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BLev65

BLev65

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Well... I managed to exercise the delete key as I continue to work through card of blackbird murmurations. I took a lot of crappy photos, but am excusing myself for the garbage. I was so facinated by the flight, the light, and the landscape that I couldn’t help but press the shutter release. I was captivated by a specific tree during my shoot, but only managed to include the whole thing on a few occasions. As I was editing, I noticed that I took two pictures where I had part of the tree on the right of one picture and parts of the tree on the left. I decided to do a stitched panorama to see if I could create something different. The original images were at 600mm each… Thus, I created a super-telephoto XPan image ;)

Thanks for looking,
bruce
MurmurPanoZ62_0736-Pano-Edit.jpg
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Butlerkid said:
I like this one a LOT! I, too, find murmurations quite fascinating. You did a fine job in both capture and processing.
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Thanks Karen... this phenomena is so mesmerizing. I'd say that it borders on hypnotic as one tries to determine why and when the birds decide to lift and fly about like this. I only regret no having the courage to go into video mode... must learn how to leverage that technology one of these days.

bruce
 
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StarTracker50 said:
What's the weird Grey colored ostrich like bird in the front, bottom of pic?
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You know, I debated cloning out the sandhill crane and may make a version of the image with the crane extracted from the image. If you look carefully, you can also see a group of northern pintails in the foreground.
Sandhill cranes are one of Bosque's major draws as they flock there at the end of fall and into the early winter months.
bruce
 
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BLev65 said:
You know, I debated cloning out the sandhill crane and may make a version of the image with the crane extracted from the image. If you look carefully, you can also see a group of northern pintails in the foreground.
Sandhill cranes are one of Bosque's major draws as they flock there at the end of fall and into the early winter months.
bruce
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I think the crane draws one to inquire what's going on, but the pintails distract from the crane. The blackbirds blend in quite well so if someone wasn't looking for this event, or was not close to the image, the murmuration is harder to see.
 
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Nice image that tells a story about the distinct communities of diverse wildlife at the Bosque, with a focus on blackbirds. I really like it!

I could see trying excise the pintails or crane possibly, but maybe a countervailing argument is the idea that there are lots of communities that you indicate simultaneously in the image, and you focus in on the "murmurations" (great word), highlighting that aspect of life in that moment. The tight focus on the blackbirds with soft focus in the foreground establishes the narrative. Congrats on a a really successful shot- thanks for posting! Bruce G.
 
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This is a great image, and the inclusion of the crane and ducks shows exactly what it's like at Bosque. To really appreciate this picture, I think it needs to be seen full screen. Having spent a lot of time at Bosque, I think you have done a great job showing the beauty of that place. Well done!
 
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bkgeist said:
Nice image that tells a story about the distinct communities of diverse wildlife at the Bosque, with a focus on blackbirds. I really like it!

I could see trying excise the pintails or crane possibly, but maybe a countervailing argument is the idea that there are lots of communities that you indicate simultaneously in the image, and you focus in on the "murmurations" (great word), highlighting that aspect of life in that moment. The tight focus on the blackbirds with soft focus in the foreground establishes the narrative. Congrats on a a really successful shot- thanks for posting! Bruce G.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts...
I really appreciate you presenting both sides of "cleaning" the image. I struggle with the power of our modern tools. While I am quite versed in photoshop and can do more than basic manipulation, I often find myself getting carried away with the "subtle" manipulations to the point in which they are no longer subtle. I presented the thought of removing the crane because my friend, and very good photographer, thought they detracted from the photo. On the other hand, I felt they actually added some depth and reality to the photo.
To be honest, I often miss the day when photoshop was not an option and a well exposed and composed slide was accepted as a relatively finished product.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts...
bruce
 
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BarkingBeans Coffee said:
I think the crane draws one to inquire what's going on, but the pintails distract from the crane. The blackbirds blend in quite well so if someone wasn't looking for this event, or was not close to the image, the murmuration is harder to see.
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thanks for sharing your thoughts and commenting on the picture...
I think if you click on the picture and look at it in a full screen the blackbirds will pop. However, I agree that in a smaller picture, they are harder to see.

bruce
 
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Woodyg3 said:
This is a great image, and the inclusion of the crane and ducks shows exactly what it's like at Bosque. To really appreciate this picture, I think it needs to be seen full screen. Having spent a lot of time at Bosque, I think you have done a great job showing the beauty of that place. Well done!
Click to expand...
Thank you very much Woody... Bosque is special for sure. Every time I visit I am reminded to expect the unexpected :D
bruce
 
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