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A flock of birds flying - from 2000 feet
A flock of birds flying - from 2000 feet
rurikkarl


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Best of 2009 (Advanced Editing VII*)
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Location: Above Breidamerkursandur, Iceland, at 2000 feet
Date: Sep 19, 2009
Aperture: 2.8
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/800
Galleries: Abstract, Landscape
Date Uploaded: Jan 21, 2010

 The photograph was taken the 19th of September 2009. As the weather conditions that day were excellent I and my co-travelers decided to make good use of the day and take to the skies. We flew across across south Iceland all the way to Jökulsarlón glacier lagoon.

On the way back, when we flew over Breiðamerkursandur sand at 2000 feet, I noticed this flock of birds flying across this picturesque landscape out to sea. I opened the window on the airplane and quickly took this picture.

Picture edited in Photoshop. Edited the exposure to bring more detail into the image, some color alterations with curves and levels. Cloned out dust spots. Re-sized and sharpened.

The colors in the image are exactly as I saw them on the day I took it, but then again I'm colorblind ;)

BTW This is the first image I submit here at dpchallenge.

Statistics
Place: 105 out of 445
Avg (all users): 6.1762
Avg (commenters): 7.6923
Avg (participants): 6.1791
Avg (non-participants): 6.1667
Views since voting: 1449
Views during voting: 431
Votes: 261
Comments: 48
Favorites: 8 (view)

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AuthorThread
 01/31/2010 10:05:44 PM
Greetings from the Critique Club!

It seems I keep drawing the photographs that I particularly loved during voting, which of course makes it hard for me to "critique". I really cannot offer any possible "improvements" to this. It is amazing it its grace, its scope, its majesty. And the colors are exactly right, by the way, regardless of what was really there. Note that your commenters really loved this - any time you can move a lot of people to stop and comment, you've done something right!

Please continue to share your vision as you see it. And make sure you have that strap around your neck when shooting pictures out of the airplane window. :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/29/2010 10:50:12 PM
wow!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/29/2010 03:46:47 PM
And an exceptional first image it is. This is lovely! Thanks so much for submitting it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/29/2010 09:29:07 AM
This is amazing!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/29/2010 08:25:01 AM
Thanks everyone who voted, faved and commented on my image ;)

Message edited by author 2010-01-29 08:25:55.
 01/29/2010 07:09:51 AM
Wonderful aerial photograph! I knew this was taken in Iceland the second I saw the beautifully earthy tones in contrast to the icy blues in the background.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/29/2010 05:00:08 AM
what a stunning and different shot. love it!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/28/2010 11:52:34 PM
9 - Magic capture. Artisticly processed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/28/2010 11:19:55 PM
Looks almost like a painting. Very pretty.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/28/2010 09:42:02 PM
wonderful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/28/2010 09:24:24 PM
Pretty cool. I really like the variations in the water.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/28/2010 07:38:52 PM
Now that is quite awesome.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/28/2010 06:37:41 PM
I'm hanging this in the Posthumous Fantasy Art Gallery.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/28/2010 05:03:52 PM
Works as an abstract but I also see shadows of some of the birds when I look closely. An image I enjoy exploring.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/28/2010 03:22:04 PM
Were you heading into orbit? Great view, and unique entry! For me it was like looking at an abstract painting that slowly revealed itself as a photograph.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/28/2010 12:05:54 PM
Art
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/28/2010 08:06:33 AM
Makes for a very nice abstract type of photo. Love the reflections off the water.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/27/2010 09:39:50 PM
A most peculiar perspective. What is it they're flying over?.....6
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/27/2010 05:37:36 PM
What a spectacular view! 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/27/2010 02:36:00 PM
I'm back to bump this shot, the more I look at it the amazed I am by it, fantastic.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/27/2010 10:06:56 AM
almost dizzying in the complexity of the image
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/27/2010 05:10:16 AM
i had no idea what i was looking at at first till i read your title what a good image
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/26/2010 11:50:19 PM
Very interesting shot. Took me a second to get a feel for it. Just wish the birds were a bit closer, but I realize you can't do too much about that!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/26/2010 09:40:10 PM
GORGEOUS, unique POV and what a timing of composition and action! your PP is perfect 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/26/2010 09:34:54 PM
Thank you for the self-explanatory title. Saved me a lot of time to figure this out. Very cool shot and becoming an abstract. Color combination a little sombre for my taste unfortunately. 6
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/26/2010 03:48:55 PM
This is a very cool "national geographic" style picture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/25/2010 11:53:32 PM
Stunning.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/25/2010 08:35:52 PM
I really really like this composition, at first glance it was just a very pleasing abstract and then I started seeing the birds...Love it!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/25/2010 04:55:58 PM
OMG this is absolutely spectacular and my highest rated photo so far. This is so masterfully artful. If we aren't seeing this one in the very top few, I'm going to be so surprised and disappointed. Congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/25/2010 04:12:49 PM
unique perspective. just awesome 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/24/2010 09:16:30 PM
wow...spectacular! 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/24/2010 08:50:06 PM
Really neat photo from that angle...fascinating textures and colors!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/24/2010 04:38:36 AM
A wonderful and unique abstract.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/23/2010 10:51:26 PM
I like the expressionist painting-like thing going on here. The sort of image that I'd like to see full screen. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/23/2010 08:35:50 PM
I'm so glad I took the time to really take a good long look at this gem. It is gorgeous.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/23/2010 07:44:07 PM
i'm a big fan of this image, but i think it would work better with a vaguer title-- it steals a bit of the magic ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/23/2010 07:14:35 PM
Beautiful shot. I love the natural diagonal.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/23/2010 11:34:31 AM
Almost like an abstract and wonderfully done piece of art!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/23/2010 11:34:04 AM
COOL!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/23/2010 11:14:13 AM
Pretty shot and this would make a good poster too. Like it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/23/2010 02:50:48 AM
very interesting to look at
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/22/2010 10:29:17 PM
really like the odd feel of this...kind of artsie fartsie
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/22/2010 05:41:53 PM
Cool perspective, I like the patterns in the sand/water too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/22/2010 04:38:24 PM
Whoa, really cool perspective on this shot... not everyday you get a chance for a photo like this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/22/2010 08:47:12 AM
a rare capture done really well
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/22/2010 05:56:55 AM
I was looking at this thinking, it must have been taken from really high up, then I saw your title and went, "ahh".

I like this because of the almost abstract nature of it. On first glace it isn't exactly clear what it is, it looks like painted colours with a sort of scattered line running through it. It's only after a few seconds that you start to make out the details of the birds, then after that the rest of the scene is given a sense of scale and it all starts to make sense.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/22/2010 04:28:30 AM
Lovely abstract paint you have got here (not voting)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/22/2010 02:54:55 AM
Ah! I really wish I could see a much larger version of this hanging in a gallery. I would stand and stare at this for hours.
10
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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