Dramatic Phoebe in a Gnarled Loquat Tree (Page 2): Nice one, Jim. I like the color shot better, but this is also well done.

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Nice one, Jim. I like the color shot better, but this is also well done.

jwt Loc: Texas Hill Country

Treepusher wrote:

Nice one, Jim. I like the color shot better, but this is also well done.

Thank you Randy, I'm still aspiring to produce a good b & w from a color shot and I will get there sometime I'm sure. Thanks again my friend for the visit and the comment. :-D

docshark Loc: Millersville, PA

Not a B&W fan Jim but this is fantastic especially in the double download. I'm surprised you could get an opening like that in that Gnarly tree. Fine shot my friend!
-Doc

jwt Loc: Texas Hill Country

docshark wrote:

Not a B&W fan Jim but this is fantastic especially in the double download. I'm surprised you could get an opening like that in that Gnarly tree. Fine shot my friend!
-Doc

Thanks Doc, I've recently got a brand new tripod which I love and I'm also using my monopod a lot more so in cases like this I guessed where it was going to be and prefocused on that area and waited. Needless to say I lucked out and was steady enough to get the shot.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

jwt wrote:

I posted the color version of this one in the gallery earlier today but wanted to work it up in black and white. The birds natural colors as well as the color and texture of the old dead tree seem to lend itself to a toned black and white rendition. Best viewed in download and double click if you've a mind to.

I'm not crazy about the bright spot in the middle of the photo. It does not really make the bird, which is your main subject, pop out. I think that there is too much competition with the background. I'm not usually a fan of selective color; but it might be interesting to see this black and white image with only the bird showing colors. Not too difficult to do with a layer mask.

jwt Loc: Texas Hill Country

ebrunner wrote:

I'm not crazy about the bright spot in the middle of the photo. It does not really make the bird, which is your main subject, pop out. I think that there is too much competition with the background. I'm not usually a fan of selective color; but it might be interesting to see this black and white image with only the bird showing colors. Not too difficult to do with a layer mask.

Thanks Eric, I've reworked this photo several times but I haven't tried that yet. Sounds like a good idea. I appreciate your visit and comment. :-D

ediesaul

[quote=jwt]

I like this photo very much. For me, the background's gnarly branches distract me from the main subject, so I wonder how the photo would look if it were pared. Also, if the bird's eye were more in focus, or shiny, or a bit of white spot gleamed from it, I think it would be more attractive.

jwt Loc: Texas Hill Country

[quote=ediesaul]

jwt wrote:

I like this photo very much. For me, the background's gnarly branches distract me from the main subject, so I wonder how the photo would look if it were pared. Also, if the bird's eye were more in focus, or shiny, or a bit of white spot gleamed from it, I think it would be more attractive.

Thank you Ediesaul :-D :-D

Sirius_one Loc: S.F. Bay Area

I like both the monochrome and the original. I just took a look at the antiqued version with the frame, and it is hard to decide which is the nicer version, they all look good.

jwt Loc: Texas Hill Country

Sirius_one wrote:

I like both the monochrome and the original.

Thanks so much Sirius, really glad you liked both of them. :-D

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

In download it looks like there is a patterned overlay on the picture. Was this deliberate? or is it artifacts from a noise reduction program? I like the composition but feel the picture lacks crisp detail.

jwt Loc: Texas Hill Country

mcveed wrote:

In download it looks like there is a patterned overlay on the picture. Was this deliberate? or is it artifacts from a noise reduction program? I like the composition but feel the picture lacks crisp detail.

Thanks Don, I did use a noise reduction program, not sure what it is you see.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

jwt wrote:

Thanks Don, I did use a noise reduction program, not sure what it is you see.

I am looking at your picture on 27" iMac retina screen. It is quite a high resolution and reveals all sorts of details that are not visible on a standard screen. The attached enlargement is taken from the open area just above the large branch above and to the right of the bird.

jwt Loc: Texas Hill Country

mcveed wrote:

I am looking at your picture on 27" iMac retina screen. It is quite a high resolution and reveals all sorts of details that are not visible on a standard screen. The attached enlargement is taken from the open area just above the large branch above and to the right of the bird.

No idea what caused that Don, I was in and out of several different programs during post processing and one of them may have created that effect. I also use an Imac and I just didn't look that far into it. Thanks for taking an extra look but I can offer no new information on this. :-D

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

jwt wrote:

No idea what caused that Don, I was in and out of several different programs during post processing and one of them may have created that effect. I also use an Imac and I just didn't look that far into it. Thanks for taking an extra look but I can offer no new information on this. :-D

I would check your noise reduction program. Some of them overlay a random pattern like this to soften noise. I used to use one which overplayed a pretty strong pattern if you didn't turn it down real low. I found that the noise reduction pattern often did more damage to the clarity of the picture than the noise did.