When you have got it.....
May 13, 2023 14:12:55 #
May 13, 2023 14:49:18 #
Nalu wrote:
These guys are really tough to catch and you did a great job here. The light is lovely on the bird. But I have to ask, did you replace the sky?
Hi Nalu, I know you as a serious and competent bird photographer and I appreciate your comment. Yes, this is a background replacement. For the past couple of years my posts here have been experiments using my bird photos with background substitutions. My goal is to present the birds as realistically as possible with backgrounds that support the subject and satisfy my sometimes-quirky aesthetic. I know this doesn't work for everyone and I usually disclose my editing goals up front. I am interested in your thoughts.
Phil
May 13, 2023 19:09:30 #
May 13, 2023 23:06:50 #
PAR4DCR wrote:
Wonderful image Phil.
Don
Don
Thank you Don, I appreciate the kind comment.
May 14, 2023 15:09:07 #
rockdog wrote:
Hi Nalu, I know you as a serious and competent bir... (show quote)
I personally am not one for doing that, but that is just me. Actually, for a piece of art, I like the image and appreciate your creative approach. The colors really fit with the photo of the bird and makes for a very nice presentation. I am no one to criticize anyone who wants to be creative, and if it looks good, as this image does, the more the better. What would be really amazing would have been if you actually captured the Kingfisher, a feat unto itself, with a background like that, it would have been really amazing. Bottom line, I like it!😊
May 14, 2023 17:36:29 #
Nalu wrote:
I personally am not one for doing that, but that i... (show quote)
I truly appreciate your fair-minded, thoughtful and detailed response, thank you. Circumstances have kept me out of the field for the past two years and that has given me the opportunity to develop some editing skills and revisit many of my favorite photos from my archives. When I am able to get back out there, my goal will be to continue to make the best "natural" bird photos I am capable of with the hope of that magic moment when the light and a complexity of other factors come together to produce that amazing photo you describe. In my film days I loved the darkroom and my takeaway from this past two years of experimenting is about the vast potential of the digital darkroom.
Thank you again Nalu, the work you have posted here continues to motivate me and I am grateful for that.
May 14, 2023 20:26:35 #
rockdog wrote:
I truly appreciate your fair-minded, thoughtful an... (show quote)
I hope you are out in the field soon, but in the meantime, keep up the "creation" of images you have presented here. Once again, it is a very lovely image of the very illusive creature, the belted kingfisher. As I look back at the thousands of images I have made of my favorite subject (birds), I strive to make images that are not just recordings, but rather something that brings it all together (light, background, behavior, interaction, and technically correct). We see lots of "recordings", what I would like to see is more artistic presentations. Have a great evening and look forward to seeing more of your stuff!
May 14, 2023 22:42:26 #
May 15, 2023 00:41:03 #
May 15, 2023 15:19:22 #
May 15, 2023 17:04:23 #
Sylvias wrote:
Great shot and pp Phil, a little beauty. 
Thank you Sylvia, hope all is well with you! When is our next trip, I need to get the virtual heck out of Berkeley!
May 16, 2023 12:29:05 #
May 16, 2023 19:31:02 #
topcat wrote:
Great capture
Thanks for the visit topcat!
I very much enjoyed your SailGP post. I missed the event live and your photos helped get me there, I did catch the TV broadcasts. I had a lot of fun at the America's Cup in 2013 shooting those fast and deadly AC72's. https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-152277-1.html I shot almost every day from Crissy Field. Were you on the water for your shots?
May 18, 2023 16:14:10 #
rockdog wrote:
Thank you Sylvia, hope all is well with you! When is our next trip, I need to get the virtual heck out of Berkeley!
I am off to not so sunny Majorca, Spain in a weeks time! I still have some posts to do from our trip to South Africa when I can find time to sort them out.
Keep looking. Jun 6, 2023 17:37:13 #
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