Jan 8th |
5 comments - 4 replies for Group 94
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12 comments - 12 replies Total
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