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Still - 30 mins and counting
Still - 30 mins and counting
Valdo


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Still (Basic Editing)
Camera: Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi
Lens: Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro 1:2 for Canon
Location: Manzanillo Mexico
Date: Mar 23, 2007
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/80s
Galleries: Nature, Still Life
Date Uploaded: Mar 27, 2007

Raw conversion, shadow-highlights adjustment, curves, resize, USM, frame, save for web.

Statistics
Place: 59 out of 276
Avg (all users): 5.9753
Avg (commenters): 7.6000
Avg (participants): 5.6618
Avg (non-participants): 6.2021
Views since voting: 989
Views during voting: 254
Votes: 162
Comments: 14
Favorites: 1 (view)


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AuthorThread
04/25/2007 06:25:56 PM
Positives:
Composition is the strength of this image. Has good balance between objects and reflections given the near center framing of the water's edge. Wwell done. Very peaceful, traquil image.

Technicals:
Composition and content are excellent. Color is generally good. It is immediately obvious that some type of HDRI process has been applied... Shadow/Highlight in this particular case. With it you brought out great lighting and detail in the reeds. Shadow/Highlight is tricky to learn and use and sometimes leaves a surrealistic, unnatural look to the lighting from its narrowing of lighting differences. That has happened to a certain degree in this case. You didn't get any of the ugly haloing that we sometimes see but you pushed the limit. The best applications of these techniques are the ones least obvious. Your treatment is not bad, but could be better.

I'm on a sharpness sensitive monitor and can see "jaggies" typical of oversharpening. It is most apparent in the plant above and over the top of the bird.

The Challenge:
The shot selection of a tranquil natural scene fits the challenge quite nicely but some voters, like the one commenting it would be better if the water were "still", might lower the score for the ripples in the water. Your score of 5.9 is decent by DPC group standards and that likely comes from the strength of composition, subject selection and the final look of the reeds over its other technical aspects.

Suggestions:
You might want to back off on the sharpening a bit. Shadow/highlight, since it changes brightness and contrast, affects sharpening and makes it easier to oversharpen.

As an experiment try redoing this image with shadow/highlight to the point that the casual observer cannot tell that anything of that nature has been done to the image. It is a skill you will want to perfect for other images where a more natural look is desired.

Message edited by author 2007-04-25 18:26:54.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
04/04/2007 08:26:40 AM
I like the reflection. Fantastic work!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
04/04/2007 07:29:15 AM
underrated! Lovely shot-STILL!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
04/02/2007 06:48:56 PM
Almost like a postcard, or National Geographic style... very nice!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/31/2007 11:13:43 PM
nice
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/31/2007 12:36:27 PM
Nice crisp focus.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/30/2007 11:19:12 PM
Nice capture here.....and I like the reflection.....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/30/2007 06:55:57 PM
Patience is a virtue ;-) Pretty bird, lush setting, would work even better for the challenge if the water was still, too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/30/2007 03:47:36 PM
Very nice. Yes, you've got to have patience to capture these guys!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/30/2007 11:50:16 AM
This seems over sharpened and over saturated, but the basic image is beautiful and fits the challenge well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/29/2007 03:48:31 PM
I have such a hard time capturing these lovely creatures. This is fantastic
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/29/2007 03:06:21 PM
Nice pic but way o oversharpened.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/29/2007 11:55:24 AM
SERENITY...man this is a nice shot, I keep coming back to it...the water lily off the tail of the crane is perfectly placed! so nice when nature obliges...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
03/28/2007 04:10:26 PM
really beautiful & fits this challenge so well
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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