Hi Everyone,
A bit of an experiment - please be honest...
40D 100-400 @ 400mm
ISO 200
AV F8 1/100 sec
Converted to B/W, sepia tint added, levels, curves (!) and a touch of sharpening.
All comments most welcome!!
Best regards to all,
Nicki
Nikki, I like the overall look but you need to find some definition between where his beak/chest meets the BG. I feel like that part is getting lost and it needs that beak to show to really bring out the terror in the bird.
Now, I really can't remember if Elements has the lighting that you can add in the filter area...I'm thinking that it doesn't...but I wanted to show you what I mean. In this one, I lightened the beak area, darkened the top crest area (each at about 20% opacity using dodge/burn technique) and then I went to filter/render/light and added a spotlight down near the beak/chest area. See the difference that makes? You could probably do the same thing with burning and dodging or maybe even curves but this seemed faster/easier when using CS3. We have got to get you CS3!!! See how it brings out the bottom of his chest?
I probably should have tweaked the lighting so it wasn't so harsh but you get the drift...
The changes made to the image by defining the beak area and the added contrast make a world of difference. That is plain to see. However I do think it could be better. I like the look of the steely eye and the sort of muscle look to he upper body. His grin, like he is saying, "don't mess with me", is a real bonus. Perhaps working the bird for more images and some better in camera contrast. Then go to work in PS. Great idea here Nicki!
Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for all the great input - this is such a learning curve for me - I'm loving it!!! Grady, I definitely do intend to go back to the bird of prey rescue centre and have another try - they make such great close-up subjects! Jules, I had intended to dodge/burn the beak, head and chest area, but kind of liked the moody look I already had...
I am starting to think long and hard about CS3 - it just seems like so much money, and some people seem to think that I would only use a small portion of what it has to offer.
Once again, thank you all so much for your input.
Regards to all,
Nicki
Al, don't get me started on plug-ins - there'll be no stopping me...!!!
I bought Elements because I couldn't afford CS3 - no doubt about it. About six months later, I was reading a photoblog and it said that, for a limited time, Adobe was offering half off CS3 to anyone that could prove they owned a copy of Elements. I ended up getting CS3 for about $300. High priced at half off but the amount it has changed my images is priceless.
CS4 is about to break on the horizon. I'd start watching for another "half off" sale for CS3 and start saving your $$$. It IS worth the price for anyone who really takes post processing seriously. Yes, you can do a lot in Elements but it's the difference between high school and college - it really is. From what I've seen of your work, you would really get a ton out of it.
Good advice Jules - I definitely will see if I can find an 'introductory offer'. Do you know if Lightroom 2 would be a suitable product for me or should I stick to photoshop?
I've done a bit of a rework of the image - I think it may be somewhere between my original and your version. What do you think?
Thanks so much as always,
Best regards,
Nicki
I use Lightroom (not 2.0 yet), and PS (CS3). I do a lot of adjustments in lightroom before going into PS. The two have different, but complementary purposes.
Hi Harold and Amy,
Thank you so much for your very kind words.
Amy, a friend showed me Lightroom 2 the other day, and I liked it a lot. I do agree with you that you may need both, unless you do very little PS work.
Regards,
Nicki
The Steel Menace...
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