Snow tracks: Recently, I arrived at a client's house to find her shooting close-up pictures of the snow. Later, she showed me some very nice shots of frost on the window. When I went...

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

Recently, I arrived at a client's house to find her shooting close-up pictures of the snow. Later, she showed me some very nice shots of frost on the window. When I went out today, we had had a little snow and the birds had been walking around on my car, using it as a staging area while waiting to get to the bird feeders, or as an impromptu picnic spot. I took a few (badly exposed) pictures, which, if nothing else, tells me how much more work I need to put into shooting in snow.

This was over the pachysandra (which I even spelled correctly all on my own! :) ). Quite a few adjustments were made to it. Cropped quite a bit out of this shot. Upped the exposure, boosted the clarity, created luminosity masks and corresponding levels layers and tweaked the brighter areas, and sharpened the result.

Comments/critiques? Improvements? Bad idea in the first place?

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

I am a little blurry headed today, but I think you need more contrast to bring out the tracks. You could also achieve this in-camera by shooting at an angle to the tracks to emphasize the shadows within. Neat idea.

jrb1213 Loc: McDonough GEorgia

There are books on tracks, but none like this. This was a great idea. You should give up your day job. I actually like it. Now for the hard part. Which bird species?

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

jrb1213 wrote:

There are books on tracks, but none like this. This was a great idea. You should give up your day job. I actually like it. Now for the hard part. Which bird species?

Take your pick! Chickadees, titmice, juncos, cardinals. The first two are the most likely.

Here's another, not quite as drastically treated. These tracks were on the ground next to the path.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

RMM wrote:

Take your pick! Chickadees, titmice, juncos, cardinals. The first two are the most likely.

Here's another, not quite as drastically treated. These tracks were on the ground next to the path.

Much more obvious.

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

St3v3M wrote:

I am a little blurry headed today, but I think you need more contrast to bring out the tracks. You could also achieve this in-camera by shooting at an angle to the tracks to emphasize the shadows within. Neat idea.

Thanks for the suggestions. Hope your head deblurs.

Taken in haste, I was on my way to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions and then on to a client.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

RMM wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. Hope your head deblurs.

Taken in haste, I was on my way to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions and then on to a client.

Some of the most interesting images are found when we are not looking for them! Cheers.

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

St3v3M wrote:

Some of the most interesting images are found when we are not looking for them! Cheers.

And then there are pictures within pictures. I didn't crop a lot out of the second photo, but I think it's a lot more interesting this way. And there are other instances where the same photo yield two or three good images depending on how the original was treated.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

RMM wrote:

And then there are pictures within pictures. I didn't crop a lot out of the second photo, but I think it's a lot more interesting this way. And there are other instances where the same photo yield two or three good images depending on how the original was treated.

Finding a photo within a photo is like finding money in your pocket you forgot about. Always brings a smile!

jrb1213 Loc: McDonough GEorgia

I actually did not critique it as I should have. The first one has too many leading lines, the second image is much better as a minimalist photo. It also shows the transitory nature of a life with the snow beginning to melt.

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

jrb1213 wrote:

I actually did not critique it as I should have. The first one has too many leading lines, the second image is much better as a minimalist photo. It also shows the transitory nature of a life with the snow beginning to melt.

Blame the birds for all those leading lines. :)

R.G. Loc: Scotland

An interesting shot that reminds us that there's a world right under our noses that we should notice now and then.

I think the effect would work better if it was cleaner - not necessarily less prints, just less of anything that isn't snow or prints.

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

I will discuss this with the birds. Most of them are neat, but a few of them scatter seeds, poop anywhere they want, even throw the odd feather around.

OK, thanks for looking. :)

Nosaj Loc: Sarasota, Florida

Answer to your last question is, "yes."