Mary's Photoblog
Feathers.
Posted by MaryB (Staffordshire, United Kingdom) on 7 May 2008 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.
I nearly deleted this shot as it was too dark (forgot to change the setting) but thought I'd hang on to it till I uploaded it. I played around contrast and brightness and I'm really pleased with the result, even though it's still a bit dark around the talons.
It makes me wish I hadn't deleted the other two dark images, I won't be doing that again, you never know what might be lurking in the darkness!
Best viewed large :)
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Any tips or constructive criticism are welcome :)
I really appreciate all your comments, thank you so much. I'm only sorry I've not got time to respond. I do read all the comments and will try to answer any questions you have
Elisa from Massachusetts, United States
nice pp work! :) glad that you didn't delete this shot!
7 May 2008 5:25am
e. from New York, NY, United States
WOw, this is really beautiful! Incredible capture.
7 May 2008 6:16am
Arash from Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Wow!! wonderful shot. the brightness and contrast of this photo is great!!
I love it.
[never delete dark shots, you change the setting very well, also try shadow highlight (in photoshop) for some dark photos, especially in nature dark photos, It will help you ;) ]
7 May 2008 6:54am
Observing from Chester, United Kingdom
Good job you didn't hit that delete button, it's a cracking shot Mary, the dark BG looks great. Good work !!!
7 May 2008 7:22am
Keneth from Singapore, Singapore
Wow. Doesn't look dark on my screen at all. In fact, it's perfectly exposed. Nice work! Glad you didn't hit the delete button.
7 May 2008 7:37am
DaveB from Exeter, United Kingdom
Cool shot Mary, the contrast in this shot really works!
7 May 2008 7:38am
Valérie from France
Great shot! Géniale l'expression, on dirait qu'il est puni !!! J aime beaucoup le contraste des teintes. Bravo!
7 May 2008 9:03am
António Pires from Lisbon, Portugal
Better underexpose than burn the highlights out. Very good image you got.
7 May 2008 10:11am
Viewfinder from Bradenton, United States
You pulled a "winner" out of the darkness. It's beautiful.
7 May 2008 10:12am
Michael Skorulski from Cigel, Hong Kong
Super image, Mary. The detail is excellent.
7 May 2008 10:54am
Cheryl from Boerne, United States
you're right..I never delete an image until I've played with it a bit in photoshop. great catch......excellent image
7 May 2008 11:30am
Earnest from Oklahoma, United States
Everything you did worked... you certainly brought out the white fluffy nature of the feathers!
7 May 2008 12:06pm
Sandrine from Cincinnati, United States
Lovely texture in the feathers... Beautiful lighting.
7 May 2008 12:07pm
Rabbit from Richmond, United States
I like this image - the darkness brings out the light color of the feathers. I understand tho when you have not changed settings on the camera. Yeah playing with the tones is a wonderful thing and it looks as if you have used it to your advantage - good work.
7 May 2008 12:22pm
martie from Okinawa, Japan
Stunning image - made all the more so with the contrast of the light bird and the black background. Thank goodness you did not delete this one!!!
7 May 2008 12:45pm
Anthony Lambert from Bielefeld, Germany
Great plumage,birds of prey always make a great subject.
And remember,have a playbefore you delete.
7 May 2008 1:42pm
Daniel from Kenmare, United States
turned out very nice - especially for one marked for deletion!
7 May 2008 2:08pm
Peter Miller from Lichfield, United Kingdom
A bird in the dark is worth 2 in the bush Mary and this is worth it certainly, the background sets it off a treat
7 May 2008 2:28pm
Ron from Saint Louis, United States
Absolutely magnificent! The dark background makes the whole image sing and the color and detail that you've captured, here, are stunning. Truly a work of art!
7 May 2008 4:47pm
Graham Russon from Cape Town, South Africa
Fantastic capture, I love the colours and details of the bird.
7 May 2008 7:35pm
Ina from Krugersdorp, South Africa
Wow!! SO glad you did not delete it! Excellent shot, nice detail and color :)
7 May 2008 7:40pm
standley from brou-sur-chantereine, France
Superb shot Mary. Great recuperation here!
7 May 2008 8:24pm
standley from brou-sur-chantereine, France
Superb shot Mary. Great recuperation here!
7 May 2008 9:05pm
danthro from Suburbia, United States
great capture! love the shadows & black background. nice compo & angle too. just sad to see it tied up.
7 May 2008 9:07pm
vu@granby - Wolfgang from Granby, Québec, Canada
Very good Mary! As for deleting, I only delete after I've seen it on the big screen, never with just the lcd of the camera...
7 May 2008 9:24pm
Michael from Wuppertal, Germany
Great shot!
---------------
Did your camera got the option to take pictures in Raw?
This can be helpfull, cause you can "develop" the picture afterwards...
7 May 2008 9:33pm
amy from Rocky Mountain House, Canada
I really have no words for this... I'm just so gobsmacked. Standing ovation, Mary!
7 May 2008 9:38pm
Mandy from Johannesburg, South Africa
It is magnificent Mary!! I really love it - it's so dramatic!!! I like the dark background really makes him even more dramatic and ominous looking! great shot!
7 May 2008 9:59pm
Alfredo J. Martiz J. from Tokyo, Japan
Beautiful photo, congratulations for this fantastic photo, wonderful!
8 May 2008 1:23am
tyan from Singapore, Singapore
this is wonderfully done dear mary!Love that pose of contemplation as if he is deep in thought or waiting for somebody who is really late!
today's post at my blog is especially for you,dear lady,hope you like it:)
8 May 2008 1:45am
Melissa W. from Warsaw, Indiana, United States
This is GORGEOUS, Mary!!! The contrast and the detail are brilliant. Bravo!
8 May 2008 1:17pm
Marion from Nanaimo, BC, Canada
Beautiful, just beautiful. I am so glad that you didn't delete it. I love the softness about it and his pose is very appealing. Wonderful capture.
8 May 2008 10:47pm
Ronnie 2¢ from London, United Kingdom
You really have extracted some superb shots from this event. Well done here!
9 May 2008 12:10am
Barbara from Florida, United States
A possible delete? I am very happy you kept it. The feather detail is beautiful. I am speechless on how to describe how much I like this photo.
Amazing Mary, amazing.
9 May 2008 1:48am
Illuci from Hurdegaryp, Netherlands
I copied the image to my photo-processor to find out how it would do in B&W, and admired that result, too! Great graphical image.
9 May 2008 9:48am
Gary from Cochise County, United States
Mary, This is stunning. My jaw dropped at least 6 inches.
13 May 2008 12:07am
Nikon D40X
1/640 second
F/5.6
ISO 100
300 mm (35mm equiv.)