It's a beautiful shot with the bird contrasting with the background and there is a feeling of power from the owl. I can see why people are drawn to it.
I really like this shot. The color contrasting is so striking, and you get an appreciation of the owl's beautiful plumage. I'm glad you kept this image, I don't think you need the eye contact. The elements balance out nicely to my eyes. The goldish hue in the owl ties in nicely with the surroundings. Beauty!
Obviously eye contact would be an added bonus for any BIF, Tim. The problem here is that it's impossible to get this beautiful feather display as well as eye contact - can't ask for a clearer demo of this bird's feathers! well done on a very nice shot!
This is just gorgeous!! Don't get pulled into the "ideal pose" thing. This is about the wings and topside detail!
I love the composition and BG. What would you think about burning down the posts just a little? I love their inclusion and placement, with the bit of a horizon from the grasses, but they compete with the gorgeous bird a little.
It definitely is! I like the posts darker but they became too saturated -- I'd reduce that a bit. How did you darken them? Here I painted a mask in Quick Mask mode (doesn't have to be terribly precise) and converted it to a selection and made a Hue-Sat adjustment layer. That layer automatically turned the selection into a mask and I just lowered saturation on the master channel. A Curve would give more control, through. It's a delicate balance to get it just right and this is a quick-and-dirty.
BTW -- you didn't tag a profile, although it arrears you did convert to sRGB. See my post in Warren Spreng's dove.
Last edited by Diane Miller; 01-28-2015 at 11:04 AM.
The Overlay method for "dodging and burning" is really old and just doesn't give enough control. There are better methods now, although you will still see it espoused -- probably because it's easier to "teach" than subtleties. That's the case for many things in Photoshop.
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