Results 1 to 18 of 18

Thread: Pretty Cold

  1. #1
    BPN Member William Dickson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Fife, Scotland
    Posts
    7,883
    Threads
    1,115
    Thank You Posts

    Default Pretty Cold

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Canon 5D Mk3
    f/4 500mm with 1.4
    f/7.1
    1/800
    ISO 1600

    I couldn't resist capturing this Black Headed Gull perched on the frosty grass, early Sunday morning on my way to my usual 'perch' at the lochside

    Will

  2. #2
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Guelph, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    8,509
    Threads
    827
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I like the mood of this image as well as the low shooting angle, Will

  3. #3
    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Centurion, South Africa
    Posts
    21,362
    Threads
    1,435
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Will, lovely low angle here, and the soft light has brought out the whites nicely. Comp wise, I would move him over to the right a touch more, and maybe some selective sharpening will make him pop a little more.

    This would suit next month's theme nicely.

  4. #4
    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Sarasota, FL
    Posts
    10,347
    Threads
    403
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Your low angle really worked well here. Nice pose. I would agree to move the bird a tad to the right. My eye is telling me you may wish to brighten up your whites a bit. This bird could use a bit more pop.
    Marina Scarr
    Florida Master Naturalist
    Website, Facebook

  5. #5
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Long Island, New York
    Posts
    6,275
    Threads
    574
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I agree with the above compositional and processing suggestions. It has a moody, solitary feeling to it, and definately worth a rework.

  6. #6
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Norfolk. UK
    Posts
    915
    Threads
    208
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice one Will. The low POV and frosted grass work really well. Nice head turn and lovely feather detail. You may be able to squeeze a little more brightness out but you need to be careful not to blow the whites. I personally like it as it is but would try to brighten the eye a touch.

  7. #7
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Lincolnshire UK.
    Posts
    4,951
    Threads
    187
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Think that you have captured the conditions and atmosphere very well William(tec bits well covered) , a sucker for this type of shot, like it a lot.

    Keith.

  8. #8
    BPN Member William Dickson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Fife, Scotland
    Posts
    7,883
    Threads
    1,115
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks for the comments and advice, much appreciated. I didn't really want the bird to 'pop' too much, as it was a misty morning. Here is a repost with the above suggestions.

    Name:  BHG-Cold2.jpg
Views: 47
Size:  388.0 KB

  9. #9
    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Centurion, South Africa
    Posts
    21,362
    Threads
    1,435
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Great repost Will - Well done.

  10. #10
    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Sarasota, FL
    Posts
    10,347
    Threads
    403
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    The RP looks awesome and you have maintained the mood of your image!
    Marina Scarr
    Florida Master Naturalist
    Website, Facebook

  11. #11
    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    26,311
    Threads
    3,979
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Yep, the repost gives those whites the punch they needed. Pretty neat scene with the frosted grasses.

  12. #12
    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Manchester, England
    Posts
    3,251
    Threads
    314
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice take on an often neglected subject - I always appreciate it when the more mundane species are used. If I give a gull shot a second look it tells me there must be something interesting about the frame. Here it's the low angle and the foreground interest that does it. RP is a definite improvement.

    Mike

  13. #13
    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Cheshire UK
    Posts
    17,287
    Threads
    2,653
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I am torn I like both images, I think the quality looks quite a bit higher in the original, I would suggest a crop about half way between the two.

  14. #14
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Stoney Point, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    6,868
    Threads
    512
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I like the low angle, frosty grass, pose and composition in the repost. Very well done Will!

  15. #15
    Lifetime Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Posts
    3,555
    Threads
    543
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Great one, William. The repost is spot on and the frosty grass works beautifully with the gull. Nice change in the crop.



    Geoffrey
    Last edited by Geoffrey Montagu; 12-18-2015 at 02:01 AM.

  16. #16
    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Indian Lake Estates, FL
    Posts
    32,557
    Threads
    1,438
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Quote Originally Posted by William Dickson View Post
    Thanks for the comments and advice, much appreciated. I didn't really want the bird to 'pop' too much, as it was a misty morning. Here is a repost with the above suggestions.
    I will probably get in trouble for my repost but I made a few other changes as well :) With all due respect to the mood I offer this one. FWIW. a
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

    Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,

    E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.










  17. #17
    BPN Member William Dickson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Fife, Scotland
    Posts
    7,883
    Threads
    1,115
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I think your repost looks nice Arthur. You have kept the atmosphere about the image, and the IQ looks better. Thanks for that .

    Can I ask what you did?

    Will

  18. #18
    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Indian Lake Estates, FL
    Posts
    32,557
    Threads
    1,438
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by William Dickson View Post
    I think your repost looks nice Arthur. You have kept the atmosphere about the image, and the IQ looks better. Thanks for that . Can I ask what you did? Will
    Hey Will, You are most welcome. I am glad for that. Crop. Pulled the curve up. Applied a layer of Auto Contrast and reduced that to about 20% opacity. The hard work was losing the grass that cut into the bird's belly. That took me a while as I really like the image and I wanted to do a good job. I used the Clone Stamp Tool to divide and conquer followed by the Patch Tool. Where that did not work out to well I used a series of small Quick Masks. And I think that I added a Contrast Mask only to the face and then pulled the curve up on that. (CM = Unsharp Mask at 15/65/0.)

    All of the above plus dozens of great Photoshop tips are detailed in my Digital Basics File. a
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

    BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.

    Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,

    E-mail me at samandmayasgrandpa@att.net.










  19. Thanks William Dickson thanked for this post

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics