Re-Mastered

When I reprinted the original The Art of Bird Photography a few years ago (on my own dime after learning that used hardcovers were selling for $575 and used softcovers for $375 on e-Bay) I had the chance to "re-master" the scan. I eliminated a few distracting branches, opened the male's eye, and applied a ton of noise reduction (and Surface blur) to the BKGR. I loved the result. Interestingly enough the new version appears on the cover while the chapter opener (page 148) remains the same.

Canon FD (manual focus!) 800mm f/5.6L lens with the Canon T-90. Fuji Velvia pushed 1 stop to ISO 100. Center-weighted Average metering -1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

A fitting way to celebrate your 20K milestone!! Congrats!! Probably your most recognized image, being on the cover of your well-received book. A bit of jpg compression on the web version here, but it's nice to compare both versions from the actual book.

Here's to 20K more...or more!:S3:

indeed quite a long journey ...

In our country Pepsi has a key line which i would express here though i dont dring Pepsi's :)

Hindi : (Yeh Dil Maange More)
English : (My heart says More)

Cheers Artie keep going and giving us guidance.:tinysmile_shy_t:

It's a fantastic image and an even better book, Congratulations on the 20K. You are the driving force behind BPN. Your passion for photography, birds and teaching shows through in each and every post. Thank you for everything you have done to help us all become better photographers.:S3:

Classic image to celebrate your 20k milestone, Artie. Perfect interaction and composition. I much prefer the full image to how it appears on the cover of the book with the virtual feet cropped off. Hard to be certain at this res but it seems that some of the leaves on the male's offering may have been caught up in the BG blur. Thanks for all your generously shared knowledge.

Congrats on 20,000 Artie! A fitting post for your 20,000th. With all the advances in PP you will probably be reposting another remastered version at 30,000! I love this picture. The poses are what I love the most. Agree with Tony re: clipping some of the leaves on the offered branch with the BG blurring.
What is JPEG compression?
Gail

Re-mastered? Oh my goodness. Mr. Lucas, Star Wars is an iconic film that belongs to all....oh wait, wrong forum.

I like the re-mastered image better. The one thing I have learned from these forums is there is always a better way/version/attitude. Thank you Arthur for driving that home through 20,000 posts. I look forward to your next 20,000.

p.s. I'm okay with the re-mastered Star Wars too.

Regards

John Haig.

A spectacular shot then and now. The compressed jpeg here doesn't really do justice to the cover image, but I suppose that's usually the case. Interesting - I never thought to compare the cover and p148, but do I detect a little eye-doctor work on the remaster? Congrats on the milestone. Thank you for everything you do to help all of us who aspire to achieve art in our photography.

congrats on 20K...as fitting an image as can be. It certainly has come out well.....whats great is that moment there with the two eyes of the female visible and the beautiful plumage.

Wonderful image. I love the poses and eye contact of both birds. Congrats and thank you for 20,000 posts.

20,000....what effort you have put into this site. Your image is a fitting way to celebrate it. Thank you for all you do.

Artie, I loved reading the techs for this image can you imagine the outcry if you handed someone today a digital camera and told them the usable ISO was 50-200 and that it would only shoot in jpeg without any exposure correction in post processing. Oh yeah I forgot it also could not auto focus to boot.

Yes, thank you so much for your invaluable time and expertise offered, Artie. You have made BPN a fantastic resource.
This image is absolutely iconic.

Beautiful picture, Artie. I love the poses and the composition. Congratulations on the 20,000 milestone.

Congratulations Artie! The cover image of a book that got me into bird photography. Love the remastered version with some distractions removed.

Congrats on the 20k, Artie! Great "re-mastering" Master! Would you consider re-scanning or was this original scan done on a super scanner?

Excellent interaction and the fact that it was made with a film camera makes it a special and memorable photograph. I have never used MF in my life, :t3

This image also shows how digital has revolutionized photography.

I own the softcover book...wow 20K, congrats....

A beautiful image, i hesitate to criticise because it is such a well caught moment, I would suggest however that the colours are a little too saturated- although non the less they look very nice.

congrats guru.. thank you for the inspiration.. :cheers:

Congratulations on 20K!! Your book was my first on bird photography, and inspiration, and I still have it. Thank you for all the knowledge that you impart to so many.

Well I will certainly have to add it to my collection Art. I have already learned from you as well as fellow members so I look forward to it. Congratulations on your success, can't beat doing what it is you love. The image captures the great behavior between the two that is always a pleasure to watch.

A classic image - wonderful in every way!
Big congrats on the 20K milestone, Artie! I'm right behind you - just 19K to go :)

Your contributions to nature photography are truly nonpareil. Thank you!
Here's to the next 20K.

Artie,

For me it is not an image.

It is an Icon. Changed my life for sure!

-Sid

How about I celebrate my 1000th post by congratulating you and thanking you once again? Thank you!

With manual focus did you pre focus on a particular part of the image anticipating the arrival of the stick carrying second bird. What would you do differently if presented wirh the same image unfolding with todays gear?

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Originally Posted by Tom Rambaut

With manual focus did you pre focus on a particular part of the image anticipating the arrival of the stick carrying second bird. What would you do differently if presented wirh the same image unfolding with todays gear?

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Hi Tom,

Good questions. Well, for starters, I could not have framed it with the 800 and a 1.3X camera so I would have needed something shorter. I always focused manually on the subjects eyes (or tried to). If I happened to be standing behind a 600 with the Mark IV (780 instead of 800) exposure would likely have been zero but I might have needed -1/3 stop to save the WHITEs. 50D and Nikon users would have needed more underexposure.... I would have chosen a sensor just above center and AI Servo rear focused on the male's upper breast (bottom of the neck). And I would have held the hammer down instead of making only two images. :S3:

This image is a icon, like your book...
I don't know the diferences to the first one, bacause i've not buyed the book yet (it,s on my plans, but will wait for the end of BirdsAsArt photography contest :bg3:)

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Hi Tom,

Good questions. Well, for starters, I could not have framed it with the 800 and a 1.3X camera so I would have needed something shorter. I always focused manually on the subjects eyes (or tried to). If I happened to be standing behind a 600 with the Mark IV (780 instead of 800) exposure would likely have been zero but I might have needed -1/3 stop to save the WHITEs. 50D and Nikon users would have needed more underexposure.... I would have chosen a sensor just above center and AI Servo rear focused on the male's upper breast (bottom of the neck). And I would have held the hammer down instead of making only two images. :S3:

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Artie, would you consider re-scanning with newer equipment? (I asked this down below but it probably is buried!)

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Originally Posted by Dan Brown

Artie, would you consider re-scanning with newer equipment? (I asked this down below but it probably is buried!)

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Yes Dan. Was that here? I am gonna start a new thread on the best scanner. We have 100,000+ slides and have not had a scanner for probably eight years. Never had any luck with them....

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Yes Dan. Was that here? I am gonna start a new thread on the best scanner. We have 100,000+ slides and have not had a scanner for probably eight years. Never had any luck with them....

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Yea, pane 16. I see the new thread. Hoping for some info there! Thanks

Thanks Dan. Sorry that I missed that the first time around.... I am usually pretty thorough. :e3