Still working through the Puffin images from 2 weeks ago.
I quite like this one for the novilty, the BG is more of a mono-colour and I like the way the other puffin is in the shot. Its interesting when you show them against grey just how prominant the beak and feet colours actually are. Overcast light.
600mm/Tpod
1000'/F5.6/400ASA
Metered by incident light and manually set. Normal PS with little sharpening
John, it is FF vertical with the obligatory room at the top for a title hence why no full bottom puffin. ( I have a grid etched focusing screen where, when used in the vertical mode I try and avoid letting anything stray above the top horizontal line))
The main puffin is gorgeous - fab feather details. Can't make up my mind about the other guy. Maybe its just the way my brain is seeing it, but he seems to be in the background - is smaller than the subject - and thus the 'spectating' POV doesn't sit right?? Its not a killer though
I'm pretty much in the same camp as you Tom when it comes to leaving the top third clear, but in this case I'd have been tempted to break that rule and let the magazine picture staff do a bit of PS work to make the scene fit their cover.
The shot would be hugely more powerful with a base for the oof puffin to sit on, and I don't think the lack of headroom would put off any picture editor.
I agree. The problem is that I have spent the last X years practicing not to intrude into that area when tracking, now instinct takes over when tracking (quite fast)
Magnus, Needless to say that he will dissapear when it comes to editoral work and the bleed will extended a wee tad.
Doesn't work for me as it stands here - the bottom puffin doesn't fit the scene and it would IMO be a stronger shot without it. It may have worked if there'd been a larger base of rock and the farther, smaller, bird had been looking toward instead of away from you - the 'perspective' is simply too uncomfortable as my eye doesn't rest in the picture, it keeps getting drawn to the smaller bird and I'm left wondering what the smaller bird was looking out at.
Tom
I have looked at this again and read the comments, etc. I can't get my head around the idea of taking a picture of a bird, or anything for that matter,whatever it's doing with the thought governing the cropping and comp, etc, that it might be used in a publication.
Maybe I,m reading this wrong ! Perhaps thats why I don't sell any pictures !!
Cheers
John
You are reading that right - the final anticipated usage governed the comp in this instance. It does in most instances when I am at a shooting distance that negates cropping as an option. In this instance I could not move back and get the same angle or I would have done so.
I observed this puffin do this about 3 times over a hour period before I decided to set-up for it. The result was in my minds eye. I have to admit that the shot in my minds eye initially did not include the bottom puffin - he just crept in by virtue of landing there in the intermediate period, and he does ruin the best angle in a subsequent shot as he is in the foreground.
As stated above, I have altered the image by adding 5% to the bleed and removing the bottom puffin. Remember the image is 22M so there is plenty of room for a picture editor to play.
As I have added some grey around the edges and removed one OOF bird which was not the main subject, obviously, this sort of image is not competition worthy.
An already stated the space above allows for a title and the space below for the start of some text. Will it sell - who knows
PS the colours a bit more muted in the one above as it was saved as a different colour space.
When I first looked at this one, I loved everything about it except the second bird, but I couldn't make my mind up whether it was a good or a bad addition. In the end after reading Magnus's comment I decided it was an intrusion and your repost has confirmed that. Without the bird it has everything; the colours are great setting off the feet and bill nicely, the action of the wind in the feathers and the exposure all look great to me. I like vertical crops and for me it is a top shot. Eric
Discussion
13 repliesI quite like this one for the novilty, the BG is more of a mono-colour and I like the way the other puffin is in the shot. Its interesting when you show them against grey just how prominant the beak and feet colours actually are. Overcast light.
600mm/Tpod
1000'/F5.6/400ASA
Metered by incident light and manually set. Normal PS with little sharpening
T
I presume this was off a horizontal shot?
If so would it not work better that way ???
Cheers
JohnR
Ian
The shot would be hugely more powerful with a base for the oof puffin to sit on, and I don't think the lack of headroom would put off any picture editor.
Cheers,
John
I agree. The problem is that I have spent the last X years practicing not to intrude into that area when tracking, now instinct takes over when tracking (quite fast)
Magnus, Needless to say that he will dissapear when it comes to editoral work and the bleed will extended a wee tad.
I have looked at this again and read the comments, etc. I can't get my head around the idea of taking a picture of a bird, or anything for that matter,whatever it's doing with the thought governing the cropping and comp, etc, that it might be used in a publication.
Maybe I,m reading this wrong ! Perhaps thats why I don't sell any pictures !!
Cheers
John
You are reading that right - the final anticipated usage governed the comp in this instance. It does in most instances when I am at a shooting distance that negates cropping as an option. In this instance I could not move back and get the same angle or I would have done so.
I observed this puffin do this about 3 times over a hour period before I decided to set-up for it. The result was in my minds eye. I have to admit that the shot in my minds eye initially did not include the bottom puffin - he just crept in by virtue of landing there in the intermediate period, and he does ruin the best angle in a subsequent shot as he is in the foreground.
As stated above, I have altered the image by adding 5% to the bleed and removing the bottom puffin. Remember the image is 22M so there is plenty of room for a picture editor to play.
As I have added some grey around the edges and removed one OOF bird which was not the main subject, obviously, this sort of image is not competition worthy.
An already stated the space above allows for a title and the space below for the start of some text. Will it sell - who knows
PS the colours a bit more muted in the one above as it was saved as a different colour space.