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He's watching you, by the light of the full moon...
I've had this idea for a while and have finally gotten around to doing some work on this image. :c3: I think it would be fun to try putting in a night sky with clouds and moon, so there might be a 2 and even a 3. :eek:
Fractalius, of course with some layer mask brushing to put detail where I wanted it. Also used the dodge tool to bring out the highlights in a few spots.
New to fractalius , and loving it. Like this one alot. Good choice of subject and preset as well as treatment. Bringing back the eyes was a great idea. gotta love that stare.:c3:
Kerry, Very nice stare ,pose and BG. The fract work and revealed eye look great. I had to read the title twice! Very clever:S3:
Beautiful image, Kerry. Very nice pose and frac effect, and I love the look that he was giving you. :S3: I wouldn't change a thing!
Thank you! This was one of those situations that just appeared out of nowhere. I was on my way to a spot called More Mesa, in Santa Barbara. It is a preserve on the coast where I have gotten some great White-tailed Kite shots and other good opportunities. I was walking through the very dense trail that leads to the western edge of the mesa. I was specifically looking to capture the nesting kites, and since it is not possible (ethically) to get very close to the nesting site, I had the 1.4x converter on the camera along with the 400mm f/5.6 lens. I was walking along the trail when my spider sense felt the presence of something big (can't really explain that one, but you know what I mean!). I looked to my right and there was this magnificent Great Horned Owl just sitting there staring at me. I hastily set the SS to 1/30 and flipped up the on-camera flash. Then I realized that I couldn't possibly get this bird in the frame with the extender on! The trail was so dense that I couldn't back up far enough. I was only 10 feet away from the owl. While my heart was pounding and my brain thinking "don't fly, don't fly!", I carefully removed the extender and took another look. This bird just sat there watching me as I tried to get the best composition I could, as he filled my frame completely. As time stood still, I clicked off shot after shot until we both got bored and he gave me this look. A sweet moment and one that doesn't happen often, that's for sure. :c3: He never did fly, so I took my fill of shots and moved on. I have looked for him at this spot several times since and never seen him again. I'm glad I have the photographic evidence, because sometimes it seems like it didn't really happen.
Sweet Kerry! A work of art! This looks like a pastel on black paper! Cool!
Look at those eyes!!! They totally make this image sing. Beautiful fract work, Kerry!
Excellent composition, Kerry. Love the great horned's pose and the eyes. Dark bg and the fract makes it stand out. Nice work.
Awesome capture and detail, Kerry! The frac work is perfect. Really appreciate the story that goes with it. :S3:
Kerry, I love the frac work, love the pose, and love the story:S3:
Kerry, very nice use of fractalius, love the stare and the pose. I agree with you this would look great with a night sky effect and full moon added to it.
