SonyA700~Sony70-400G@400mm~ISO400~F9~1/1600sec~manual exposure~11-2-2009~Brays Bayou, Houston, Texas~CS4/Topaz Adjust3(small detail preset)/Topaz Clean2
The only thing I like about shooting in direct sunlight is being able to work with the shadows.
Here I selected the Little Blue Heron/placed on new layer. My intention was to bring out the texture of the bayou embankment: Topaz Adjust3 (small detail preset) followed by Clean 2. High pass sharpening was done on the upper layer(the bird) followed by Clean2. I might also add that "preserve transparency" the little square right after Lock: on the layers palette is quite useful when working with layers so composed. Pretty much eliminates halos.
comments and critique welcomed, regards~Bill
Bill, I like the image design with the shadow. I like the light horizontal lines in the sand. The line that goes thru the beak and the neck at the top of the image is a bit distracting. Thanks for sharing your tips and workflow.
Very nice texture in the sand, Bill. Like the shadow too. My only issue with this, besides the lines that have already mentioned, is that the bird is centered. I realize you probably framed it this way in order to include the shadow, but I think it would look better with more room on the left. Just my $.02 :)
Thanks Guys(and Gal)! Good points, especially(as usual) by Christopher. About the composition, now that I thought about it, I'd go ahead and use the rule of thirds and place the birds eye at the intersection of the left and top dividing lines(hot spot: 1/3 from top, 1/3 from left). As far as the lines, etc. I like the additional geometric and textural component of the image, so I'd leave them. regards~Bill
Shadow Play (part deux)
