When conceiving this shot I was trying to have a lot of comp lines going in one direction and then juxtapose a line tangent(wings) to those lines so as to upset the viewers eye and augment the power of that opposing line in the process. Inspiration was from one of those painters who did the same thing with just brushstrokes of paint. Can't remember his name but I'm sure he sold that painting for millions(and many others similar he did), which I'm sure is a couple of dollars more than I'd ever get for this shot. Anyways, after doing all the planning and putting in all the patience, I'm starting to look at a further cropped in version of this shot as being more powerful. And all that planning and patience of the original concept idea is kind of a moot point with that version. This shot is intended from concept to be printed large on canvas so maybe this version I feel will work fine for that. I might post the other cropped version later to see what all of you folks think.
I shot this at 1/1250 because thats the speed at which if I go any slower, would produce objectionable wing blur to my eye. F4 is definitely not where I want to be, but already at ISO 800, I had little room to go anywhere else except to back up more and then the snow in the air really starts to become a factor to shoot through. Plus loss of detail with a greater distance.
Also the bird is shot at full frame and immediately after he left the perch I shot a four shot pano of the scene, then stiched all that together. I do this all the time so as to get enough pixels to give a good large canvas print.
When our cameras give us 400 iso quality at 1600 iso, that will be the day of a lot more overall sharp bird pics(from stem to stern I'm refering to). Even at iso 800 I feel the mark III did a fine job. I didn't bother at all with any noise reduction. And for what it's worth, extra grain and texture look much better on large canvas and is actually desirable(of course to a point).
Would like to hear from folks at this site how effective they feel the power of this shot is as one that includes a lot of enviorment. It didn't seem to move many at another site and I'm just wondering if I need to go with a tighter crop which then becomes more of a composition within the birds body itself. Of all the things that I agonize over the crop seems to be the most troubling for me.
I'm sure you will get different views but I like it as presented. Do enjoy good environmental images and feel they are more difficult. If I would do anything I would soften the two next to the main perch, just to the point it seems to have been made with a 2.8 lens wide open not really far !! Something natural.
I like the selected shutter speed since having the entire bird sharp makes the image, just great contrast to the bg. A tighter version would be just another bird leaping of a branch !!!! ... btw was considering taking some of the bottom but looks awfully good as presented !!!!Big congrats !!!
I love this as presented and do not see any possible crop (taking into account the background trees). I love the BKGR but I am with Alfred as far as softening up the two sharpest BKGR treees (the ones nearest the perch). I love the snow, the soft light, and the mood. When you created the BKGR pano was it a 2X2?
BTW, thanks a ton for your membership support.
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,
Hi Paul, so happy to se you here :)
I remember your artistic posts in the past, even one exceptional one where you put words to the image.
Would you consider posting that if you have, at the Words for Images Gallery?
Agree on the previous comments and it is a very difficult one to pull, but you did :)
"I remember your artistic posts in the past, even one exceptional one where you put words to the image.
Would you consider posting that if you have, at the Words for Images Gallery?"
I could do that Fabiola. I gotta couple new ones coming up you might enjoy, and hopefully my very limited writing skill won't make you cringe. I'm also working to build a mythological story with seeds from the real mythologies of past cultures that the redtail hawk was so much a part of. As were so many of the other animals they lived amongst. In researching, I'm getting quite bowled over to how many different cultures thought so very highly of the -------"Red Eagle"-----of the sky. Thats what he was to them. Equal in status to the mightiest of all flying predators in the sky. They also had this believe that he carried the suns warming rays upon his tail feathers and I mused the exact same thoughts when working out my myth--totally without knowing that that was how they also thought). And this was interesting--almost universally-- when an ancient native american would hear that kre---awwww call of the redtail while traveling through the forest, it was their belief that something was about to happen, and they should be wary for it. Makes sense. How many movies and TV shows use that call in the background for the same exact phsycological effect? Fun stuff--sometimes very profound! The title for my mythical poem, or story, or saga, or musing, or whatever you call it is going to be "The Return of the Ice Hawk". Kind of sends chills up your spine huh:)!! Kreeee---awwww!!!!
I didn't see the improvement possibility of blurring the two trees to the side at all till you guys suggested it, however that should give a greater subject separation (more 3d effect also going back into the picture) so thats a good idea. Not difficult to do either--I like that part. I appreciate that being pointed out. Thats the trouble with sometimes looking at your own picture too long--you can't see it like a fresh eye could.
Well thank you for the hearty welcome!
Paul
Oh --Arthur--yes it was a 2X2(four horizontal shots) and then cropped some for comp.
Last edited by paul leverington; 02-01-2009 at 08:58 PM.
"Crossing the T"
Reply With Quote
