Hi All! I don't usually alter things this much so I'm wondering what you think about this. Full disclosure - these mergansers were on a calm lake on one of those horrible overcast but very bright days. Their bodies are white, the water was white reflection of sky so there was little details to begin with. I played with the image to see if I could bring something interesting to it. I like it but it looks like a painting. Not sure if it works or not!
Feedback welcome!
its interesting; maybe get rid of the greens, it mimics fringing on top of the birds heads. Perhaps doing black and white processing and keeping the merganser red beak colors could work.
I didn't think of that with the greens! Thanks a bunch - I'll do this.
We don't have these birds here, but some appear to have green iridescence on their crowns.
Did you crop this image, Ruth? If the birds were originally relatively close to the top of the image, then fringing (lateral chromatic aberration) could cause that green edge, in which case it could be edited out before cropping.
As photographers, we might notice the green border as fringing, but if I didn't know this, I'd assume it was an artistic choice, possibly alluding to iridescence common on such birds.
They actually have green heads but now that this is so stylized, authenticity isn't needed and I am going to get rid of the green. It totally looks like fringing.
:)
But Ruth - you're a self-professed fringey artist! (OK, well maybe that's not the actual word you used...) ;-)
Yes, I think it works just fine, and does look like a painting, Ruth. Again, it calls to mind a watercolour, with much blank paper. Sumi e in particular. Why "but" it looks like a painting? That's fine by me.
I'm glad you though it looked like Sumi-e as it is my favorite painting style. I do think that that minimalist watercolor look drives my photography decisions. Yeah!
So keep at it, and damn the "blown-out highlights"! Saves on ink when printing, too.
Just posted another with this comment in mind my friend!
Ruth!!
Don't touch it! mergansers are beautiful and I love your take on what would have been an ordinary image. Bravo!!
Thanks Jack! I appreciate the thumbs up!
that looks so cool