Orange-fronted Parakeet

[Mike Landwehr]

I spotted this pretty little bird sitting on top of its cage as we walked through an open air market in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I believe its an Orange-fronted Parakeet. The image was taken with a 28-135 lens (hand-held). The background is the trunk of a tree. Special effects courtesy of Pixel Bender. I'd be happy to give you the settings, but the image was the result of some experimentation, and I haven't been able to replicate it!

[Brendan Dozier]

Great looking portrait & composition, Mike, the pixel bender really works well on the feathers. Like the bright bold colors of bird and it contrasts well with the texture of BG. No worries about the settings, I tend to forget the details of what I while experimenting with the sliders and adjustments.

[Dennis Bishop]

It looks like you got a tremendous amount of detail in the eye. Maybe enough for a parakeet-eye view of the market if we could zoom in far enough. I like the composition, and it's always fun to see the Pixel Bender OilPaint effects. They change so much with the original textures, I never know what to expect. Just thinking out loud, here . . . I wonder how it would work if the effect were used full strength on the background and beak but at a lower opacity or not at all on the rest of the parakeet.

[denise ippolito]

Mike, I love the effect especially on the feathers. I like that you chose to reveal the detail in the eye. The only little area I might adjust is right above the parakeets head in the the background. Beautifully done!

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Mike,
Really catches your eye and I too love the effect of the processing! The BG really makes him stand out!

[Nancy Bell]

I love the colorful graphic look to this. PB Oil is such fun and I really like the 2 different effects you chose, curly lines are perfect for bark and straighter lines for the parrot feathers.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Great pixel bender work Mike...love the effect.