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Abra


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Free Study 2011-06 (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT
Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L IS USM
Location: Bonnie Vale, Australia
Date: Jun 16, 2011
Aperture: f/5
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/1600 sec
Galleries: Water, Birds
Date Uploaded: Jun 16, 2011

 I feel a bit guilty with this shot because it has been effectively set up and not exactly caught by chance. That is, I wanted a contre-jour effect with a flock of ducks. Where I was there were about a dozen ducks on the grassy shore so I slowly walked towards them, herding them towards the water, with a sudden movement to get them to take flight. That’s why I feel a bit guilty as I was harassing wildlife to get a shot. I managed to grab a few shots of most of the flock as they took flight but it was the last two coming in for landing that got me the shot I was really happy with.

This is my first attempt to create a vignette through post processing and like anything else I try for the first I’ve probably stuffed it up which will be obvious to anyone who knows how to do it properly. But you can only learn to do something well by practicing it and I’m hoping that if it really is poorly done that some will comment and hopefully give advice on the best way to achieve this.

My original intention was to have a pure silhouette of birds but I liked the details of these birds and through a lot of mucking around with levels, curves (and experimenting with topaz) as well as using tritone (sp?) I feel as though I’ve managed to bring out some of these details while maintaining the contre-jour feel. I just hope this doesn’t get a request to validate as I would be hard pressed to remember all of the processing steps I’ve done (though none I believe would break the advanced rules).

I would love to get a 6+ image in a free study. This probably won’t be the one but I always live in hope.

Post voting

Thanks everyone for the lovely comments. It was in the six's for the whole week until just a few hours before roll-over. What a tease!

Statistics
Place: 102 out of 312
Avg (all users): 5.9355
Avg (commenters): 7.0000
Avg (participants): 5.9773
Avg (non-participants): 5.8333
Views since voting: 490
Views during voting: 181
Votes: 124
Comments: 7
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
 02/28/2012 02:55:08 AM
Wow - that is a very cool capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/19/2012 04:23:35 AM
At least your honest. We've all done that at least once in our lives. I have. It has however had the nett result that I now make more effort to be in the right place at the right time, and if I can't get the shot then so be it.

The vignette is not noticeable, barring maybe bottom right as all the other corners were dark anyway. Nice duo-tones and silhouette all the same!

Re the dropping of your score minutes before roll-over. It happens all the time but mostly on free studies. I think a lot of voters look at their 5.9 or whu, and then hastily drop all their given 6 votes to 5 votes in the hope that they may gain a few positions on the ladder. Stinks I agree and where you thought you might just squeeze out that 6, you end up with a 5.9355!

Us wildlife (and bird nuts) should stick together and add +1 to all those wild/nature images to counteract them :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/08/2011 12:44:46 AM
Bummer that it didn't go over the 6.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
07/07/2011 09:05:46 PM
Great catch
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/05/2011 12:39:57 PM
Beautiful shadowplay, nice natural framing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/02/2011 09:30:47 AM
Excellent timing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/01/2011 03:24:54 PM
Very neat lighting and great capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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