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Avian Contours
Avian Contours
ScottK


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Shapes (Advanced Editing I*)
Camera: Canon PowerShot A40
Location: Oceanside Pier, Oceanside, CA
Date: Dec 4, 2003
Aperture: f/4.8
ISO: 50
Shutter: 1/500
Galleries: Animals, Seascapes
Date Uploaded: Dec 7, 2003

 Taken with a teleconverter in macro mode on the Oceanside Peir, which provided the blurred, indistinct background. The outline's were the first thing that captured my eye when I viewed these pictures, and so seemed a good candidate for the shapes challenge. The down side was that it was a foggy day, so the beach/ocean in the background was duller and darker than I would have liked. I considered going b&w with this, but liked the colors in the pigeon's neck area. Decisions, decisions...

Made about as much use of the open editing rules as I'm capable of at the moment - used selections to apply different curves and color adjustments to the bird and the background, used the cloning stamp to repair some edges that got screwed up by the above actions, and I tried a trick to bring some more detail out in the feathers with a desaturated and blurred layer but it didn't work too well. Everything else was pretty much the normal (minimal) stuff I always do. Without the selection, I probably wouldn't have been able to get good results between the bird and the beach - and as it was, they weren't great.

Statistics
Place: 111 out of 125
Avg (all users): 4.8261
Avg (commenters): 4.6667
Avg (participants): 4.7792
Avg (non-participants): 4.8852
Views since voting: 744
Votes: 138
Comments: 7
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
Nikon D50
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6G ED
 12/17/2003 10:37:15 PM
Greetings from the Critique Club:
This met the challenge for me. I love the "Avian Contour" title and felt that the shape was indeed the important factor in the image. That being said I wonder if you thought of cropping this at the top where there is motion (water) that is unclear. This would have the effect of tightening the emphasis on the pigeon's curves. It appears a bit over-sharpened, especially around the crown of the head and down the back where there is some haloing. The backgound is a bit muddy and, again, the crop might help that. The feather detail is nice and the violet at the neck is a luscious color, especially where it fades into a hunter green that is very satisfying. An interesting entry and one with a fresh perspective.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Fujifilm X-M1
Fujifilm XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS
 12/14/2003 09:49:55 PM
pretty shapes, and good DOF
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
 12/14/2003 05:37:22 PM
Nice choice of natural forms and shapes within shapes. I'd have cropped off the unused space and filled the frame though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)
 12/14/2003 05:35:59 PM
A good idea; looks a little bit oversharpened, creating a slight halo on the top/back.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Olympus SP-570 UZ
 12/08/2003 06:17:59 PM
shape not really most important aspect
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-450D Rebel XSi
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
 12/08/2003 04:55:33 PM
It is pretty well impossible to not fit the challenge but...

I suppose Bert would give it a 10.
Nikon D5100
Tamron AF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical for Nikon
 12/08/2003 04:10:04 PM
A bit more contrast would have made it sharper.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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