Your Best/Favorite Image of 2015

[Rachel Hollander]

It's becoming a tradition that I start off these threads each year. It's time to reflect back on the past year and have some fun while doing so. Post your favorite image taken in 2015. No critiques allowed, just "great shot" and "WOW".

Post as a reply to this thread, your ONE favorite image that YOU took this year. If there's a backstory then tell us about it and why it's your favorite.

If you want to comment on an image and it is not the last post, just click "Reply with Quote" on the image you want to comment on.

Happy Holidays and a Healthy New Year to All!

The Moderators

[Rachel Hollander]

I'll start us off. I took this image while on a Winter Yellowstone Workshop led by Dale Franz. It was unseasonably warm and the snowpack was very low the first week in February. One of my goals going into the trip was to capture some wildlife in fields of snow. Despite the low snowfall, the weather and this fox cooperated for just a few minutes and I was able to capture this image. I wanted the minimalist look to it without a lot of detail in the snow.

Rachel

[Hazel Grant]

when I first opened this, I thought, "oh, it didn't come up," and then as I scrolled down, oh, my. I love the minimalist look of this. So many metaphors come to mind. thanks.

[Diane Miller]

Very nice!! Evocative environmental shot a gorgeous creature!

[Stu Bowie]

Although not in flight, Ive always liked this shot, as it was my last shot before I drove out of the nature reserve, close to where I live. Capturing this bird against a foliage BG, always brings out the best in him, especially when the tail is blowing in the wind.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Stu. I remember that image. Lovely!

[Allen Sparks]

Wonderful images Rachel and Stu.

This Kingfisher shot is my fave as it took quite a bit of patience to capture. I moved into a new neighborhood three years ago that has a 35 acre lake. I finally found a perch that she habituated regularly enough to wait for a shot (in full camo of course - the neighbors think I am crazy :S3:). After several tries she came to the perch and stayed for about 20 seconds. In this image she is making her rattling call and lifted her tail and perked up quite a bit for just a second or two.

[David Stephens]

Nice idea Rachel. All the shots so far are wonderful. Here's one of my favorites from this year:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5807/23164426546_ed2c9ac2cb_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/BhXJYA)Coyote Hunts In Snow - Explored' (https://flic.kr/p/BhXJYA) by David Stephens (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dcstep/), on Flickr

[William Dickson]

One of my faves. I spent a few weeks this year, photographing these small grebes. I worked out their daily routines, and discovered the best place to get closer :S3: Yes it was a great experience

Little Grebe aka Dabchick

Will

157752

[gail bisson]

Great shots everyone! Fun to see how our favorites are not the "perfect" ones. This image of a dowitcher is my favorite for 2015.

[David Cowling]

Nice to see all these great images. This is my favorite image of the year because I had been experimenting with ways to light insect images using bounce flash with white card and this one is just about what I was trying for.

157814

[Loi Nguyen]

I had always wanted to shoot a heard of elephants near water with a wide angled lens, but the opportunities don't come so easy. Few guides are knowledgeable enough to position the vehicle precisely at a river crossing and wait for the herd to come to you. If you see a heard and race towards the elephants, the chance is they will move away or get agitated or even charge the vehicles. On this occasion, our guide at Mala Mala knew exactly where the herd would be crossing and positioned the vehicle precisely at the crossing. It really shows that with wildlife photography, it is much better let the wildlife comes to us than us come to them.

5D3
1/800, F11, ISO-400, Aperture priority

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Loi

[Arthur Morris]

Macaroni Redemption

I was so blessed in 2015 that it is very difficult to pick a single image as a favorite but this one ranks right up there. To learn why, see the "How Often Do We Get a Second Chance? Redemption in the Snow" blog post here. (http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2015/12/20/how-often-do-we-get-a-second-chance-redemption-in-the-snow-at-effective-1280mm-7d-mark-ii-400mm-is-do-ii-eos-7d-mark-ii/)

This image was created on the 2015 Cheesemans’ South Georgia Expedition with the Induro GIT 304L tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens, (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081814-REG/canon_8404b002_ef_400mm_f_4_do.html/BI/6633/KBID/7226/kw/CA4004ISEFM2/DFF/d10-v2-t1-xCA4004ISEFM2) the Canon Extender EF 2X III (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/732111-USA/Canon_4410B002_Extender_EF_2X_III.html/BI/6633/KBID/7226/kw/CA2XEF3/DFF/d10-v2-t1-xCA2XEF3), and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081808-REG/canon_9128b002_eos_7d_mark_ii.html/BI/6633/KBID/7226/kw/CAE7D2/DFF/d10-v2-t1-xCAE7D2). ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode.

Center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. The active AF point was just below and behind the bird’s gape.

[David Stephens]

Macaroni Redemption

I was so blessed in 2015 that it is very difficult to pick a single image as a favorite but this one ranks right up there. To learn why, see the "How Often Do We Get a Second Chance? Redemption in the Snow" blog post here. (http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2015/12/20/how-often-do-we-get-a-second-chance-redemption-in-the-snow-at-effective-1280mm-7d-mark-ii-400mm-is-do-ii-eos-7d-mark-ii/) ...

.

Great story (follow his link) and image Artie. That's actually quite a simple image, perfectly exposed with a high resolution camera and an exceptional lens. All that allows us to see the Macaroni in detail we can't see with our eyes alone. Even with a great spotting scope we can't appreciate this level of detail, having the time to study the miracle of the feather patterns, eye detail, etc. just keeps drawing me to bird photography.

I'm glad to see that you seem to love your 7D MkII as much as I do mine. I see people dissing it all the time, but it's been nothing but a joy to me. With good technique, combined with Canon's best lenses, it's an amazing tool at an incredibly affordable price.

[Daniel Cadieux]

2015 was a very good year for me. Local rarities, unusual sightings, awesome behaviour stuff...but I keep coming back to this image of a humble and way abundant Eastern Gray Squirrel munching away on fruits during a snowfall in a local urban park. It shows you do not need to go far, or get "species of interest" to get something that just clicks.:S3:

[Arthur Morris]

Great story (follow his link) and image Artie. That's actually quite a simple image, perfectly exposed with a high resolution camera and an exceptional lens. All that allows us to see the Macaroni in detail we can't see with our eyes alone. Even with a great spotting scope we can't appreciate this level of detail, having the time to study the miracle of the feather patterns, eye detail, etc. just keeps drawing me to bird photography.

I'm glad to see that you seem to love your 7D MkII as much as I do mine. I see people dissing it all the time, but it's been nothing but a joy to me. With good technique, combined with Canon's best lenses, it's an amazing tool at an incredibly affordable price.


Great story (follow his link) and image Artie. That's actually quite a simple image, perfectly exposed with a high resolution camera and an exceptional lens. All that allows us to see the Macaroni in detail we can't see with our eyes alone. Even with a great spotting scope we can't appreciate this level of detail, having the time to study the miracle of the feather patterns, eye detail, etc. just keeps drawing me to bird photography.

I'm glad to see that you seem to love your 7D MkII as much as I do mine. I see people dissing it all the time, but it's been nothing but a joy to me. With good technique, combined with Canon's best lenses, it's an amazing tool at an incredibly affordable price.

Thanks. And yup, I love my 7D II especially when it is pretty bright out. A guy called me today and complained that he could not make sharp images with his. I told him to look in the mirror :)
a

[Arthur Morris]

2015 was a very good year for me. Local rarities, unusual sightings, awesome behaviour stuff...but I keep coming back to this image of a humble and way abundant Eastern Gray Squirrel munching away on fruits during a snowfall in a local urban park. It shows you do not need to go far, or get "species of interest" to get something that just clicks.:S3:

Too friggin' cute! a

[Marina Scarr]

A guy called me today and complained that he could not make sharp images with his. I told him to look in the mirror.

There was actually a major focusing issue with many bodies when the 7D2 first came out. They have since fixed the problem (without making any admissions), but maybe this guy had one of those copies? I'm not saying this guy has one of those early bodies, but it is a possibility.

[Arthur Morris]

There was actually a major focusing issue with many bodies when the 7D2 first came out. They have since fixed the problem (without making any admissions), but maybe this guy had one of those copies? I'm not saying this guy has one of those early bodies, but it is a possibility.

Could be. I had one of the first and it was fine. Most times it is operator error. I have found that because of the pixel pitch that it is a bit harder to make sharp images with the 7D II and the 5DS R when using long glass than it is with previous camera bodies....

Hope that you are doing well. a

ps: he just bought his last week :S3:

[David Stephens]

There was actually a major focusing issue with many bodies when the 7D2 first came out. They have since fixed the problem (without making any admissions), but maybe this guy had one of those copies? I'm not saying this guy has one of those early bodies, but it is a possibility.

Mine was in the first mass shipping. I have run into users in the field that have their settings all screwed up, either using too many AF points or not using high enough shutter speed. That seems very basic to us, but lots of users, based on my small in-field sample, don't know how to use the camera. (I find owners of Nikon 7100/7200s making the very same errors). Surely, there might have been some bad examples, but I think the reports are overblown. Anyway, that's ancient history since, "They have since fixed the problem."

[Steve Kaluski]

A tough call Rachel, but as you know, I adore my Bears, so this had to go in I feel :S3:.

An interesting few moments when this guy suddenly surfaced, probably the most dangerous species on the planet and one I have the most respect for. With zero time to think about composition, but enough time to dial in some settings, a but a bit of a frame filler even with the 70-200 and no problem pushing the ISO to 12,800 http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/smileys/icon_smile.gif.

Steve

Subject: Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) male, close-up
Location: Svalbard
Camera: Canon 1DX
Lens: 70-200f/2.8 MKII HH
Exposure: 1/1600s at f/8 ISO12,800
Original format: Landscape, very slight crop from the top and on the sides

[Joseph Przybyla]

Great Blue Heron

I love the way this image turned out. The light was magical which made post processing easy.

Nikon D7000
Nikon 80-400mm VRII AF-S ED shot at 400mm (600mm FFE)
1/1250 F/5.6 Matrix Metering +1 1/3 EV ISO 900, camera supported by a monopod
Post processed in Lightroom 6 and Photoshop Elements 10
Cropped for composition and presentation

[Dennis Zaebst]

Wonderful images all. This one was captured at Merritt Island NWR, in a particularly appealing pose. Except for a very slight crop and a bit of sharpening, this is SOTC. I noticed that it has very little evident grain, despite the ISO of 1600 on my original 7D. This is partly due to the predominant light colors.

Canon 7D; ISO 1600; 500 f/4L IS + 1.4x TCII; f/11 @ 1/1000 sec.

[Diane Miller]

Hard to pick a favorite, but I'll go with this one for being special. I'm pretty sure this was the initial test hop of the second sibling at a nest I was watching. One had made what I'm quite sure was his first hop 3 days before, and I'm pretty sure this is the second sibling, with his "older brother" watching with approval.

Canon 7D2, 300mm f/2.8 IS + 1.4X III, ISO 800, f/6.3, 1/2500 sec. Handheld. Processed in LR and PS.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Rachel!

I remember your fox image, I liked it so much. I like it even more today:cheers:

Warmest regards,

[Morkel Erasmus]

Great thread, thanks Rachel for starting it.
Wonderful images being shared up to now.

My image is not necessarily the most aesthetically moody/pleasing that I have taken this year, but it does represent the most amazing sighting I was fortunate to enjoy.
I was present when a pack of highly endangered African Wild Dogs (Painted Dogs) brought their 17 puppies (all from one alpha female) out of the den for the first time. The pack regurgitated food for the young pups and allowed them to explore and play for about 45 minutes before herding them back into their den. This all happened less than 20 meters from our vehicle, and we were the only people there.
:t3

I do have some images from this encounter that I deem better than this one, but I have scarcely processed 2% of images taken this year for want of time and motivation :2eyes2:

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Friends,

I trust you all had a wonderful Christmas, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year in 2016!

I am having some trouble finding a favourite image for 2015, so here's one scene that moved me - I hope it had a similar effect on you.

Nikon D4
Nikon 500 F4
ISO 1000
F7.1
1/640s

Warmest regards,

[Diane Miller]

WOW! Gabriella wins!! This is awesome and such a great title!

[Gabriela Plesea]

This is awesome, Stu! Superb capture of this stunning bird, beautifully exposed! So vivid I feel I can touch those tail feathers!

Warmest regards,

[Gabriela Plesea]

Steve, this Polar Bear image is crying for a big print. Wish I was there to experience this close encounter! Love the way the subject's face fills the frame, this is a very special capture - Congratulations!

Warmest regards,

[Steve Kaluski]

A very powerful image Gabriela and made even better with the choice of medium, although I just wonder how many would know the thinking behind the title? :S3:

[Gabriela Plesea]

Inspired from a couple of Pink Floyd lyrics, the title is open to interpretation:)

If all fails, there's always Mr. Google...

Thank you so much Steve, your comments are much appreciated, as always.

Warmest regards,

[Gabriela Plesea]

Morkel, I remember those sweet little pups! The chap in the middle is just adorable, love the slightly open muzzle and tiny teeth!!! Superb capture, I am delighted to see this again, great choice!

And Morkel...safe trip, drive carefully, don't forget to tick that checklist: cameras, lenses, converters, tripods, Lexar cards, other cards, card readers, laptop, chargers, hard drives, bean bags, supports, batteries, binoculars, sun screen SPF 50 (especially for the kids), wine, good food, medicines, etc etc etc...

[Arthur Morris]

Gabriella, Mork-man. You guys are rockin' it! a

[David Salem]

Stopped by to look at all the great shots posted here. Lots of beautiful and memorable frames. Fantastic job everyone!

Gabriella,
Not sure how this image came to be, but if it is a natural image, and it is unaltered, then I "HIGHLY" suggest that you enter this into the BBC photographer of the year contest. This is beautiful and exactly what they are looking for!! If it isn't natural, or it is altered, then congrats on a beautiful creation!! Print it either way!

[Gabriela Plesea]

Thank you so much dear Arthur and David, such kind words from you both.

David, I am listening:w3 I must admit I have never considered entering any contests before - will have another look at the processed image, as well as rules of the contest.

I would like to thank you all for your critique, views and encouragement. And to wish you a very Happy New Year, lots of photographic opportunities, good health and success in everything you do!

Warmest regards,

[Arthur Morris]

Thank you so much dear Arthur and David, such kind words from you both.

David, I am listening:w3 I must admit I have never considered entering any contests before - will have another look at the processed image, as well as rules of the contest.

I would like to thank you all for your critique, views and encouragement. And to wish you a very Happy New Year, lots of photographic opportunities, good health and success in everything you do!

Warmest regards,

You are welcome and good plan. About 95+% of my favorite images can not be entered in many contests. I often have to redo and image in order to enter it... a

[Gabriela Plesea]

You read my mind, dear Arthur:5

I do not use any plug-ins as such but even cloning a blade of grass is not permitted, I am told. Will do my homework properly. David got me excited and I love a good challenge. Something to look forward to, over the next few days:w3

[Andre Pretorius]

Some Wonderful images here..

This sums up my favourite place on Earth, my Holy Ground...the Kalahari..

Early morning, south of Polentswa.....

[Stuart Philpott]

On all levels you guys create some wonders that a guy like me can only dream of. (Gabriela I don't much like b/w but your image is so moveing). I hope it's ok for me to share while learning.

Shaz and I were chasing the fallow rut here in England we threw all we had and were found wanting but we will come back until we get it sorted. We finally found a stand and turned up at dawn on the only day we had we were met with fog but a promise of light later. An acorn bouncing of the car ruined an unobtainable shot of a buck in no light at yards ,but folks who don't know always have hope:w3 So we left to meander and come back to the stand when just a little more light was there. Quietly we stepped forwards into the wood,he might be there with his ladies, head to toe camo every step had care a whisper from behind "Stu, on the oak" but I didn't see her until it was too late. We buried ourselves in some nettles not much ,but just maybe enough. Meanwhile I cursed myself for once again missing my wonderful chance and hoped for the deer.

For the first time ever I was gifted that second chance,I couldn't get quite around all the nettles but this one is so special to me She is a beast for a spar(falconers term for female, male is musket) and I utterly suspect she has a favourite spot where we just happened to be waiting,so enough of the story My favourite for 2015 an incredible bird who came back to give the learner a chance :

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/574/22659201182_5e8e924789_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Awjk5s)F70F9972 (https://flic.kr/p/Awjk5s) by Stuart Philpott (https://www.flickr.com/photos/104924133@N07/), on Flickr

To all that have tried to help me Steve Andreas Diane and so many more my personal thanks have the best new year hopefully beyond your dreams

take care all

Stu

[Don Lacy]

Many excellent images posted so far. My main goal for 2015 was to improve my processing skill especially when it came to landscapes images so the image I chose is the first one where I felt it all came together.

[Sandy Witvoet]

Such a wonderful collection of images! Thank you all for the awesome "eye candy"!
This is rather my favorite, as it was March 24 and after a long cold winter here in northern Michigan I finally headed out to one of the local river-fed lakes that was partially free of ice. Parked my "tail" under a shrub in a blob of mud and snow and waited....and waited... and waited. After a couple of hours, not even a Mallard came within range. Just as I was ready to pack it in, this lovely pair of Common Goldeneyes made their appearance and put on a nice show for me. "He" was obviously in love... "She", not so much.
Canon 60D, 400 DO I, f5, ISO 400, SS 1/2000.
158230

[Jonathan Ashton]

Some really top class images here I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at them all.
I think this is one of my favourites mainly because I don't recall having seen a similar puffin shot previously, I must admit I did enjoy the owls though.
Camera Model Canon EOS-1D X
Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/2500
Av(Aperture Value) 7.1
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation +1
ISO Speed 2500
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

[Marina Scarr]

That is one heck of an image, Morkel, and I can only image how thrilling it must have been to witness these rare pups! TFS

[Marina Scarr]

Dear Friends,

I trust you all had a wonderful Christmas, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year in 2016!

I am having some trouble finding a favourite image for 2015, so here's one scene that moved me - I hope it had a similar effect on you.

Nikon D4
Nikon 500 F4
ISO 1000
F7.1
1/640s

Warmest regards,

This is a BBC worthy image, Gabriela!!! TFS

[Gabriela Plesea]

This is a BBC worthy image, Gabriela!!! TFS

Thank you so much Marina, also thank you for your support with Story Sequences Forum - I cannot find words to tell you how I appreciate everything:cheers::5

[Arthur Morris]

To all that have tried to help me Steve Andreas Diane and so many more my personal thanks have the best new year hopefully beyond your dreams

take care all

Stu

Hi Stu, I know that I am breaking the guidelines here but I liked this one so much that I just had to work on it a bit, mostly to eliminate the YELLOW color cast on the subject, plus some my NIK CEP 25/25 recipe on the bird only. Perhaps someone will forgive me :) a

[Steve Kaluski]

Perhaps someone will forgive me :) a

LOL Artie, I think we ALL can forgive you and Stu will be over the moon I know with the RP. :wave:

[haseeb badar]

WOW ! Splendid images and Thank you Rachel for starting this thread .

I love all my tiger images they are pretty hard to come by but the one i am posting here is my fav for 2015 because this sub adult happened to be the tiger who i got after nearly a year and secondly it was the image of the week at BPN ! ( my first time )

[Arthur Morris]

WOW ! Splendid images and Thank you Rachel for starting this thread .

I love all my tiger images they are pretty hard to come by but the one i am posting here is my fav for 2015 because this sub adult happened to be the tiger who i got after nearly a year and secondly it was the image of the week at BPN ! ( my first time )

Hey Haseeb, That is a stunner! Mazel tov. artie

ps: that raised paw is amazing!

[Stuart Philpott]

Hi Stu, I know that I am breaking the guidelines here but I liked this one so much that I just had to work on it a bit, mostly to eliminate the YELLOW color cast on the subject, plus some my NIK CEP 25/25 recipe on the bird only. Perhaps someone will forgive me :) a

OH
MY
GOD

Mr Morris (out of respect earnt, but please can we be Stu and Artie now:bg3:) you honour me good sir!! Artie,I'm mad rush, dashing from pillar to post, so popping in for a few momments to try and squeeze a bit more in to this unyeilding head of mine and I find this,i'm utterly bewildered humbled not great with words Artie!! How lovely of ya mate!!

Artie, these brethren of yours have been so kind,i'm here weeks and they push me and encourage i've learnt so many things and ponder so much my head hurts,i'm in awe of the time given. It's a precious thing in this world of ours that folks care about and help without asking back... thanks Artie for the imagination of a teacher applied to this with folks of a like mind.

Artie I am mad rush and seriously blown away on an emotional level that you liked my second chance, that she gave me.I need time to look hard and ponder what you have done can I say thanks and come back please I'm not really in a position to assess anything much,but had to make it clear how much joy you just gave me.

Artie I do adore the repost,can't articulate the kindness very humbled what can I say , other than thank you

take care

Stu

ps thankyou

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Stu,

re:

OH MY GOD

Glad that you liked.

Mr Morris (out of respect earnt, but please can we be Stu and Artie now:bg3:) you honour me good sir!!

Actually, I prefer artie to either of the above. And thanks for the respect intended and given :)

Artie,I'm mad rush, dashing from pillar to post, so popping in for a few momments to try and squeeze a bit more in to this unyeilding head of mine and I find this,i'm utterly bewildered humbled not great with words Artie!! How lovely of ya mate!!

:S3: I only wish that I had more time to devote to BPN. But I am huge busy with my amazingly educational blog and with travels. I fly to Japan on Sunday for 2 1/2 weeks.

Artie, these brethren of yours have been so kind,i'm here weeks and they push me and encourage i've learnt so many things and ponder so much my head hurts, i'm in awe of the time given. It's a precious thing in this world of ours that folks care about and help without asking back... thanks Artie for the imagination of a teacher applied to this with folks of a like mind.

Stu, all that I can say is that I understand and agree and that you are too kind. I hope that in some way my 26,660 posts here and my work on my blog has inspired others even though I am not around as much as I used to be.

Artie I am mad rush and seriously blown away on an emotional level that you liked my second chance, that she gave me.I need time to look hard and ponder what you have done can I say thanks and come back please I'm not really in a position to assess anything much,but had to make it clear how much joy you just gave me.

:) and surely.

Artie I do adore the repost,can't articulate the kindness very humbled what can I say , other than thank you

YAW. a

[Stuart Philpott]

Hi Stu,

re:

OH MY GOD

Glad that you liked.

Mr Morris (out of respect earnt, but please can we be Stu and Artie now:bg3:) you honour me good sir!!

Actually, I prefer artie to either of the above. And thanks for the respect intended and given :)

Artie,I'm mad rush, dashing from pillar to post, so popping in for a few momments to try and squeeze a bit more in to this unyeilding head of mine and I find this,i'm utterly bewildered humbled not great with words Artie!! How lovely of ya mate!!

:S3: I only wish that I had more time to devote to BPN. But I am huge busy with my amazingly educational blog and with travels. I fly to Japan on Sunday for 2 1/2 weeks.

Artie, these brethren of yours have been so kind,i'm here weeks and they push me and encourage i've learnt so many things and ponder so much my head hurts, i'm in awe of the time given. It's a precious thing in this world of ours that folks care about and help without asking back... thanks Artie for the imagination of a teacher applied to this with folks of a like mind.

Stu, all that I can say is that I understand and agree and that you are too kind. I hope that in some way my 26,660 posts here and my work on my blog has inspired others even though I am not around as much as I used to be.

Artie I am mad rush and seriously blown away on an emotional level that you liked my second chance, that she gave me.I need time to look hard and ponder what you have done can I say thanks and come back please I'm not really in a position to assess anything much,but had to make it clear how much joy you just gave me.

:) and surely.

Artie I do adore the repost,can't articulate the kindness very humbled what can I say , other than thank you

YAW. a

artie,thanks again as is outlined i'm learning all this ha that will never stop,but it is early days for me. I guess this is so special to me because it's that first image i've taken with my 1Div that really convinced me all the saving was worth while to get my new camera. I know photographers make the pictures,but as in all forms of life good tools are a joy to work with and my old brick is just that as well as something for me to grow into.

artie at this time I am only processing in dpp i'm hoping PS will follow soon so I can't do anything much selectively,i'm aware of nik but not CEP could you briefly enlighten me please or point me in a direction where I can do some research,i've hit a blank so far. The light was very strange that day I'm not yet assimilating all this as a photographer just a layman that looks and knows my patch. We are sat in the base of a shallow valley in fairly thick fog with blue sky showing occasionally above.I think the understory of autumn Hazel leaves are responsible for the yellow cast but hey it could be my doing. Andreas has also helped me with this very image( the guys have been incredibly kind he even took time to make me a little video) and Dpp so i've learnt a bit since posting this predominantly how the eye dropper tool can be used with regards to WB and also the use of gamma . I'm not great with the digital word artie ha or letters,so assimilating all this is very slow,but it's getting there slowly i'm really concentrated on the basics .

what you have done to my picture is wonderful artie again thanks so much for the time,did you sharpen her at all or use any noise reduction on the background. the colour is obviously much better on the bird itself but you have stayed pretty close to where the background of leaves appeared as far as I can remember.

Finally have the most wonderful and safe trip to Japan,not being widely traveled I can only dream of such things,but i'm very fortunate to have much to try for here in the middle of blighty,just wish I could get more time in with all this. Watching all these amazing animals and birds has always brought joy to me and my darling trying to take their pictures is something I adore,who knows whether i'll ever really master it ,but i'm having a blast on my little journey which is so often as important as the end result.

Don't rush to reply artie,you have done enough for me already with this repost,especially on the back of another long hard physical day, when I saw this I was utterly gobsmacked you made my week artie and probably have no idea how uplifting this was

take care

stu

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Stu,

re:

artie,thanks again as is outlined i'm learning all this ha that will never stop,but it is early days for me.

I am confused by what you mean by "ha."

I guess this is so special to me because it's that first image i've taken with my 1Div that really convinced me all the saving was worth while to get my new camera. I know photographers make the pictures,but as in all forms of life good tools are a joy to work with and my old brick is just that as well as something for me to grow into.

Good tools only help proficient carpenters...

artie at this time I am only processing in dpp i'm hoping PS will follow soon so I can't do anything much selectively,i'm aware of nik but not CEP could you briefly enlighten me please or point me in a direction where I can do some research,i've hit a blank so far.

CEP is NIK's Color EFEX Pro. You need to get Photoshop running first as it is a plug-in. Then do a search on my blog for NIK 50-50. I use that recipe often. It is detailed in my Digital Basics (https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=252) file.

The light was very strange that day I'm not yet assimilating all this as a photographer just a layman that looks and knows my patch. We are sat in the base of a shallow valley in fairly thick fog with blue sky showing occasionally above.I think the understory of autumn Hazel leaves are responsible for the yellow cast but hey it could be my doing.

Not you. Just a suffusion of light from those loverly leaves.

Andreas has also helped me with this very image( the guys have been incredibly kind he even took time to make me a little video) and Dpp so i've learnt a bit since posting this predominantly how the eye dropper tool can be used with regards to WB and also the use of gamma . I'm not great with the digital word artie ha or letters,so assimilating all this is very slow,but it's getting there slowly i'm really concentrated on the basics .

That is the way to do it.

What you have done to my picture is wonderful artie again thanks so much for the time,did you sharpen her at all or use any noise reduction on the background.

No and no.

The colour is obviously much better on the bird itself but you have stayed pretty close to where the background of leaves appeared as far as I can remember.

Yes, I selected only the bird and corrected the color on that layer only.

Finally have the most wonderful and safe trip to Japan,not being widely traveled I can only dream of such things, but i'm very fortunate to have much to try for here in the middle of blighty, just wish I could get more time in with all this. Watching all these amazing animals and birds has always brought joy to me and my darling trying to take their pictures is something I adore,who knows whether i'll ever really master it ,but i'm having a blast on my little journey which is so often as important as the end result.

For sure. Many tanks again for your kind words.

Don't rush to reply artie,you have done enough for me already with this repost,especially on the back of another long hard physical day, when I saw this I was utterly gobsmacked you made my week artie and probably have no idea how uplifting this was.

Mon pleasir Stu. a

[Stuart Philpott]

Hey artie how are you?
artie you are the busiest guy in the world and I can't keep up,yee gads:S3:. Ha= truncated ha ha .or maybe ah ha always said with the biggest smile and dependent on subject matter wistful or sometimes English irony, hmm, not quite the drier than desert stuff,I try to keep that in hand as not everyone understands. plausibly should be accompanied by an explanation mark.:bg3::2eyes2: artie make no bones about the fact that Eng lang is a big struggle in my life this is my achelies,but I have to use it so sometimes ok often, I laugh at myself. I guess this is in some way similar to "tanks" but you know what you are doing with Eng lang. moi not so much.

artie may I send you a pm, please? This is your forum,but still i'm me and this is Rachel's thread,I can't help but care about others mate,you liking my image enough to work on is so special for me, it;s poorly articulated above,but I just can't derail Rachel''s thread for me,it feels uneasy. I really hope this is getting over in the spirit intended.I know I'm not the best with words but I feel it's my turn to ask for forgiveness from Rachel. As much as I desparately want to talk to you I have to think of a lass that always encourages me ,this is in no way a snub artie. It's just me being who I am on a personal level.I'm so humbled by all this mate!!

Before I go artie, I do read some of your blog (can't keep up but quietly learn stuff) so have read of your nik 50/50 what I want to say though you made an image of a pelican pink background white washed rock ,seminal mate for me, the line between could i paint that and a photograph had me pondering for hours still do

take care

stu

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Stuart for all of your kind words. I hate PMs. Best is to go to the blog and shoot me an e-mail. I have however, long been a champion of threads taking off on tangents so long as learning is taking place so here is fine too :) a

[Stuart Philpott]

Thanks Stuart for all of your kind words. I hate PMs. Best is to go to the blog and shoot me an e-mail. I have however, long been a champion of threads taking off on tangents so long as learning is taking place so here is fine too :) a

Hiya artie,sorry so slow in replying. artie I agree with your sentiments( I go off topic for a pastime oft when trying to help another) . But in this case a sticky with hopefully more incredible images still to come from other members shot in 2015 I'd really like to think of the group first not moi.

But what about me posting my spar in ETL then I can quizz you(when you have time of course) and maybe someone else can learn a bit too,it seems like a cool compromise where I can be true to me . Maybe some of this can be moved there(ETL) I dunno, I'm sure you and the mods could move some of this somehow.

I just feel this thread is a bit special for everyone here and as a new guy who has been shown huge kindness I sort of want every member to post their favorite image and me not be in the way of that. I personally have loved looking at every one's images


Buddy on all levels THANK YOU I do hope I am getting this out in the spirit intended ,I find it hard to give back here,maybe this is my tiny way of saying thanks to everyone

hope you are having a ball in japan :bg3:

best

stu