What do you think of this image?

[Sid Garige]

Lately I have been working on panning blurs with low f-stops and would like to get some opinion on this. I really need a serious opinion on this image. If you like it why do you like it? If you dont like it why dont you like this?

here are the techs.

D300, 200-400mm VR
1/10sec F32 EV -2/3

[Arthur Morris]

Except for the chin of the lead animal, I love the degree of blurring. The biggest problem is that the animals are walking slightly away from you. Absoultely love the blurred foreground and BKGR. What are the animals and where were they photographed?

All in all, I like it.

[Jim Poor]

I like it a lot for the sense of motion and color. I might sharpen the eyes just a bit, but probably not.

[Mike Lentz]

Another vote for liking it. I might tone down the saturation a small amount.

[Alfred Forns]

Another vote for liking it Sid !!! Not sure why would you want the lower f stop? A little dof in these is normally good !!

If your going after lots of these do get an neutral density filter !!! btw same rule applies to blurs regarding head angle, overlaps etc I think you came up with a beauty !!! Big Congrats !!!

[Grady Weed]

Sid,

I am not much for some types of images. I voted not sure for several reasons. I do like some blurs. But this one was a neutral due to the backgrounds varied tones and hues. I think they compete with the main subject. If you take 1/2 -3/4 of the top off it lessens the competition quite a bit. Just my two cents worth. I do like your work on most things. Thanks for asking.

[Arthur Morris]

With reagards to the BKGR, if anything here, I would have raised the camera a bit for a bit more of the darker border at the top and a bit less of the lighter green along the bottom. I love the strips of color. Different strokes....

[denise ippolito]

Sid, I really like it alot .There is a very artistic feel to this and the colors are great! I agree w/ Arthur concerning the chin of the lead animal. Very nice image!
PS- I think you should post these in OOTB-You clearly have a very creative eye!!

[John Ippolito]

This works very well, Sid. Love the bands of colors and I find the the saturation levels fine with this image. The leading chin would be better more defined, but with this sort of image you shoot alot and take your chances. Well done.

[WIlliam Maroldo]

This is my OPINION on the subject. First of all, IMO successful motion blur images have one thing in common. There has to be sharp edges somewhere in the image to contrast with the blur. For example, an image of a stream, or waterfalls, at a slow shutter speed, where the water in motion is blurred, and the rocks and other landscape is sharp. The contrast is what makes the image, blurred water by itself doesn't cut it. We have two types of motion blur possibilities. Stationary view, and panning. Stationary, as with the moving stream, is easy to create the prequisite sharp/blur contrast. Panning is another story.
In bird flight images, or animals in motion: Sharp leading edges are most successful! These areas of sharpness will become a focal point of the image as well. Well focused heads in birds work, yet the leading edges of wings, especially in flocks, or legs in animals, work as well. What ever the case, again, sharp edges must be contrasted with the blur in the image, or all you have is an image that is out of focus that you call art.
The background, for greatest motion effect in panning, will be horizontally streaky, much like if you use PS Motion Blur with a 0 or 180 degree angle.
Interestingly enough, the legnth and sharpness of the banding, has an effect on how fast the subject is percieved to be moving. In PS Motion Blur this is expressed with the Distance slider (as measured in pixels).
A completely blurred background, with no horizontal "banding", does little to convey motion. However, it is not an absolute necessity, and a cloudless blue sky background isn't going to show this banding, and other elements in the image must be relied on.
Now to F-stops. Since a wide open aperture negates any possibility or motion shown in the background, I would stop down as much as possible. Shouldn't be too hard since you are using slow shutter speeds.
OK, that out of the way, on to this image. Ideally, in my opinion of course, sharp leading edges don't exist here, at least on my monitor. No streaked background, as explained earlier, that would heighten the motion effect. There is little indication of how fast the deer(I would guess?) are moving, and I suspect not fast enough.
One more thing: there are great motion blur images that do not show sharp edges. In these cases things like intense color and well thought out composition are used to full effect. Hope I've been helpful ~Bill

[Sid Garige]

Except for the chin of the lead animal, I love the degree of blurring. The biggest problem is that the animals are walking slightly away from you. Absoultely love the blurred foreground and BKGR. What are the animals and where were they photographed?

All in all, I like it.

Artie,

Thanks for your time and comments. Agree with you on slightly away from film plane.

These are Black buck antelops and I photographed them on a private hunting ranch near Arcadia.

-Sid

[Sid Garige]

Another vote for liking it Sid !!! Not sure why would you want the lower f stop? A little dof in these is normally good !!

If your going after lots of these do get an neutral density filter !!! btw same rule applies to blurs regarding head angle, overlaps etc I think you came up with a beauty !!! Big Congrats !!!

Al,

Background looks much intense and vivid with lower fstops. Wide open kind of keeps thin backgrounds.

I will look into your suggestion on Neutral density filter.

-Sid

[Sid Garige]

Sid,

I am not much for some types of images. I voted not sure for several reasons. I do like some blurs. But this one was a neutral due to the backgrounds varied tones and hues. I think they compete with the main subject. If you take 1/2 -3/4 of the top off it lessens the competition quite a bit. Just my two cents worth. I do like your work on most things. Thanks for asking.

Grady,

For me intense background adds more to image. Infact I am thinking of adding little more on the top to get one more layer of color progression.

Thanks again for your time and comments.

-sid

[Sid Garige]

With reagards to the BKGR, if anything here, I would have raised the camera a bit for a bit more of the darker border at the top and a bit less of the lighter green along the bottom. I love the strips of color. Different strokes....

Arite,

I really liked this suggestion. Here is a rework.

[Sid Garige]

Sid, I really like it alot .There is a very artistic feel to this and the colors are great! I agree w/ Arthur concerning the chin of the lead animal. Very nice image!
PS- I think you should post these in OOTB-You clearly have a very creative eye!!

Thanks Denise. Added a rework.

[Sid Garige]

This is my OPINION on the subject. First of all, IMO successful motion blur images have one thing in common. There has to be sharp edges somewhere in the image to contrast with the blur.
In bird flight images, or animals in motion: Sharp leading edges are most successful! These areas of sharpness will become a focal point of the image as well. Well focused heads in birds work, yet the leading edges of wings, especially in flocks, or legs in animals, work as well.

[Sid] Agree with you on this.

What ever the case, again, sharp edges must be contrasted with the blur in the image, or all you have is an image that is out of focus that you call art.

[Sid] Agree with not any sharp edges in this image. But where did I call this art?

However, it is not an absolute necessity, and a cloudless blue sky background isn't going to show this banding, and other elements in the image must be relied on.
Now to F-stops. Since a wide open aperture negates any possibility or motion shown in the background, I would stop down as much as possible. Shouldn't be too hard since you are using slow shutter speeds.

[Sid] Image was shot at F32 and 1/10 of a second.

OK, that out of the way, on to this image. Ideally, in my opinion of course, sharp leading edges don't exist here, at least on my monitor.

[Sid] Agree

No streaked background, as explained earlier, that would heighten the motion effect.

[Sid] There are 3 different bands of background streaks present in this image.

There is little indication of how fast the deer(I would guess?) are moving, and I suspect not fast enough.

[Sid] How do you judge subject speed in a single frame image?

One more thing: there are great motion blur images that do not show sharp edges. In these cases things like intense color and well thought out composition are used to full effect. Hope I've been helpful ~Bill

[Sid] Since I dont have well defined sharp edge, I need to depend on intense colors. I think they do present in this image.

Thanks
Sid

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Sid: Indeed, you did not call it art, and the "you" was not referring to you, but in general terms. Sorry about that! Most of my opinionated discussion was in reference to motion blur images in general, and the study of them I've made. A common practice, that I'm certainly guilty of, is taking a probably not so good photograph and calling it "art" when it is just a not so good photograph.(No! I am not reffering to your photographe here). Indeed a good photograph is "Art" in its own right.
Again, the F stop you used was not considered in the generally observations I was making until the end when I refered to your image.
I viewed your image on a awful monitor, (my other computer with a good monitor) was timing out when I looked at BPN, sometimes happens and I'm not sure why) Therefore I probably missed out on the intense colors, and the banding. About telling the speed of the subject from a single photograph where motion blur appears in the background: My contention is that very high speed produced very long tight streaks, slower produces shorter looser steaks. Again, my intent was not to criticize your image, but make general observations on motion blur in photography. Regards~Bill

[Brandon Holden]

Love it! I like the re-worked image better (for comp)... but would clone out a few of the dark blobs near the top and left!

[Arthur Morris]

Artie, I really liked this suggestion. Here is a rework.

Good job compositionally, but you made the repost too dark and you missed some dust spots and the crud on the lower left frame edge.

Where is Arcadia?

[Sid Garige]

Where is Arcadia?

Artie,

Thanks once again for you time.

I got access to some game ranches in florida hosting african and asian exotics for high fence hunting. This ranch is located in Arcadia around 50 miles from Fort Myers.

-Sid