Critique Fine Art Egret 2nd image added

[gchappel]

I love these guys when they pose.
Pretty successful morning. Foggy, so it was a giant softbox.

I should say this is sooooo easy with a mirrorless camera it should be illegal. Light was changing, sometimes several stops at a time. The mirrorless wysiwyg makes this simple to adjust on the fly.

This was the first image I worked up- did take 10min in photoshop so longer than usual for me- but I loved the pose.
It is spooling to the printer as we speak.
I am off this week, so shooting everyday I am not taking the bike out!
gary

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[Butlerkid]

Simply a beautiful pose and the white feathers are exquisite. I'd like just a hint of the legs as right now the bird seems to be levitating above the post. LOL! Maybe remove the post and feet entirely? Now THAT's a crazy idea!

 

[gchappel]

Thanks Karen, I agree. With the background there was no way I could salvage the legs- at least not without a bunch of masking which is way over my skill set.
I looked at just wiping the post and feet- but thought the implied legs worked. But sometimes I am too close to these to see realistically
Thanks
gary

 

[Butlerkid]

Would masking of the legs be that hard? Are you using PS or ??? I really think this is very workable! And worth it!

 

[Allan]

another excellent high contrast image. I would try to get a hint of legs though.

 

[MikeMcA²]

Beautiful fine art. Nicely done.

 

[gchappel]

I don't know if this works or not.
The legs are normally black, and the only way to bring them out on a black background is to make them a little grey.
But then the scales stand out too much.
Need to see what they look like on paper.
Thanks for helping me develop this one.
gary

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[Phil K]

Beautiful work. I like the second one better.

 

[Mike Buckley]

The original version was very confusing to me, so much so that I don't like it at all. The revision is a masterpiece!

The legs are normally black, and the only way to bring them out on a black background is to make them a little grey. But then the scales stand out too much.

You're making a monochrome photo, which is not how the scene appears in reality. Yet you're concerned that the legs are normally black or that the scales stand out more than usual in the photo? Maybe it's just me, but that thought process doesn't compute for me.

People often tell me that the subjects of my tabletop photography don't look real. I tell them that if they ever saw the subjects lit the way I light them, the photos would be considered very realistic. I use the same thought process when I think about your bird's legs; they could easily appear that way in certain light, so go for it.

 

[Boblou]

Awesome work and control on white area.

 

[gchappel]

Awesome work and control on white area.

Thanks!
This would, at least for me, be near impossible to do without the wysiwyg the mirrorless cameras give me.
1/2 stop over and the background comes out. Correctable in post, but I am lazy.
1/2 stop under and you will never get the legs out of the shadows.
Easy when you can do your adjustments based on what you see.
Light changed +/- 3 stops while I was shooting this single bird, as the sun came in and out.
gary

 

[gchappel]

they could easily appear that way in certain light, so go for it.

Mike, thanks for the guidance.
I "knew" the legs were there- as I saw them when I shot. Thus my mind was completely ok with the first image. I find it hard to see through others eyes sometimes.
Then, bringing the legs out- they did not look like they did, so to me they are wrong. Again, good to realize they look fine to others.
Boy I have a lot to learn. That is why I keep putting stuff up here.
Thanks again.
gary

 

[Louis Champan]

The second one works for me, great job.

 

[Butlerkid]

Well done, Gary!!!! Perfect! I knew you could do it!

 

[Allan]

Big improvement in the 2nd one. Without legs it is weird.

 

[Mitchell]

Gary, that second one is really special. The feather detail you've captured along with the interesting pose bring it all together. Like some of the others, I need the legs to help anchor the bird to the post at the bottom. I also like the side lighting on the legs which provides added interest.

 

[drr1531]

Ditto other's comments. The first one is a bit odd. Maybe not so much for the general public but for bird people. The second is much improved. As you say you may need to tweek it a bit for print to get the appropriate amount of visibility on the legs.