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Thread: Purple Heron Camouflage

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    Default Purple Heron Camouflage

    Saw this "camouflaged" Purple Heron while on our way home from a trip. The lush green background is a rice field.



    40D, 400/2.8 L IS II (lent by Canon), ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, manual exposure, handheld from inside vehicle

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    I like this very much...there's a lot of character here. The green background, that particular shade of green, makes the thing look somewhat otherworldly! On my monitor there are some spots that look a little hot, which I would tone down...

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    Thanks, Jack. The light was already harsh on this shot and those stalks can get a little tricky to expose. Here's a repost. I toned down the highlights. Does it look better?



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    Mark, hello. Personally I prefer the repost. I really like this shot...

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Mark, good alert pose from the heron, and overall, and the sharpness on the heron is spot on. Your repost has tuned out for the better with regards to toning down the FG, but I find the 'strands' a bit distracting as they compete with the heron. I feel the greens of the rice field are a touch oversaturated, but you were there, so they could just be as is.

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    I'm new to this forum but am a fan of Mr Bowie's eye. I find his comments insightful and intelligent and will be quite pleased to disagree with them at this time () I love the strands and that the heron is living among them...I would not find the shot so engaging without them, to be honest. As for the beautiful green, I'd assumed that the presented hue was more-or-less faithful to "what was" but I will say that either way, it's the green and those strands that draw me in...

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    Real nice shot. I really like the pose, the heron id exposed very well, and great comp. I been looking at this image for a while and im Stuart on the blades of grass that come up. They distract from the heron and I personally find the green background a tad to saturated. Either way... Great shot.
    Wl done.

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    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    At first I wasn't sure about those long grasses...but, the more I studied the image to more those grew on me. I love that they curve just like the heron's neck and the head feathers. Everything is about arcs and curves, cool. I was going to suggest toning down the FG grasses, but the repost addresses that. I would remove the bright speck directly below the eye.

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    Thanks a lot, guys. Great inputs as usual. It's interesting to see the varying opinions.

    My initial thoughts on those strands/grasses when I checked this image on the camera's LCD (until the time I reviewed the photos on my monitor) were the same as Stuart's and Robert's -- they were distracting -- and I wished I had a frame where the strands weren't as dominant. But as I studied it more I started to actually like them as Jack and Dan do (curves) so I decided to process it.

    As for the unnaturally green background, it is actually what caught my attention (the heron just happened to be there). I am not familiar with crops but I think these are the new sprouts. On the other side of the road it wasn't as green as this. I did apply +10 vibrance in ACR (in my workflow I do this most of the time) but it didn't drastically affect the "richness."

    Quote Originally Posted by Daniel Cadieux View Post
    I would remove the bright speck directly below the eye.
    You really have an eagle's eyes, Dan. Dunno what that speck is but I never noticed it.

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    I think the strands are fine also. If, on the other hand they were intersecting with, say, the head, then I'd
    probably have a issue with it. But as it is now, looks okay to me.

    Doug

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