Knot-scape

[Arthur Morris]

Red Knots feeding along the Gulf, Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. Pre-dawn.

Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS lens handheld at 70mm. One-shot AF; focused on the birds and refocused. Glanced at bubble level before making the image.

ISO 400, Evaluative metering+1 1/3 stops: 1/40 sec. at f/11.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

[Dan Brown]

Red Knots feeding along the Gulf, Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. Pre-dawn.

Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS lens handheld at 70mm. One-shot AF; focused on the birds and refocused. Glanced at bubble level before making the image.

ISO 400, Evaluative metering+1 1/3 stops: 1/40 sec. at f/11.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.


Very nice scenic/birds shot. I had to check the horizon and it is "right on level" ! I am confused about what you mean about "focused on the birds and refocused"? Dan Brown

[Arthur Morris]

Very nice scenic/birds shot. I had to check the horizon and it is "right on level" ! I am confused about what you mean about "focused on the birds and refocused"? Dan Brown

Hey Dan, Thanks for catching my brain typo---too many posts today.

It should have read "focused on the birds and re-composed." :confused: :o :)

[Dan Brown]

YAW Art! I thought that this is what you ment, but with the major DOF in the shot, I also thought that you may have been doing some kind of hyperfocal thing! With the amount and frequency that you are posting, a little "brain typo" or any other typo is bound to happen. **** happens! Dan Brown

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Artie,
I'll meet you 1/2 way..........If I can convince you to carry a 3 stop grad ND............I will be crop a little looser on the birds. Alternative is an HDR.
This one was a bit bright overall. I darkened the image and toned down the highlighs of the clouds. The blues looked a bit off.........even though at sunrise they do get that turquoise look......still a bit neon.....so I went with a magenta color correction. Maybe a bit much.......but I do remember you like the soft pastels which I think I brought up. Finally........a bit of beach clean up to the lower frame.........I didn't like the band at the bottom......so just made it even toned. I generally like darker toned images of sunrise/sunset.....but if this is too dark for you........somewhere in the middle may be a happy medium for your taste. No clipping on the flock is a huge bonus as clean edges are always great........but I am guessing you used the 40D........as i ran some noise Ninja on the sky after all of the corrections.
Let me know your thoughts either way as others get a lot from our comments even if you disagree!

[Robert Amoruso]

Roman,

Too dark for me. So I tried something different. And knowing Artie, I think I know why he left the sand at the bottom so I left that alone in my repost.

Artie,

I like the composition as having the birds in the FG adds visual interest. My bird problem at Canaveral where I go for sunrise is that I have no good FG elements to add interest (lately, going at low tide gives me nice reflections of the clouds however). What through me was the "hole" in the cloud line at the right. Nice puffy clouds starting at the left and then they fizzle out on the right. A bit of quick masking and blending add I add clouds. I was not real careful so some repeating patterns are present. More careful work would look better.

Then I did a curves adjustment and darkened the whole image. Then I did my favorite little trick, a photoshop 3 stop graduated ND filter using a gradient mask on the curves layer. I draw the mask through the horizon. Trick is the start just below the horizon to just above the horizon. Creates a nice transition and darkens the water closest the horizon.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Robert,
I still might go a little darker on your sky..........but that is my tastes. The added cloud is killer! Now that you told us ........I see where it came from but do agree.......with a bit more work......very nice fix. Still not loving the sand line. I will be interested to see what Artie thinks.

[Jasper Doest]

Artie, I absolutely love everything about this.....awesome!

[Stephen Stephen]

Beautiful scene Artie. I do like the modifications to enhance the clouds in the distance.

I've been using the PS Graduated ND Filter trick/option to compensate for my current lack of real ND filters (sorry Roland). So far I'm pleased with the improvement to my skys/

[Matthew Kuchta]

I think Artie got it right the first time. I like the pastel colors and the "purposefully random" birds.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks all. Too-Tight's version is too dark for me and there is no way that I would ever take out my beloved strip of sand (Good going Robert!) I would never have thought to add a cloud but it came out great and there is really no repeated pattern that I see.

Now, who is gonna add a qiuck tutorial here for using the gradient tool; I saw a demo once, tried it myself, and had no clue... The tutorial must, however, be written clearly so that even I can understand it. That done, I will move this thread to the ER. Thannks again.

ps: Anyone know who coined the term bird-scape? :) :D :)

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I like it. The extra cloud adds to the image. However, I am not inclined to tamper with it. Roman's version appears to be slightly darker to me. I love the colours of the water. I believe the strip of sand at the bottom adds to the image. I always love landscapes with an animal or bird in it. Thanks Artie, for creating this compelling landscape. I am sure it would serve an a nice educational resource.

[Robert Amoruso]

Thanks all. Too-Tight's version is too dark for me and there is no way that I would ever take out my beloved strip of sand (Good going Robert!) I would never have thought to add a cloud but it came out great and there is really no repeated pattern that I see.

Now, who is gonna add a qiuck tutorial here for using the gradient tool; I saw a demo once, tried it myself, and had no clue... The tutorial must, however, be written clearly so that even I can understand it. That done, I will move this thread to the ER. Thannks again.

ps: Anyone know who coined the term bird-scape? :) :D :)

I will put something together for it and post in the educational forum.

[Kaushik Balakumar]

This is a very informative thread. Personally, I liked the original post.
@ Robert Amuroso: Will look forward to your post on digital GND filter using a gradient mask...

[Arthur Morris]

An afterthought. I do like Robert's clouds and look forward to the gradient tutorial, however, in the original image the wave on our right balances the composition nicely with the clouds to the left. (I had forgotten why I chose my spot...)