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Moment's Rest

© Kristin Duff

Moment's Rest

Uploaded: January 16, 2013

Description

Exif: F Number: 3.2, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/200 seconds, Flash: fired, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 400, White balance: Manual white balance, FocalLength: 123.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS REBEL T3i

Comments

Teresa H. Hunt January 16, 2013

I saw this one on FB. I still think it's absolutely beautiful!! :) #1509383

Kristin Duff January 16, 2013

Thanks Teresa! #10519129

Dale Hardin January 17, 2013

This is indeed a very artsy image Kristin and beautifully done. Love it.

But if it were mine, would make two small changes. One, I'd selectively lower the highlights on the bird and branch by about 10% to 15% except on the black parts of the bird.

Second, I would flip the image horizontally. With the bird on the left your eye constantly goes from the bird to the rest of the image and back and forth. With it flipped, the eye goes in on the left, views that, and then settles on the main subject. #10520043

Jeff E Jensen January 17, 2013

Ditto to what both Teresa and Dale said. . . . #10520260

Debbra Bailey January 17, 2013

I actually like the brightness, but I can also see that toning it down might be a good idea.

Personally, I would not flip it. I have a thing against flipping! Just like to keep things as they were I guess. But also, I looked at the bird, checked out the rest of the image, then stayed on the bird. So for me, the composition is just fine! #10520290

Kristin Duff January 17, 2013

Flipped and toned down(I think) #10520652

Kristin Duff January 17, 2013

...but I don't think I like the composition near as much... #10520656

Dale Hardin January 17, 2013

Kristin, you did just the opposite of what I was suggesting. You decreased the shadows rather then lowering the high lights. :o)

As far as the flip, it's very subjective and a matter of taste. I like both. #10520674

Kristin Duff January 17, 2013

ok Dale...will try again tomorrow! #10520704

Stephen Shoff January 17, 2013

Very interesting picture. I very much like the soft colors and textures of the background contrasted with the high-contrast, sharp bird and branch. Very "artsy". I especially like the little patch of color in the birds wing that ties the bird together with the tonalities of the background. Even the wide format with the long stem of grass works well.

But on my screen it has big problems with blocked up highlights. I'm going to go further than Dale and suggest that to bring out the full potential of this image, you will need to work from a RAW original and use the recovery slider in ACR to bring out detail in the background highlights. I don't think you'll be very successful in resolving those blocked up highlights using Photoshop or Elements shadow/hilite adjustments.

One approach I've been learning lately...sometimes in ACR reducing the vibrance is more effective at recovering shadows and highlights than using the shadows or highlights sliders. #10520739

Kristin Duff January 17, 2013

...bit sheepish here...I didn't shoot this photo in RAW #10520756

Dale Hardin January 17, 2013

You can still open it as a raw image and use the raw editor tools in PSE, Kristin. You just won't get as much leeway in the results. #10520790

Stephen Shoff January 18, 2013

yes, but I think it is the 16-bit data that is necessary here along with the recovery capabilities of ACR. #10521760

Debbie E. Payne January 18, 2013

I like your original version best. It is "artsy" but I think that was what you were going for, right? But would like to see you do the recovery, anyway. We only get better when we try some of the suggestions that come our way. I know...I should talk. Still haven't got back to Dale on his suggestions for two of my models. I have one down, and one to go, Dale. I need to figure out how to do gradients again. #10521809

Kristin Duff January 18, 2013

I have been trying to open the image as a RAW format in PSE but can't seem to figure it out...I even tried googling it and looking it up in my book could I have a tip to get me going in the right direction. And yes Debbie the artsy look was what I was going for but I can see how doing something with the highlights might help the image...so I still need some HELP.... #10521895

Dale Hardin January 18, 2013

Kristin, open PSE and then go to file "open as" This will bring up a drop down menu where you can select to open in raw. I think it is the second choice. Remember "open as" not "open" #10522038

Kristin Duff January 18, 2013

Dale, I drag and drop the photo from my desktop which is where I have placed it, into PSE. I can only OPEN there is no 'open as' option. #10522154

Kristin Duff January 18, 2013

Ok Dale, I darkened the highlights in another program.. #10522179

Kristin Duff January 18, 2013

then went back and tried some more things in PSE and I am not sure if this is what you had in your mind's eye... #10522221

Dale Hardin January 18, 2013

You can't "open as" when the image is already open. You have to "open as" when PSE does not have an image displayed. #10522222

Rita K. Connell level-classic January 18, 2013

so far I like the original best. as it was said I like the artist flare to it. I like it unflipped for sure. this gives you the feeling of a high key image. great capture kristin. I know theses little guys don't sit still very long.

as debbie said its always great to do the suggestion to learn how to do things. #10522435

Stephen Shoff January 18, 2013

Kristin, whatever you did in the other program worked very well for correcting the blocked up highlights in the center at the top and left corner of the frame. The only down-side is that you also lost the very effective contrast of the bird on its branch, the scattered spots of color, and the grass.

If you can do it, I'd suggest opening both the original and your reworked version in PSE, then copy the reworked version into a layer above the original. Then you can use a layer mask to mask out effects of the corrected layer from everywhere in the picture but those areas where the highlights were causing problems.

I'm happy to see you willing to work so hard on this image. I certainly think it is work the effort. This is a great picture. #10522510

Peter W. Marks January 20, 2013

It's a chickadee and I slightly prefer the non-flipped version. Everything else has been said. #10524798

Beth Spencer January 20, 2013

I prefer the original composition. You are working hard on this and your efforts are showing. #10524910

Debbra Bailey January 21, 2013

Kirstin, did you SHOOT in RAW? I don't mean to sound silly, but if you are trying to open a jpg in raw, it won't work. You had to shoot in raw to start with... THEN you can choose to open it in raw or drag it into PSE and just go straight to the jpg version.

If you DID shoot in RAW and all of your images are in a folder, click on the image to highlight it, but NOT open it. Then go to file, open as... or if you have a pc, it might be right click, then open as... but like Dale said, it has to NOT be in PSE to open it as a raw to start with. #10526086

Dale Hardin January 21, 2013

Deb, you can also open a jpeg in the raw editor using the same procedure. #10526116

Debbra Bailey January 21, 2013

Really? You can shoot in jpeg and open in raw? With PSE? How do you do that? That would be really helpful sometimes!! #10526120

Dale Hardin January 21, 2013

Just the way you described. Open PSE with no image present. Go to "file/open as" and pick raw format from the dropdown menu. #10526371

Jeff E Jensen January 21, 2013

Now Deb, you've been in this club long enough that surely you've seen this conversation before, right?

Keep in mind that it does not make your image a RAW image, just gives you the RAW editing tools. #10526689

Debbra Bailey January 21, 2013

Now Jeff, yes, I probably have seen this conversation before. I probably once knew this information. But, keep in mind I tend to forget things I don't use... often things that could be very useful! On the other hand, I can remember what I wore in Vegas on a certain day... info. that is not at all needed .... sigh :(

On another :( note, I can't figure out how to do this. In my PSE, even if I choose Raw, it just opens a jpeg normal even when I follow the directions above. Really though, this is OK. I shoot in Raw anyway! lol Maybe I am just not meant to know this information. #10526708

Dale Hardin January 21, 2013

Deb, check your email. #10526728

Joan E. Hoffman January 21, 2013

ROFL... I miss all this conversation.... great image Kris... I actually like all versions... guess it depends on what you want from the end image, in order to decide what procedure you will take in the end. #10526914

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