Under down

http://morrisaltman.zenfolio.com/img...69168291-5.jpg
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D70s + 80-400 VR @ 400mm, ISO 200, 1/400, f 5.6, fill flash (SB800)<o:p></o:p>
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I’d realized that there is an angel to get under a swan’s wing when they are preening and waited a few years for the opportunity. This opportunity came along one September morning just as the sun cleared the tree line at Oakland Lake here in New York City. I lay on the sand beach about 12 feet from the swan and had a blast taking intimate close up images. This was my favorite of the set. The color image is also quite beautiful.<o:p></o:p>
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Comments and suggestions welcome,<o:p></o:p>
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Morris<o:p></o:p>

Truly stunning, Morris, and very artistic. It's so angelic. Love all the details on the swan's chin and the light coming through the feathers. I think the only thing that could improve this picture for me would be that the head/eye not be right in the middle of the photo but I would imagine there are others out there with more of an artistic eye that could better advise. How much of a crop is this and where do you have more space? Don't you just love it when you plan a photo for years and it finally comes to fruition?

Hi Morris, this is an interesting idea. I like the preening pose and B&W, however the image would have a much stronger impact if the head was parallel to the back of the camera with eye contact.

Artie Morris has a great tutorial on HA, have a look when you get a chance, it is very helpful

http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...le-Fine-Points

It needs a bit more eye contact and less noise to work for me.
Nice idea, I would maybe go full Gaussian for something like this.

Thank you Marina,</SPAN>

This is framed as photographed so there is no wiggle room. With all the leading lines to the face and eye, I feel a centered subject works. There is also the play of contrast and all of this will make the viewer look in the middle. A lot of my best images have been pre-visualized and like this one I’ve had to wait a long time to create some of them.

Thank you Arash,</SPAN>

Having eye contact would create a very different image. The intimacy that I wanted would be lost and instead the feeling would be that of invasion of space. There are defiantly times for eye contact and as you get to know me you will see that I use it and in fact one of the reasons I use fill flash is to create catch light in the eyes. I do appreciate your feedback.</SPAN>

Morris</SPAN>
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Thank you Dan,</SPAN>

Take a look at my comment to Arash related to eye contact. Everyone has their own tolerance for nose. I’m surprised this level of noise bothers you yet you are entitled to your own taste.</SPAN>

Morris</SPAN>

Really like the idea Morris. Very creative composition.

Morris, I never do this, but since you asked for why I would want less noise,
as long as you are going for ethereal, might as well go all the way.
Just my take.


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I like this very much. It is so nice to see something different. Would love to see the color version as well. If I had one wish ,it would be to have the eye slightly less centered and moved to the left. I would take a bit of RHS and that would still leave all the leading lines to the eye intact and put the eye slightly off center.
Gail

Hi Morris, I have seen this earlier and liked it very much...your style is different for sure and has an artistic touch to it...I agree some more eye contact would have made it even more appealing.

Thank you Sid,<o:p></o:p>
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Thank you Dan,<o:p></o:p>
Some people would get very upset with your altering their photo. I’m not complaining. You have traded blur for noise, the background blow seems a bit more intense. This comes done to taste and I can’t say that I like what you have created.<o:p></o:p>
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Thank you Gail,<o:p></o:p>
I’ll post the color version and one taken a moment later with the eye more to the right in the classic thirds intersection.<o:p></o:p>
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Thank you Sachin,<o:p></o:p>
Take a look at the 2 versions I’m putting up.<o:p></o:p>
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This is the color version:<o:p></o:p>
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http://morrisaltman.zenfolio.com/img...47107106-5.jpg</o:p>
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And this is off center with deeper focus which is not a benefit:<o:p></o:p>
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<o:p>http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/~maltman/DSC_4245A.jpg</o:p>
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I wish the focus were the same in both samples, this is the closest I have from the set.<o:p></o:p>
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So what do you think?<o:p></o:p>
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Morris<o:p></o:p>

Morris:

A fun creation/interpretation. The B&W original post is my favorite, color is only a distraction here. I played with several variations on the cropping. I ultimately would consider a small crop from the right to decrease the mass of dark, low detail area there, but still retain the leading line created by the neck and top of body. The eye immediately goes to the lighter areas of this image, and then wander over to the eye.

I could see a version with a little more detail teased out of the eye/face area, and tried that also.

Look forward to additional creative images, as I love to think about composition, masses, lines, etc.

Cheers

Randy