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Thread: Loneliness (Rework - HDR + B&W)

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Default Loneliness (Rework - HDR + B&W)

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    As promised yesterday...here is the B&W version of my lone wildebeest. I initially uploaded this image as a B&W a month or 2 ago and in that version I pushed the blacks in ACR to create a silhouette. You can view the previous version here:
    http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=46226

    Yesterday, I uploaded a full colour HDR version: http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=50582

    I still love the initial B&W version, but believe this one is even better. Would love your feedback here...

    For more on how I apply HDR during my travels throughout Southern Africa, check out my new blog @ www.saffascapes.blogspot.com

    Techs:
    Canon 1000D with 18-55mm IS
    f16 @ 1/250 SS @ ISO-200
    Morkel Erasmus

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    You are heading towards becoming HDR master Morkelbhai
    Lovely image , I liked this version
    TFS

  3. #3
    Ákos Lumnitzer
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    I like the previous silhouette better in B&W Morkel. THis is nice too, but with the details for me the color version worked more effectively. Not sure how other folks see it. I still like it bro, don't sweat, just that the silhouette really kicks butt! ;)

    well done.
    Last edited by Ákos Lumnitzer; 11-25-2009 at 02:45 AM.

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    Great effect acheived ME, loved the compo and feel to the frame, also loved the full colour one, as that one makes the sky look more natural.

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    Oh my God Morkel----This is AWESOME!!!! WOW!! Absolute true art! And I accidentally hit the wrong button and entered this forum by mistake. Glad I did. For now I'm just going to enjoy this emotionally--maybe later I'll "think" about it. Congratulations on this incredible shot!

    Paul

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    Danny J Brown
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    Great work here, Morkel. If I was forced to choose, I'd pick the color version but they are both quite beautiful.

  7. #7
    Mike Fuhr
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    Morkel -- it doesn't get any better than this. I like the B and W version better. Wow.

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    Hey Morkel--I'm back and want to throw some ideas at you now that the workday is done.. First off great image! I love it! I so can see this on a museum wall or something. You have three serious comp units of great interest between the wildebeast, foreground and the sky. They all balance nicely in that the sky--your main subject--takes up the most area and the WB and hill do the rest. I think the horizon is at the best position being lower than the half way point, the clouds run in diagonals giving them the feel of a tempest--just reeking in dynamic turmoil and interest, and the very powerful horizon line anchoring the lone subject to the sides of the frame. This is why so many birds in the sky shots fall flat in power--they have no anchor line. You have got so many incredible things going on here.

    I know little about the HD range stuff at present, so I don't have any good input on what you could do in your shot here to improve that sort of stuff. But you reached out for serious comment so here's what I think:

    1)The sky is your main subject--not the wildebeast. So I believe it needed whiter whites for the brightest brights of all in the image, and more contrast to give it much greater strength through definition of the cloud shapes. These strong diagonals are the shot and are the most important things. In the repost I set the whitepoint slider for the brightest cloud whites to 190 and the brought up some of the midtones and lowered the darks for extra contrast. The brightnees I have given it here might be a tad too much but you can get an idea from them.

    2)The picture needs a wee bit of CCW rotation so I did that.

    3)The foreground needs some toning down--it's too contrasty and begins to compete with the sky. I could not work on this too much because the blacks are just too blocked up, but maybe you would have this in a different HD working over maybe. Adding contrast in PS I would think would be where you would want to do contrast. But the hill is too harsh. in the repost I worked on, I added a slight gradient to a darkening at the bottom of the image getting a little lighter at the horizon. I figure this to add some additional feeling of depth by way of aerial perspective effect.

    Truly I could not do the kind of stuff this one deserves because of it's original loss of dark tones but this is one wonderful shot you've got Morkel. I like the other versions but this one is way over the top of those IMO. The silhouette I barely liked, the color one was good, but this one has tremendous power over those.

    Paul
    Last edited by paul leverington; 11-25-2009 at 06:05 PM.

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    I can't pick between the B&W and the colored image. All I can say is they are both incredible. Excellent shot Morkel!

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    wow thanks so much for the kind comments and feedback everyone.

    @ Paul - thanks for taking the time to tweak my image. I really like what you've done to the sky and will definitely do that in the large file. Will tone down contrast in the foreground too...
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Saw, enjoyed & forgot to comment- both versions great, prefer this one to the silhouette. Paul's version wins by a slight margin. Well done.

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    Morkel, this is absolutely amazing! I'm soooo jealous at those African skies. They're a trademark of all you pictures, but this one really does it. I wouldn't change a thing and submit it to the most prestigeous wildlife photography contest you can think of! I prefer the harsher feel of your post over Pauls version, I think it fits the mood of the picture better. I also like this B/W version better than the silhouette and color versions. Less distraction from what is going on.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    thanks a lot Betsie & Jerry! :)
    maybe I will submit it somewhere sometime...
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ákos Lumnitzer View Post
    I like the previous silhouette better in B&W Morkel. THis is nice too, but with the details for me the color version worked more effectively.
    Agree with Akos here Morkel, and like your reworked color version the best. It's that great Kalahari sky that the color version does it justice!
    Great comp nonetheless.;)
    Last edited by Marc Mol; 11-26-2009 at 04:21 PM.


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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hey Morkie, its always difficult to judge an image when one has seen the other version ( colour one). Some great pp work applied here, and although Im no expert in B&W, ( still trying) I do like this, and Paul's tweak works too. However, Im going with your colour version - final and honest answer. Cheers mate.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    thanks Stu & Marc...

    for interests' sake here is my version of the repost incorporating Paul's white point adjustment. I didn't rotate this one but will apply these changes to the big file.

    it has been very interesting to see the response to this picture and its full-colour cousin on this forum and others, as more or less an equal amount of people seem to prefer one above the other for either photo. I personally cannot claim to have one as my favourite...although the original version with the wildebeest silhouetted is gracing my living room wall at A1 size and it looks splendid, can only imagine what the colour version or this one would look like.
    Morkel Erasmus

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