This is full frame and I added a little canvas on the left. Basically just increased contrast -- it was in soft light. 300mm f/2.8 + 2X. I was looking for one in the trees and didn't expecting to get this close to one.
Midnight in the Garden of the Egrets
This is full frame and I added a little canvas on the left. Basically just increased contrast -- it was in soft light. 300mm f/2.8 + 2X. I was looking for one in the trees and didn't expecting to get this close to one.
Last edited by Diane Miller; 09-01-2013 at 05:28 PM.
Very nice capture!! I wish I could get that close to one! Nicely presented. I love the play of light on it. I'll have to go through my egrets and I can probably find one that would make a good theme image.
Great work for this week's theme, Diane. Nice interplay of the shadows and great detail on the egret. I like that you added the canvas to the left. I might try darkening or blending the background a bit, but very lovely as is.
Thanks, Cindy! I had darkened it a lot (it was just a light gray in the original capture) and going more just didn't look quite right. Another case of seeing how far you went makes the adjustment seem almost too far, and the original really flat!
Judy, go to Gatorland or St Augustine Alligator Farm. They're used to tourists and you can get very close. Or Lake Morton in Lakeland -- an urban park. There are feeding stations there so they're all on welfare, and they are very used to the people who stroll around the lake and feed them. They'll almost pick your pockets.
Diane,
Greetings. I always drawn to feather detail & like what you've got here. Interesting look as a portrait. You might see if you like a crop from the top about half way to the top feathers, for some reason a tighter crop on top works for me.
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
-Michael-
Yes, that could work -- thanks! It's tight enough everywhere else that it would fit.
I like the flow of lines and shapes and how they move through the frame. Nice detail in the feathers. This works nicely in B&W. I find the darker shadows on the right a bit distracting. My eyes go right to the head, eye, bill of this lovely heron.
I hope to get to one of those places some day! I decided to play with your image a bit to see if I could bring out more detail in the feathers. Took a lot longer than I thought with some masking. I first used Topaz Clarity on one layer, and Detail on the same layer. Then on the base image I used Nik Silver Efex where I selectively lightened the dark streaks. I liked it, but it might have been too contrasty in places so I blended the 2 layers with masking which brought back more detail and a bit less brightness. Just an experiment, I'm not saying it's better, just an alternative. I also selected the background and ran Noiseware on it because there were artifacts from the increased detail.
Originally Posted by Diane Miller
Last edited by Judy Howle; 09-02-2013 at 11:58 AM.
Perfect image for the theme, good advice given and taken above. The B & W effect works well on the egret. Love the sharpness and detail on the bird. TFS
Diane, a great image for the theme. I like both versions and could also see Michael's suggested post. I especially like the intense egret stare and the shadows which heighten the drama
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" - The Little Prince
http://tuscawillaphotographycherylslechta.zenfolio.com/
Oh, yeah, I also cropped some from the top as it worked better for me too.
Wow is this sharp! I like the play of shadows on the body, the black BG, and the pensive look.
Black & WHite really works well on this one.
Thanks, everyone. Judy, I'll try that sharpening routine when I'm back home next week. Always looking for sharpness! (Although maybe not everywhere.)
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