Kathy Triolo
February 2021 - Bird Medley
Original
Original 2
About the Image(s)
During this time of Covid, the best photo activity is shooting birds. Here in Northern California, we're very fortunate to have Wildlife Refuges within an hour or two drive.
This image was taken at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge of Snow Geese taking to the sky. I took a rapid fire series of images as the geese were taking off and then merged 5 of the images in Photoshop (Edit/Autoblend layers). I then took the single merged image into Topaz and added a slight painted filter. (I'm sorry, I forgot which one!)
This round’s discussion is now closed!
13 comments posted
Kathy, You've created an image here that conveys a feeling of movement in a very compelling way. I love the purple and orange hues. Your choice of a subtle painterly filter works nicely to accentuate the movement. My only suggestion is more of a challenge to work with this image further. What could take this from the excellent image it is to one that might be iconic would be creating more of a story. If it were my image I would try to create more space in the upper left with a single bird as a focal point. One that is in sharper focus as if it escaped the pack in liberation. Posted: 02/07/2021 11:57:21
Thanks so much! And great suggestion Brad! I will accept the challenge and see what I can do. Posted: 02/07/2021 12:24:52
(Group 40)
Kathy, this portrays how numerous the snow geese are. I can imagine how loud they sound when they all take off together.
Much as your final image is wonderful, I prefer your original 1 which is not overly crowded and shows a little of the detail of the marsh that the birds are taking off from.
I have never used the edit>autoblend layers in Photoshop so I am looking forward to trying it.
Brad, who is so adept at composting, has an interesting suggestion. Posted: 02/21/2021 10:26:45
Much as your final image is wonderful, I prefer your original 1 which is not overly crowded and shows a little of the detail of the marsh that the birds are taking off from.
I have never used the edit>autoblend layers in Photoshop so I am looking forward to trying it.
Brad, who is so adept at composting, has an interesting suggestion. Posted: 02/21/2021 10:26:45
Hi Kathy, I love what you've done with this. The early morning sunrise with these geese taking flight is just a never ending joy to observe and photograph. I love the idea of combining two or more images together to get this painterly and abstract feeling of motion. I had to play with this because I saw a couple of things that might help to create a more uniform look. I desaturated some of the bright blue color and reduced some dark shadowed areas to even up the overall tones in the image. Posted: 02/21/2021 13:54:16
Thanks for your suggestion Jan! Posted: 02/27/2021 21:33:01
(Group 40)
Kathy, I went into your website and love how you have created stellar images of iconic characters. You must stay awake at night thinking up ideas, staging them, and then have the fun of playing them out.
Do you live in Nevada City, California? In my twenties I spent a summer working on a US Forest Service survey crew at Greek Store out of the Grass Valley Forest Service headquarters. As a Minnesota native I quickly learned to levitate 20 feet at the buzz of a rattle snake - that is 20 feet up and 20 feet away. That was a great summer job! Posted: 02/21/2021 14:21:47
Do you live in Nevada City, California? In my twenties I spent a summer working on a US Forest Service survey crew at Greek Store out of the Grass Valley Forest Service headquarters. As a Minnesota native I quickly learned to levitate 20 feet at the buzz of a rattle snake - that is 20 feet up and 20 feet away. That was a great summer job! Posted: 02/21/2021 14:21:47
What a connection for you Henry! Yes, Nevada City. It's a nice community in the Sierra Foothills and probably much as you remember it when you were here. I try to stay out of the rocks and brush in the summer, hah hah!
Thanks for checking out my website! I'm glad you liked my Fantasy work. It's a lot of fun for me to do.
Posted: 02/27/2021 21:35:47
Thanks for checking out my website! I'm glad you liked my Fantasy work. It's a lot of fun for me to do.
Posted: 02/27/2021 21:35:47
(Group 28)
Impressive layering. The end results are wonderful. Posted: 02/25/2021 08:55:19
Thanks Wanda and thank you for visiting our group! Posted: 02/27/2021 21:36:10
I love the end impact of the image, I have seen geese blast offs and your creation really helps depict the energy.
I live the effect, the color, the energy.
My only idea for improvement is flip the image -- we read left to right -- so the image might read better flipped. Posted: 02/25/2021 11:22:22
I live the effect, the color, the energy.
My only idea for improvement is flip the image -- we read left to right -- so the image might read better flipped. Posted: 02/25/2021 11:22:22
Thanks Lisa! I looked at flipping it. You're right, we read from left to right and I like that fact that the more intense color ends up at the far right.
I appreciate your suggestion for sure and need to remind myself of the left/right thing more often. Posted: 02/27/2021 21:38:10
I appreciate your suggestion for sure and need to remind myself of the left/right thing more often. Posted: 02/27/2021 21:38:10
This is beautiful. What a wonderful and inspiring idea! I need to check out your website. Posted: 02/27/2021 17:13:31
Thanks Maryellen! Posted: 02/27/2021 21:38:34