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Thread: Snake in the Grass Fract

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Default Snake in the Grass Fract

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    As described in detail in last night's blog post, "Watch Your Step," I met a large reptile on my Saturday morning walk :). I love Fracting gator and snake skins. I started with the Rounded pre-set and tweaked it quite a bit as I usually do.

    Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. Tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens</a>, the 1.4X III TC, 25mm Extension tube, ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/160 sec. at f/11 in Av mode. Here I placed the TC on the lens with the tube behind it; this gave me AF. Central sensor (by necessity) AI Servo/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Confused: see the rear focus tutorial here.

    Lens/TC/Camera Body Micro-Adjustment: 0.

    Don't be shy; all comments welcome.
    Last edited by Arthur Morris; 09-27-2011 at 08:30 AM.
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    I like the patterns, how some (snake) are horizontal and some (grass) vertical, and their different colors. Also, the diamond pattern on the snake.

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    Forum Participant Joe Senzatimore's Avatar
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    Snakes pattern captured and processed wonderfully. Also love the comp. I might tone down the upper portion as I find the brightness of the grass a bit distracting. I think you left it this way , as making it darker would cause it to blend with the snake skin. Perhaps a crop of the top to make it more of a pano? Not sure , but I think a small fix would help an already sweet image become even stronger. Still a fine "abstract".

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    I love it, nice use of the filter and great eye for the original capture. I might go a little bit more on the blacks on the snake.

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    Hi Art,

    I love everything about it, except the top layer, which is distracting to me and leaves me wondering what's back there.............rather than a crop of the top, consider cutting back on the FRAC filter to bring that just a bit closer to the foreground patterns (which I love) for continuity. But not too much. Just my take.

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    BPN Member Christopher Miller's Avatar
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    Nice use of the frac filter, Artie. It looks a lot like a drawing done with colored pencils. Love the pattern of the snake and the abstract comp. Well done!
    God Bless
    Christopher, Old Photo Master and Master Texturizer

    Old Memories Photography

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    Landscapes Moderator Andrew McLachlan's Avatar
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    Very nice fract work. I love the comp as well. Agree with Denise on a smidge more black.

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    BPN Member Kerry Perkins's Avatar
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    Hi Artie, I love reptiles (was once the VP of the Southwestern Herpetologists Society) and you made a good choice of lensing for this nasty fellow. I too would like to see the top band darker and a bit more black added throughout the image. I like the way you framed the patterns.
    "It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson

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    Lifetime Member Jay Gould's Avatar
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    I give it a 10!

    It could certainly hang in a prominent place on my walls; if I had the wall in the trailer.
    Cheers, Jay

    My Digital Art - "Nature Interpreted" - can now be view at http://www.luvntravlnphotography.com

    "Nature Interpreted" - Photography begins with your mind and eyes, and ends with an image representing your vision and your reality of the captured scene; photography exceeds the camera sensor's limitations. Capturing and Processing landscapes and seascapes allows me to express my vision and reality of Nature.

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    Very nice fract work Artie!

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    Artie, I love those shining scales with the texture. Wonderful example of pattern in nature! Great use of filters.

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    Very interesting look at a snake's skin. Love the contrast of the warm colors of the skin and the cool greens of the grass. Fascinating!

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    I did do everything that I could think of to darken the upper layer.... Any suggestions? Thanks all for your comments.
    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.

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    BPN Member Cheryl Slechta's Avatar
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    Artie, I did a quickie - I'm not sure I like it as much as the OP. I used a dup layer in multiply mode and masked back everything but the upper grasses. I didn't like the hue so I did a light "paint job" using a color from the grasses below.
    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" - The Little Prince

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Thanks Cheryl, I like it as the upper part looks much better. You mis-painted a bit as there is a dark line at the top of the snake's back left center. Selections and edges make our Photoshop lives more difficult....
    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.

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    BPN Member Cheryl Slechta's Avatar
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    Artie, I did it during halftime of the USF-Pitt game - I should have been more careful
    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" - The Little Prince

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    So who won??? I think that I saw it at 7-7....
    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    I did do everything that I could think of to darken the upper layer.... Any suggestions? Thanks all for your comments.
    Art, I like what Cheryl did. Here is an alternative for you to consider, where I added some definition to the upper layer as well as darkening.
    It's a different feel than Cheryl's, and of course, your call. I used NIKs Low-Key for darkening and Tonal Contrast for definition. You can adjust the opacity to however you prefer, lighter/darker with more/less definition. These filters do offer some interesting options.

    Note there were some residual artifacts from Frac along the upper portion of the scales on the OP.

    Hope this was useful Jay

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Thanks Jay. Looks good but different. I saw that the top layer of scales along the back was not perfect when I was comparing the original and the Fract.
    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.

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  20. #20
    BPN Member Cheryl Slechta's Avatar
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    Artie, I think I like Jay's better. The game was a slaughter in the second half - Pitt won 44-17 I think. I should have spent more time playing around with the snake - it would have been more than the game
    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" - The Little Prince

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