Angled Toho Reed Blur

[Arthur Morris]

With digital, it is unusual for me not to be trying anything. On a recent outing with Jim Neiger Denise and I tried some pre-dawn blurs on the way to the Snail Kites. I created this one by angling the lens while panning. Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens handheld with the EOS-1D MIV. ISO 200. Evaluative metering +1 stop off the reeds: 1/15 sec. at f/14.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

[denise ippolito]

Artie, I like the diagonal lines created here. You were able to get some good color and the corner adds some depth. Nicely done. I got 3 keepers from the early morn.

[Arthur Morris]

Thank you muchly. Three blurs or three kites???

[denise ippolito]

3 blurs.

[Arthur Morris]

That's what I thought. Did you post any?

[denise ippolito]

No not yet. I haven't had a chance.:)

[Arthur Morris]

Well get to work!

[Hilary Hann]

I like the colours and the graphic lines from the grass, however, unlike the flock of terns I find it somewhat disconcerting to have no point of sharpness for my eye to land on. Not wanting to presume too much due to your vastly greater experience, but the one thing which would have really made it for me would have been the same image but the panning being focussed on a bird which emerged from the reeds so that the bird was the point of interest. Hope that makes sense? Perhaps not the point of what you were doing here and only putting my opinion in (you said not to be shy :D). Of course, you would need the bird to co-operate and be working with you but you don't ever seem to have any problems getting the birds to do what you want! ;)

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for stopping by Hillary. Blurs are a matter of personal taste. I like this one for a variety of reasons. One is the inclusion of the distant woods and a bit of sky. Both offer a sense of place to an otherwise pure pattern image. A bird in the frame would have been great but would likely have been close to unrecognizable.... And as much as I would love it, I do not--except when (rarely) attracting them to my position in a variety of ways-- have any control over the birds. :) Honest opinions are always welcomed. :) :)

[Hilary Hann]

Thanks, you are quite right. This sort of photography is very exciting, getting images which are quite different won't please everyone but can be great fun.

[Arthur Morris]

:) The strange thing is that many woman photographers (not including Denise) do not like blurred images at all :)

[Hilary Hann]

I hadn't noticed that, but then I haven't been hanging around this forum for very long so haven't seen the reactions to the blurs. I like them very much but perhaps at this stage (formative blur years :p ) I feel safe when there is something for my eye to focus on. Maybe that is what women are after also, a focus or a purpose so the compromise for me is the beautiful and artistic way a blur can portray nature combined with a purpose to it all. How philosophical. :D

I have noticed the blurs which I like the most in the various wildlife photography books I have quite often will have just one, sometimes very small, stationery and in focus line and that is often enough. So for me, the terns you posted is close to perfection!! :)

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I have lots of successful ones with no point of interest, just pure pattern blurs. One was my first honored BBC image.... :) I will dig it up and post it here.

[Hilary Hann]

I would love to see it, thank you.

[Arthur Morris]

Will post it tonight though it is a film image and I can never seem to get the blue color right :)

[Kerry Perkins]

I like this one too Artie, with the diagonal sweep and sense of motion. I might have cropped a bit tighter to eliminate the patch of sky in the URC, but as Mark says - your image, your vision. That patch does serve to anchor the image. ;)

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Kerry. In re-visiting this image there are two things that I don't like: the small darker brown area in the distant woods along the top of the frame--a crop would take care of that, and the single long reed that touches the right-hand frame edge.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I have lots of successful ones with no point of interest, just pure pattern blurs. One was my first honored BBC image.... :) I will dig it up and post it here.

I posted the image I was talking about in Avian so as not to give away the secret under the title "Keep or Delete" So far, at least nobody has suggested that I delete it. You can see it here:

http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...844#post487844 :)

[Hilary Hann]

I was tempted to say 'delete' just to see what reaction I got! ;) However, it would give me a reputation that I might never get rid of and I would hate to be asked to leave BPN. :eek:

[Arthur Morris]

That would have been fun!

[Richard Waas]

Hi Artie,
I love this image. I agree with you about the two minute changes; however, the impressionistic look is fabulous. The soft colors and the diagonal flow really portrays movement. Congrats!!

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Richard. It is a good thing that I am easily bored!

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Artie,

Greetings. I like the pattern, texture of this image (the colors, too, but I have to assign the color profile to see the better color... It would be great if you attached the color profile like you did in the Avian blur post).

I have to say, though, I find myself tilting my head to look at it. I think the bit of sky is iconic to make a viewer (me) want to straighten it... without which that urge goes away.

The avian post, by the way, is stunning!

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Arthur Morris]

Michael,

re:

I like the pattern, texture of this image (the colors, too, but I have to assign the color profile to see the better color... It would be great if you attached the color profile like you did in the Avian blur post.

I have to see if I can check the ICC box on my action....

I have to say, though, I find myself tilting my head to look at it. I think the bit of sky is iconic to make a viewer (me) want to straighten it... without which that urge goes away.

Funny--that's one of the things that I really like about the image, the tension scored by the tilted sky!

The avian post, by the way, is stunning!

Thanks. See my concluding comments tonight if I can rememberto head over there.

Thanks for stopping by.