Tern in flight, Forsythe Reserve 2012

[Randall Farhy]

Another from my 2012 visit to the reserve. Overcast day, capture slightly under-exposed to preserve highlights. Topaz adjust>DAP Acryl Real, reduced brush size, custom palette on color match mode, adjusted sliders. Retouch for detail and outline>LR5 for tweaks, cropping (~35%) and output. Noticed a dark spot above the bird's head that I'll go back and remove. As always, C&C welcome and appreciated.

[Anita Bower]

Lovely. I can almost feel the bird gliding along. I like how the wings go from frame to frame. The bg is beautiful--unusual and pleasing. I might tone down the pinks and the two roundish shapes in the whitish area above the bird.

[Wendy Kates]

This is beautiful, Randall. I love the sharpness of the bird against the abstract background. I actually like the pinks, but think that the blacks in the background might be a bit too dark and contrasty compared to the rest of the image.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Randall, I love this one. Background colors really add to the image.

[Mitch Carucci]

Nicely done! Love the textures and the tern balances perfectly against the background.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Gorgeous. The bird is so sharp and the bg colours are beautiful. Thanks for tips on the DAP program.

[Nancy Bell]

Well done! Love the combo of the large tern against the abstract layers of the bkgd! Although the bkgd is abstract, I like that the colors have a basis in reality, with the blue possibly being water, greens & pinks as vegetation and a lighter layer as sky. If it was me I would probably remove what looks like water spots, 2-3 right above the head of the tern and 2 large ones above the back of the tern in the "sky" layer. They distract from the horizontal flow of the layers. I also like the blues in the wings and back of the tern and that it ties in with the blues of the bkgd. Wendy has a good point about the blacks being so dark. DAP is tempting....

[Arthur Morris]

I need to be the odd man out here... The colors do not work well together for me and the splotchy upper edges of the two green strips are not pleasing to my eye. I'd love to see the original capture as the image is sharp and the wing position pleasing.

[Randall Farhy]

Thanks everyone! I agree that this one has issues with distracting spots and the darker values being strong. I wasn't sure how the saturation, notably the pinks, would be perceived. While I like their presence, there is something distracting about them. Perhaps in the saturation or hues.
Artie, I appreciate your input. While I feel the colors do work together, perhaps they are a bit strong for some. I do see how the background is a bit much as is. DAP is interesting but I'm finding it a challenge to be consistent with. A lot of thought has to go into the how the image is processed prior to using DAP as the outcomes can vary drastically, requiring a lot of trial and error. I will take everyone's comments to heart and have another go at it. Artie, here's the original file, cropped for comp with only the basic camera output settings applied. Canon 7D, SS2k, ISO800 F5.6 400mm handheld. Breaking overcast around 3pm, October 2012


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[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for posting the original Randy. The BKGR features those tiny 7D pixels.... Have you ever tried Filter > Blur > Surface Blur on BKGRs like this?

[Randall Farhy]

Artie, can't say that I have-I've long been a user of Topaz Denoise when I work up a RAW file. While I love the "reach" the 7d offers, the noise/pixel signature is a real PITA at times. (this post used DPP at standard settings, NR was 4/6 I believe)

[Arthur Morris]

Understood. That said I will assume that you have seen what Dan Cadieux does with his 7D..... You should give Filter > Blur > Surface Blur on the BKGR only try. Start at 3/4 and increase as needed.

[Dennis Bishop]

I like the splotches and the color combination, but I'd tone down the saturation if it were mine.