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Thread: Whistlers

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    Default Whistlers

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    This was a something/nothing sort of a file, but the more I looked, the better I liked it. Late afternoon.

    I'm not sure about:- the confusion of ducks...(no separation) Once again, one looking out for the other. The light LHS? The debris in the water? The line disecting head? The open bill with duck weed?

    In ACR - Highlights, white and black sliders, tiny bit of clarity, HSL sliders.
    In PSCS6 - Curves layer - Experiment with tilt shift blur. Cropped and sharpened for web

    Canon 5D2
    150-600mm 5-6,3 DG SO HSM Sigma Sport @ 600mm
    1/640 sec @ f11
    ISO 1250
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    Manual exposure
    Spot Metering

    C&C Always welcomed and appreciated!

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    I like it! The head (or more the bill, really) of the one in front (the female?) is a bit obscured but it does show the two together, which I like. In a way the reflections compete a bit but in another way, they're nice. We can't pigeonhole every image -- we record what we're given.

    I'm OK with the green on the LHS. Might crop a bit from the bottom but not mandatory. The top part, from about the eye level of the back bird (male?) seems a bit low in contrast and saturation compared to the rest.

    I'm loving the feathers on these guys -- different from anything I've ever seen!

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    Thank you Diane. The top part with the low contrast was where I was experimenting with the tilt shift blur. I've had a look at the frames before and after and that bit of the image is a bit brighter in the others. (Not sure if the blurring would do that) I can't remember what it is reflecting. There was a rock wall, but I don;t think that was it. The water in the lagoon hasn't been flushed out for a while and is quite dark and murky. I know the dark brings good reflection, but not sure about the murky. The frame after this, I think is better, then I remembered the words of Don Lacy about birds heading away from me and not watching me.

    They are lovely birds. Quite small. I first saw them ( well, really I heard them. I thought a flock of budgies was being throttled by hawks) out west in very arid country. It's a great pleasure to see them now so close to where I live.

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    You might experiment with other blurs, and maybe try a softer bottom edge. Make the blur layer a smart object and you can change it after you see it in context, and also tweak its mask. You can also copy the mask to another adjustment layer for other adjustments, such as contrast, saturation, or whatever.

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    Whoa, this species has a lovely, gorgeous face.... The bird in the front here distracts somewhat as it is not as sharply focused as the one in the back. Mood, light, and BKGR are lovely. If you have posted an image of one of these beauties, please post a link. A crop from the bottom would improve it as presented.
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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    ps: what species?
    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.

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    http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ead.php/132226 Hello Artie! These are Australian Plumbed Whistling ducks. You will find lots of them out west, but I was thrilled to find them close to where I live in Brisbane.

    Thank you for your comments on the above image.

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    Thank you Diane. I do like to play in PS but I've never tried a "smart object". I'll give it a go. I have a gazillion images of these little guys.

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    How is it that ducks have such a marvelous variety of beauty? And birds similar to ducks. The common mallard, in my eye, is a wonder of nature. And these Whistlers are extraordinary. I love the colors of the surface of the water echoing the color of the rear duck's bill.

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    Jim, I'm just a sucker for any bird. Birds, in general are just a wonder to me.

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