Herring Gull Night Glow

[Randall Farhy]

Hi BPN, It's been a good while since I've posted. Looking forward to contributing on a more regular basis. This image was processesed in 2011 using Topaz Labs Software, a combination of simplify and adjust programs. It is the result of an experiment to learn about the software.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I really like the crop and the concept. I took the liberty of putting it into PS again and did a curves adjustment to darken the image and thought it gave it more of a night appearance. I should have masked the eyes back in, but it was quick. Just an idea.

[Randall Farhy]

Thanks Jackie, I do like how the contrast enhancement makes the bird pop off the background, when I rework the image I will definitely keep this in mind. Seagull's are one of the few birds in flight I don't mind cropped wings on as there are natural break points on the upper wing surfaces. Many a clipped wing shot can be saved this way as long as the head is in focus and there is something going on visually to keep the viewers interest.

[Randall Farhy]

I processed this one using the Photomatrix software on the same small file originally posted here. Whites are hot but I'm ok with it as blowing them out removes some of the color banding present in the shadows of the neck area. At some point I'll locate the original TIF and work it up from there.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Randall, nice to see you posting here and I think this is a really nice concept. I like the crop and simplify and prefer the darker background. Hope to see more of your images

[Randall Farhy]

Hi Cheryl, thanks for the warm welcome. My OOTB skills are rather limited-mostly global changes with lr5 tweaking etc, unlike some of the more capable visitors to this forum. I'm hoping to learn more about sofware capabilities and how to use it as well as expand my creative thought process, I believe this forum is a good place to learn and participate.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Randall, you'll learn a lot here! At the top of the page there is a sub forum called Educational Resources - there are several good tutorials in there and probably the most important one if you're tackling Photoshop is a Layer Tutorial by Diane Miller. Don't be shy - we've got a lot of members who will be happy to answer any question you might have.