Flight of the Piper

sm4him · Apr 23, 2013

Put this in Just for Fun, because as a bird shot, it's just not that great. Although, come to think of it, if that's my criteria, almost ALL of my shots should be in this sub-forum. :lmao:

Anyway, while out at one of my favorite refuges recently, I took some pictures of a bunch of birds (I don't think they're actually pipers, I just liked the way that sounded...) taking off.

I then very carefully layered and masked and manipulated the sequence to achieve this shot. :lol:

Not really--this was just a single shot of five of these birds; I just liked how it kinda *looks* like a time lapse sequence of the same bird.

As always, C&C (oh wait, this is Just for Fun!), general comments and witty banter appreciated. Particularly witty banter.

snowbear · Apr 23, 2013

I love it! It makes me think of a musical scale.

Designer · Apr 23, 2013

Yes! I like the slight curve to the line. You've trained them well!

sm4him · Apr 23, 2013

snowbear said:
I love it! It makes me think of a musical scale.

Yeah, I can see that, now that you've pointed it out.

Designer said:
Yes! I like the slight curve to the line. You've trained them well!

Yes, it took *weeks* of training to get them synchronized like this. :lmao: That first bird's still too fast for the rest of them though, he's a couple of wing flaps ahead of the program.

Pallycow · Apr 23, 2013

Sharon, do you use the "highlights/shadows" adjustment of photoshop much? Or do you have photoshop? lol

I know it's a "for fun" shot, but just one simple adjustment option, takes all of 2 minutes, makes the birds not get lost in the haze. To me anyway.... ;-) Good for practicing anyway.

sm4him · Apr 23, 2013

Pallycow said:
Sharon, do you use the "highlights/shadows" adjustment of photoshop much? Or do you have photoshop? lol

I know it's a "for fun" shot, but just one simple adjustment option, takes all of 2 minutes, makes the birds not get lost in the haze. To me anyway.... ;-) Good for practicing anyway.

View attachment 42974

Thanks, Pally. I *do* have PS--well, actually, right now, I only have it at work. My macbook died before Christmas and my Toshiba is too old to really support any more software than what's on it, plus I only had the Mac version of Adobe CS5--but I'm about to buy a new computer and Adobe CS6 and ditch the existing one, so...woohoo to that!

Anyway, yes, I use PS and I've *tried* to use the highlights/shadows adjusters, but:
1. I'm impatient. If I already KNOW a picture is just not going to be "print worthy" I tend to not bother wasting time doing much processing on it at all.

2. I stink at PS. Seriously stink. I've just never taken the time to actually LEARN what to do and how to do it. I am really, seriously bad at it.

3. My vision problems contribute somewhat to this. For instance, in this picture, if I try to slide the shadows adjuster up (reduce the shadows) and the highlights down, I can see absolutely NO difference in the photo AT ALL, until I've slid them so far that it looks completely ridiculous--like almost ALL the way up or down. So, much of the time when I make adjustments, it's based on a "best guess" of what *most* people are going to be able to see, not on what *I* can actually see. It makes things a little challenging.

Designer · Apr 23, 2013

Sharon, you are such a beautiful person, and I love your passion for photography! Is there a way that you can one of your sons to watch over your shoulder while you do some adjusting? He could tell you if you are on the right track, adjustment-wise. You've got the shots, it is just the fine-tuning thing that you need help with. I love them all!

sm4him · Apr 23, 2013

Designer said:
Sharon, you are such a beautiful person, and I love your passion for photography! Is there a way that you can one of your sons to watch over your shoulder while you do some adjusting? He could tell you if you are on the right track, adjustment-wise. You've got the shots, it is just the fine-tuning thing that you need help with. I love them all!

Awwww, that's so sweet!! :hug:: Thank you, you just made my evening.

Unfortunately, both of my boys are in college and not living at home these days. The youngest is here in town, but doesn't get over often enough to really be of much assistance with something like that. So, I just do the best I can--honestly, I'm just grateful that I *can* see, and do photography at all! I may not win many awards, but hey, at least *I* have a built-in excuse for that!