OUT FOR A RUN

[gary ellwein]

This weekend, St. Anthony , Idaho hosted the All American dog sled race which dates back to 1917. After testing the various presets in Topaz Impressions, I settled on Dega"s Dancers. Only after choosing the preset, did I appreciate that the two dogs in the lead are perfectly synchronized like two dancers.

[Glennie Passier]

This is lovely Gary. You could not have chosen a better treatment for this. Look at the length of those tongues!

[Dennis Bishop]

Even by themselves, both the subjects and the rest of the image would be intriguing. Together, they complement each other very nicely and provide great tonal contrast. Nice processing work.

[Hazel Grant]

Great catch: eyes to the camera, coordinated tongues and paws. Good treatment to allow the focus to be on the sled and dogs and not be overcome by the snow. nice.

[Anita Bower]

I love those tongues! Wow, re. the synchronization of the front dog's. Nice balance to the image. One focuses on the dogs and man, but is aware of the surrounding snow and sky. Looks like you used a long lens.

[gary ellwein]

Thanks to all for the look and positive comments. Anita, I left my long lens at home and used the 70-200mm. This image was captured at 130mm. I set up where the race course crossed a road. The teams crossed within a few feet of my position. The race is a two day affair with the teams racing each day. The aggregate time of the two outings determines the winner . This is a six dog team which ran a total of 45 miles ( trust me, there are 6 dogs in this team ). This image was captured on the first day early in the race. The dogs were fresh and this part of the course was down hill. They were really frisky at this time. The 100 mile race for 8 and 10 dog teams was canceled due to warm temperatures. Running in the heat ( 30-40 degrees F ) is stressful for the dogs.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Great story and capture, Gary. I love the tongues and synchronized strides of the lead dogs. I like the treatment but would prefer just a little less canvas texture but that is just a personal preference.

[Kerry Perkins]

Cool image Gary! I like the treatment, it seems perfect for the subject. Composition and action are great. I was distracted a bit by the texture also, and might just use a little less. Nice one.

[Nancy Bell]

I echo all of the above! This is a great image of the action! Love those long, lolling tongues. Also think the surrounding texture is a bit strong, as I want to stay visually with the dogs.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Thread must have been accidentally closed...now re-opened.

[gary ellwein]

I am happy to be able to participate in the thread again. Several of you have commented on the texture. I also feel it is over the top. There in lies a confession of ignorance. When I decided on the preset used, I accepted the texture presented. I did not realize the textures could be modified. Learning all features of a plugin before using it is recommended.

[Kerry Perkins]

I like the repost Gary, it looks great.

[Cheryl Slechta]

I like the repost better, Gary. Sorry you were locked out - a glitch. Thanks, Daniel, for fixing it

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . Several of you have commented on the texture. I also feel it is over the top. There in lies a confession of ignorance. When I decided on the preset used, I accepted the texture presented. I did not realize the textures could be modified. Learning all features of a plugin before using it is recommended.

I definitely liked the first version but prefer this one.

Early on, I learned that the previews of Topaz Simplify weren't all that accurate, so I adopted a new approach when using plug-ins. Regardless of the plug-in, I make sure it's going to be on its own layer even if that started out as a copy of another one. Then, for the most part, I tend to go a bit beyond what I want when adjusting the plug-in sliders. Back in the Layers palette, I can dial down the opacity of the plug-in layer if the effect is too great.

[gary ellwein]

Dennis, thanks for the tip.

[Judy Howle]

This is AWESOME Gary! Such a great image as already pointed out, and I love the processing in the 2nd version with the texture reduced. Would you believe I used to raise and show Siberian huskies many years ago and I co-owned one with his breeder in New Hampshire who raced him. When I showed him to win a 5 pt. major over 89 Siberians including 5 Champions, he still had harness marks in his fun!

[gary ellwein]

Judy, thanks for the look and comment. Excuse the tardy reply. My wife and I are on the road. Congratulations on the show championship. The majority of dogs in this race did not appear to be pure bred husky. I know nothing about dogs; however, the majority of the dogs did not appear to be pure bred husky. The majority appeared to be mixed breed. Up to 50% of the mushers were women. They had an advantage over the heavier men. The winner was a woman. Go girl.