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Thread: Dramatic Black Shadow Background Gannet

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Default Dramatic Black Shadow Background Gannet

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    Northern Gannet, breeding plumage adult

    This image was created on June 30, 2016 at Bempton Cliffs, UK with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens and my souped up Nikon D850. ISO 400. I went with the book exposure for super-bright whites, 1/5000 sec. at f/6.3 (the equivalent of 1/2500 sec. at 9) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:34pm on a dead-clear afternoon. Center group (grp) Continuos (AI Servo in Canon) shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The upper point in the array was on the bird’s cheek as originally framed.

    To learn what I was seeing and thinking when I made this image, see the Bempton Cliffs Part I: Dramatic Black Shadow Backgrounds blog post here.

    As for the image, don't be shy; all comments are welcome.

    with love, artie
    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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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    I love this one Artie.
    I am a sucker for dramatic black BG's and this is a show stopper.
    Only thing I can suggest is to try to get some separation of the birds left wingtip from the black BG.
    I am OK with the blues in the whites due to the shadowing but would love to see a repost with the blues reduces in those white areas.
    Gail

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    Quote Originally Posted by gail bisson View Post
    I love this one Artie.
    I am a sucker for dramatic black BG's and this is a show stopper.
    Only thing I can suggest is to try to get some separation of the birds left wingtip from the black BG.
    I am OK with the blues in the whites due to the shadowing but would love to see a repost with the blues reduces in those white areas.
    Gail
    Thanks Gail. Are you talking primarily about the dorsal surfaces of the leading edges of the wings?

    with love, artie
    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,

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    That bird really pops against that dark background. Nice and sharp with perfect exposure. Looks a little tight in the frame.

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    Dramatic it is! A wonderful & powerful image.

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    Quote Originally Posted by John Mack View Post
    That bird really pops against that dark background. Nice and sharp with perfect exposure. Looks a little tight in the frame.
    Yes. It was nearly full frame out of camera. I did add a bit behind and abov the birds. Thanks.

    with love, artie
    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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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    Thanks Gail. Are you talking primarily about the dorsal surfaces of the leading edges of the wings?

    with love, artie
    Yes indeed!

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    Quote Originally Posted by gail bisson View Post
    Yes indeed!
    Thanks. Here is something for all of us to ponder. If we like warm light, and we strive to keep at least a good part of it in our photographs, what do we have against the cooler colors that occur naturally in our image?

    Just playing devil's advocate?

    Denise Ippolito used to hate the BLUE shadows and probably still does.

    with love, artie
    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.

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    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    I don't know why, but I too always remove, or reduce, the blues in the shadows found on the subject. I do not hate those, but prefer them toned down a lot. Anyhow, I love the image and whole subject angling towards the camera. Super details on the plumage, I especially like the "scaling" on the belly. I also love the subtle navy waving in the BG.

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    Great intense stare on this guy! I like that we can see the stripes on the feet. They are missed in most shots. BG is perfect. Dark enough for drama but still
    some very subtle texture for oceanic context. I agree about trying to tone down the blues on the wing. But far from a deal breaker.

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    I like the dark BG, wing position, eye contact and composition. Needs a little touch up in the BG in front of the bird and a few patches below. Nice image Arthur.

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    iLove the this type of image and thanks for showing us how its done .I have had a lot of trouble with White bellied sea Eagles when I get the whites right funny things happen with the grey on the top of their wings. Sometimes the direct sunlight is a distorter and often the image taken on a dull but clear day is accurate.
    Last edited by Arthur Morris; 09-05-2018 at 09:42 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Crosswell View Post
    I like the dark BG, wing position, eye contact and composition. Needs a little touch up in the BG in front of the bird and a few patches below. Nice image Arthur.
    Thanks Jim. I am not sure what you are seeing where ... It might be that our monitors are a bit different.

    with love, artie
    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.

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    It could be my monitor. I see a line going up on our left side on the frame. It does fade in and out though.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Crosswell View Post
    It could be my monitor. I see a line going up on our left side on the frame. It does fade in and out though.
    Thanks Jim, ****, you have good eyes. I brought the master file into Photoshop, pulled up the curve and saw the line easily. Left-over from expanding the canvas and not being careful enough. And the same thing along the bottom ... I will re-visit the master file and smooth that out.

    with love, artie
    Last edited by Arthur Morris; 09-05-2018 at 12:24 PM.
    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.










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    Hi Artie, Wow, glad I didnt miss this one! So dramatic, love the "coolness" this evokes, deep navy blues and that gorgeous gannett, what a wingspan, and love the light on the body and those great green striped feet! Super

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    Lifetime Member David Salem's Avatar
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    One of my favorite in-flight images from you. Very striking and I really like the head being so sharp and protruding from the dark background. That right foot with the pinstriping looks fantastic too. Well done Artie
    Come join me for a Custom Raptor Workshop starting this November 2019- January 2020.
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