[missbirdphotos] Re: Critique
- From: Larry Pace <larrypace64@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2013 07:58:30 -0700 (PDT)
Judy
"Blob" removal was a great improvement. All of the edits you made improved the
overall impact of the photo. Thanks for taking the time to do the critique.
Always learn from your experience in PP. I can see the need for "extra" PP
capability beyond what I am using but am reluctant to pull the trigger on new
investments in programs and time investment in learning an entirely new way of
working. I know your answer to that. I tried Robert's suggestion to try a
horizontal crop and do like that but it created the problem of more empty space
and more cloning out of the blue areas as per your suggestion. The results of
my cloning efforts are clumsy at best. With these birds, because of their
frenetic activity, there is very little chance to alter your camera position to
improve backgrounds or sun angles. What you see is what you get and PP is
necessary sometimes to at least salvage a good action or behavioral shot. I
liked Robert's suggestion--to
get lower to maybe prevent some of the reflections (blue spots)--but on that
morning I was sitting on a five gallon can under a throw over hide in a very
weedy and muddy situation, reluctant to get prone and possibly be at eye level
with a wandering cottonmouth. Need to toughen up I guess. Anyway---all that
unnecessary commentary aside--when I do take the plunge into Lightroom and
Topaz, I will probably be calling on you to engage your services to teach me
how to use these tools effectively and efficiently.
LP
On Thursday, October 10, 2013 7:23 PM, Robert Smith <rsmithent@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Oooh - looks really nice to me, Larry, and I wish it were mine. I've waited to
comment until I got back onto my computer so that I could see the image at
better size/resolution.
I agree with Judy on her comments & edits (and really like the hint about
negative sharpening!).
To me, I might have taken a slightly different tack (not knowing exactly what
was around the image area that we CAN'T see), but I might have gone horizontal
with the empty room on the image left (in front of the bird), with the bird and
reflection on the right-hand thirds line. That would have avoided the
out-of-focus bird & blue blob at the top & given the bird some more room to
seem to be moving into... (Shooting active birds, you don't always have time
to switch orientation or that might have been something worse than those blobs
to that side, so that might not have worked).
I really like the exposure overall with good detail in the bird and reflection.
The bright spots on the water are a distraction, but without a polarizer,
those could have been tough to avoid (though getting lower might have reduced
them to some degree?).
I really like the action & pose as well.
Thanks for helping keep this group active!
Robert
Robert Smith
rsmithent@xxxxxxx
www.photobiologist.com
________________________________
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2013 08:33:46 -0700
From: larrypace64@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: [missbirdphotos] Critique
To: missbirdphotos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi guys
Haven't heard much from our photographers lately. Everyone must be very busy!
With the recent rains and the Government shutdown, my usual, reliably
productive spots are either unaccessible or flooded. I have been going over
some of the photos I shot in September and trying out new PP techniques
(primarily retouching tools). Of course. as usual, I am never completely
satisfied with the results. I am attaching a photograph of a Least Sandpiper
that was very active in "chasing" its neighbors as they were feeding. If I
could get you guys to look very closely at the photo and give me some feedback,
based on what you prefer in a photo, that would be very instructive for me.
Give some attention to all of the qualities you like in a bird photo. I have a
really thick skin so be straight forward with your opinions--comments.
Consider both technical and esthetic aspects of photo.
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