Night Heron fractal

Hi Folks...

I hope you will bear with me until I can pony up the funds to join and post my images right here... I'm having to host my stuff elsewhere for the time being...:(

Here's a digiscoped image of a juvenile Great Blue Heron hiding in the reeds. I ran the image through Fractalius using Glo100 and, along with some additional post-processing (enhancing some of the resulting glow lines and cleaning up a few stray lines), this image resulted. It reminds me of what the bird might look like at night with a full moon overhead shining on it. Critiques appreciated...


http://arcadian7.deviantart.com/art/...eron-156352564

Donna, I took the liberty to download your image so everyone could see it. I love the glow from the filter and the mood created. I might evict the line that intersects w/ the beak. I wish for a better HA. Nice work w/ the filter and looking forward to more.

thanks, Denise... I'll see what I can do with some additional clean up... and thank you for going ahead and allowing my work to be posted here...

I can't wait to find a full time job again... sigh....

Donna, welcome! Although I agree with the points Denise made I think you did a wonderful job on the use of the Fract program here. I really like the way the eye draws your attention to the entire bird. Lovely image!

thank you very much, Jules... if you saw the original image, I feel using the program saved it from the delete button. I'm finding I can "save" images that probably are not worth their salt except to make me smile.

I apologize, but Denise... what do you mean by HA? I'm still learning the lingo... big blush!!!

Donna, HA -is head angle. You can check out the acronym list in the Tutorial and Repository forum. Here is the link. There are so many and it is a very useful page.:)
http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=12682

You may also find this page about the "head angle police " useful. I know I did when I first joined.
http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ead.php?t=7781

thanks so much... I'll take a peek (probably print it for future reading too)... I KNOW I have so much to learn... can't wait for summer when I can get outside and play with a camera again!!!

ok so just a quite perusal of the "HA" link and I gather that my image would have been better if the bird had his head turned ever so slightly towards me to be a 'winner'. Now, I have to ask... and this is splitting hairs... what if the bird never does? Or, what if the intention of this image is that the bird is looking off into the distance away from the observer? Is it still a shot you delete? I'm trying to understand the rationale behind it all so I understand more of what I should look to accomplish.

Donna, The image has to be appealing to you most of all. You are the creator and it is your image, These "rules" are more like guidelines and they have been created to help you make the most pleasing image in camera. And just because someone says this is how your image should be doesn't mean that it is right for you. Try to take all of the info and make the best image that appeals to you. At least that is what I do.:)

I totally understand... just looking for the reasoning behind the guidelines... oh, I know it's me first and all other opinions later but if I ever get to the point of wanting to get above the 'just me' thing, then I want to know what people would consider a proper photo. Just trying to figure out what makes a "winner" to the majority of people. It helps to understand what people are looking for in a photo so I can strive to improve my ability.

That's exactly right, Donna. It does matter most what the creator of the vision/photograph thinks but it never hurts to understand the basic "rules" of a particular type of image because those (so-called) rules usually means that is what the majority of people will find pleasing and, if one is looking to sell their work, pleasing the majority of people will warrant larger sales.

That said...one must also remember that the photographer's vision is what ultimately sets their images apart from all the others. A great way to learn what is a "rule" for a particular type of photograph (i.e. avian, landscape, macro, etc.) is to visit that forum and read through the critiques of the images, looking for patterns and repeated advice. Spending some time reading critiques straight down a forum wall will no doubt leave you with the "do's" and "do not's" and then you can decide what rules to break and what rules to follow for each of your images. Hope that helps!

Welcome...nice image to start off with...most things mention above, very good advice..keep them coming

Very nice mood Donna. Agree about removing the branch intersecting the beak. Looking forward to more of your creations.

thank you for the kind comments... I'm sure there will be more as time permits.