Nittany Lion

This larger-than-life statue of the Penn State mascot is said to be the most-photographed site on campus. The first shutter click that started this image was at 10:15 pm on a cold, wet late-November day about three years ago. The date was good because many students had probably left campus for Thanksgiving, so I had the statue to myself. The cold, wetness, and time of day might have contributed to that, as well. Nighttime was good for two reasons. Shadows and dappled sunlight can be problems during the day, and there is good back-lighting at night. (Day or night, most people seem to photograph the lion from the other side.) The wet surface of the statue likely gave better reflections.

Nikon D2X, ISO 400, f/8, zoom lens at 30mm, six-exposure HDR at 1 EV intervals

post-processing highlights

• A spotlight and light from some house windows were healed away.
• Topaz Simplify -- Watercolor II preset, reduced opacity, lightly masked from the catchlight in the eye
• background lighting -- Alien Skin Eye Candy (Backlight feature) and Digital Film Tools' Rays were used to supplement the light on the other side of the lion so it would better stand out against the background.
• Flypaper Textures -- two filters, a brownish one with Divide blend mode, and a bluish one, both to add blue to the background
• Photo Filter adjustment layer -- Warming 85 to warm up the whole image
• Fractalius -- three b&w presets based on the old Sketch preset, Multiply blend mode (The darkest preset was masked off the lion.)
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- Stylize Line Art b&w layer, Multiply blend mode

Dennis, this is really outstanding! I like the perspective you have captured... it gives the feel of a crouching lion on prowl! Excellent use of light and shadow... specially the top light makes it stand out. What's more remarkable is your processing and set of filters you have used... outstanding texture and color! Thanks for sharing the steps.

This is fantastic! You gave life and energy to this statue! The lighting you created, the sketchy lines on the lion, the dark, moody sketchy bkgd, etc. are all perfect. Outstanding mastery of techniques and filters for this image. I doubt that anyone else photographing this lion has created anything as dramatic as this.

I absolutely LOVE this, Dennis! There is power AND subtlety at work here. Rare combination. TFS the work flow as usual.

Ditto the above. Thanks for sharing steps not only for the processing but for your choice of timing to take the photo.

Beautiful work as always. I love the angle you chose for the photo. The lion looks intense, almost alive. That eye is excellent. Beautiful lights and shadows. Gorgeous colors. Everything works here.

Dennis, this is superb:S3: The lighting is wonderful and he truly looks real to me. Great job!