Jaime Johnson
New member
ISO 400
F5.6
1/250th
Canon 1D Mark III / Canon 5.4 500mm
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Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!
Snipe today -
- Thread starter Jaime Johnson
- Start date
ISO 400
F5.6
1/250th
Canon 1D Mark III / Canon 5.4 500mm
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jaime,
I thought you had won a fantastic lens on ebay, LOL
!
However, of course I quickly realized you did not bag this bird that way.
The word itself as used is interesting!
Asher
I thought you had won a fantastic lens on ebay, LOL
!However, of course I quickly realized you did not bag this bird that way.
The word itself as used is interesting!
snipe (snīp)
noun
pl. snipes any of various shorebirds (family Scolopacidae) with a long, slender, flexible bill used in probing for food, esp. a genus (Gallinago) living chiefly in marshy places
a shot from a hidden position
☆ SLANG a cigar butt or cigarette butt
Etymology: ME snype < ON snipa (akin to Ger schnepfe) < Gmc *sneb-, beak < base seen in snip, snap
intransitive verb sniped, sniping snip′·ing
to hunt or shoot snipe
to shoot from a hidden position, as at individuals of an enemy force
to direct an attack (at someone) in a sly or underhanded way
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Source
noun
pl. snipes any of various shorebirds (family Scolopacidae) with a long, slender, flexible bill used in probing for food, esp. a genus (Gallinago) living chiefly in marshy places
a shot from a hidden position
☆ SLANG a cigar butt or cigarette butt
Etymology: ME snype < ON snipa (akin to Ger schnepfe) < Gmc *sneb-, beak < base seen in snip, snap
intransitive verb sniped, sniping snip′·ing
to hunt or shoot snipe
to shoot from a hidden position, as at individuals of an enemy force
to direct an attack (at someone) in a sly or underhanded way
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Source
Asher
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jaime Johnson Snipe
Hi Jaime,
This bird is impressive with its long beak and the feather colors working against the wood grain and patina of years of droppings and weather.
I imagine that green is the OOF water and you have not altered that. Did you sharpen the image at all? and would you consider it with an increased presence of surrounding water on a large scale to make up the composition?
Asher
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Jaime Johnson
New member
The green backgroung is a green farm field -
It actually snowed here today (39 degrees right now) - the birds were pretty slow moving today - made for some good shots!
I went back to the flicker nest, but wasn't able to stay long (had to meet some people).
I pllan to try again tomorrow -
It actually snowed here today (39 degrees right now) - the birds were pretty slow moving today - made for some good shots!
I went back to the flicker nest, but wasn't able to stay long (had to meet some people).
I pllan to try again tomorrow -
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Thanks Jaime for kindly permitting me to work with your jpg image. Just to see how it might look, I first worked one retrieving the reflection in the eye. That was the "to do" item on the top of my list, as a flat eye seems lifeless. Astonishingly, using extreme curve adjustment, one can discover the reflection of the sky in the eye and then isolate it in a mask and add it back. Then I added an S curve to the bird and a tad of local sharpenng.
So here's the result, first the original jpg of the lone snipe:
Jaime & Lisa Johnson Snipe, original jpg
Not having the original large RAW file and working in 16 BIT, we cannot do full justice to Jaime and Lisa'a image. Still, here's my attempt:
Jaime & Lisa Johnson Snipe, Edited with permission AK
Then I wondered how it would be wider. Now I know this is a corn field. Still it's a wide view that might clinch this image and make it pop. So here's a try. To fit on the page, I reduced the size. This allows looking at the image, as I often recommend, with white space around it.
Jaime & Lisa Johnson Snipe, Edited with permission AK
I hope these edits allow some debate on how we might take and present our photographs.
Asher
So here's the result, first the original jpg of the lone snipe:
Jaime & Lisa Johnson Snipe, original jpg
Not having the original large RAW file and working in 16 BIT, we cannot do full justice to Jaime and Lisa'a image. Still, here's my attempt:
Jaime & Lisa Johnson Snipe, Edited with permission AK
Then I wondered how it would be wider. Now I know this is a corn field. Still it's a wide view that might clinch this image and make it pop. So here's a try. To fit on the page, I reduced the size. This allows looking at the image, as I often recommend, with white space around it.
Jaime & Lisa Johnson Snipe, Edited with permission AK
I hope these edits allow some debate on how we might take and present our photographs.
Asher
This is a very nice image, and I love the OOF green background. The focus looks to be crisply on the eye, and I think the shallow depth of field works well on this shot.
In terms of critique, I agree to some extent with Asher: a catch-light in the eye would give the Snipe a little more "life" but I'm not sure his enhancing of the natural sky reflex is an improvement. This brings up the somewhat controversial point of whether or not adding a small catch-light using Photoshop would be acceptable. On the one hand, how is this any less artificial than mounting an electronic strobe on one's camera to create one, but on the other, it does seem to depart from the general concept of photography.
Regarding composition, the original is a little tight, but I think it works well as an intimate portrait. If I wanted to print and sell this image, I wouldn't be against adding some green canvas as Asher did, and would consider it, but I'm not convinced it's necessary.
In terms of my personal critique, the white balance looks a little cool, so I would consider tweaking that. Also the overall tonality is low - look at the histogram, and close to 100% of the peaks are at the half-way point or lower. Adjusting curves/levels would make this one 'pop'.
I hope you don't see all of these comments as negative. The image is a very strong one, and that motivates many of us to tweak it to make it the best it could possibly be and bring out its full potential.
That, of course, is a matter of taste, and you may justifiably feel that the original image as posted does precisely that. Just some ideas and thoughts for you to ponder, for whatever they're worth.
In terms of critique, I agree to some extent with Asher: a catch-light in the eye would give the Snipe a little more "life" but I'm not sure his enhancing of the natural sky reflex is an improvement. This brings up the somewhat controversial point of whether or not adding a small catch-light using Photoshop would be acceptable. On the one hand, how is this any less artificial than mounting an electronic strobe on one's camera to create one, but on the other, it does seem to depart from the general concept of photography.
Regarding composition, the original is a little tight, but I think it works well as an intimate portrait. If I wanted to print and sell this image, I wouldn't be against adding some green canvas as Asher did, and would consider it, but I'm not convinced it's necessary.
In terms of my personal critique, the white balance looks a little cool, so I would consider tweaking that. Also the overall tonality is low - look at the histogram, and close to 100% of the peaks are at the half-way point or lower. Adjusting curves/levels would make this one 'pop'.
I hope you don't see all of these comments as negative. The image is a very strong one, and that motivates many of us to tweak it to make it the best it could possibly be and bring out its full potential.
That, of course, is a matter of taste, and you may justifiably feel that the original image as posted does precisely that. Just some ideas and thoughts for you to ponder, for whatever they're worth.
Winston Mitchell
Member
Jaime,
I too like this image. Snipes are hard to find around here and I have yet to capture an image of one.
For me, the image is a little dark and the crop is a little tight...he needs some breathing room.
One thing I do with all images that contain a prominent eye is to check for a catch light and/or a visible pupil. If I don't find either, at a 4:1 zoom, I mess with the eye's exposure, brightness, contrast, and or sharpness to get at least one. I am careful to avoid eye-lids and rims.
Restraint is in order here. A little more than "just visible" at normal viewing is all that's needed. Anything more tends to look over-cooked as it doesn't match the rest of the image. The bird or animal shouldn't look like it comes with batteries. I go to all this trouble because I have never been able to paint in a catch light that's nearly as believable.
Asher,
For me, your eye treatment is overdone. It unnaturally draws my attention, just as the original blacked-out eye did.
My opinion on this minutia is malleable as I am still developing my technique. I invite all wild-lifers to jump into this discussion
Asher,
If you or Jaime regard this as a hijack of the original thread, please move or delete.
I too like this image. Snipes are hard to find around here and I have yet to capture an image of one.
For me, the image is a little dark and the crop is a little tight...he needs some breathing room.
One thing I do with all images that contain a prominent eye is to check for a catch light and/or a visible pupil. If I don't find either, at a 4:1 zoom, I mess with the eye's exposure, brightness, contrast, and or sharpness to get at least one. I am careful to avoid eye-lids and rims.
Restraint is in order here. A little more than "just visible" at normal viewing is all that's needed. Anything more tends to look over-cooked as it doesn't match the rest of the image. The bird or animal shouldn't look like it comes with batteries. I go to all this trouble because I have never been able to paint in a catch light that's nearly as believable.
Asher,
For me, your eye treatment is overdone. It unnaturally draws my attention, just as the original blacked-out eye did.
My opinion on this minutia is malleable as I am still developing my technique. I invite all wild-lifers to jump into this discussion
Asher,
If you or Jaime regard this as a hijack of the original thread, please move or delete.
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Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Winston and Don,
These comments justify OPF! I'm truly pleased even more that this is added to a picture that taught me a lot.
Thanks for making this thread work.
Asher
These comments justify OPF! I'm truly pleased even more that this is added to a picture that taught me a lot.
Thanks for making this thread work.
Asher
janet Smith
pro member
Jamie I love this shot, I have a watercolour of a Snipe in my sitting room which I love, so it's interesting to me to see your photograph. Asher, I really enjoy your treatment of this, moving it off center makes the image more powerful IMO - thank you for your demonstration, has given me food for thought.....