Izzie's P 52 month of March -- for C&C please...

[Shadowman]

The closeups look good, the full view is a bit busy. Nice efforts.

[FootLoose]

I like the 3rd shot, Izzie. The subject is sharp and it has lovely colourful bokeh

[IzzieK]

Thank you, John and Greg for passing by and commenting. I surely appreciate it very much. This is just a quick shot as I was busy packing and unpacking my luggage. Then a neighbour across the road saw me and chatted me up. I have to delay my shooting for a while so the light wasn't really good after she finished talking to me about her new dog.

[joebranko]

Hi Izzie
Love #3 or was that #1? Anyway the close up with the single flower. Great colour and DOF control.
Enjoy Australia ( is that where you are heading?)

[bnnrcn]

Hi Isabel I think #3 is the best of the set. Beautiful colors, good DOF and bokeh. Also light seems less harsh in this one.

[IzzieK]

Hi Izzie
Love #3 or was that #1? Anyway the close up with the single flower. Great colour and DOF control.
Enjoy Australia ( is that where you are heading?)

I am here in Oz right now and I just woke up for a little bit to connect my computer and copy links of CiC posts I have not seen/read in between my flight and all that happened. We have attended Grandparents Day, taking some photographs, dealing with a non-stop talking 3-year old and went to bed at around 4pm Aussie time.

Thanks for passing by and for your comments and preference. 'Appreciate it very much.

[IzzieK]

Hi Isabel I think #3 is the best of the set. Beautiful colors, good DOF and bokeh. Also light seems less harsh in this one.

That was in the shadow and I was shooting in another part of the garden on the shadows too. I remembered what was taught me quite a while back of zooming in, wide open lens create good bokeh. My camera with the 70-300mm can go as wide at F4 only or F3.5 but I think I opted for the F5.6 as I watch the background blurred. I have done this practice inthe backyard too so it feels good about being able to perform this task when needed now...

I appreciate your valuable comments, keep them coming..Thanks.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Izzie,

Sorry I am so late to the party.

This post is responding to your Trip to the Butterfly House at Faust series.

#1 - I agree with Joe about losing the sign, I might also suggest losing the disconnected branches top centre of frame.

#2 - Cropped just a little too tight to the building on the left and right sides and the bottom too - but I guess you were trying to exclude the foreground grasses without the trouble of cloning.

#3 - Nice, I even like the shadow on the wall of the building.

#4 - very bright and over saturated, but I note you have addressed this later in thread, good to have the family there.

#5 - It is a shame you had to shoot this through a dirty window, but sometimes there's no option, especially when documenting the facilities as this series is.

#6 - Ditto on the window, they are sharp, but some extra Clarity in ACR would have offset the misting caused by the window (perhaps even Dehaze it!)

#7 - Very bright

#8 - I like the way the woman's rucksack is keeping an eye on Bill

#9 - The main issue for me is the placement of children in relation to the sculpture which is down to timing of the shot, I think this could have been better, the boy standing behind the antennae is the most unfortunate.

Many of this series seem over exposed again, most 'not a lot' (but a bit) - have I already asked whether your monitor is too dim, causing you to over-brighten them in PP?

Hope to see some more from inside in due course - I appreciate you're away in Oz at the moment though.

HTH, Dave

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Izzie,

Now I'm gonna give you a backlog now

This reply is in response to Magnolia Tree in front of our house, which incidentally, is a considerably bigger/better specimen than the one behind my house (but you do live in the US where everything is bigger).

#1 - You have caught this in good light and against as good a background as looks possible.

#2 - I might have toned down the o.o.f. ones in top and left background - with a bit of PP 'burning', not matches

#3 - This seems to have a weird halo around some parts (trust me to spot it - and worse, say something!)

HTH2, Dave

[Kaye Leggett]

Izzie, your lovely sense of humour comes through with all of these photos. I think you captured the butterfly house so well, the images have that 'through the eyes of a child' feeling.

[IzzieK]

Thank you Kaye and Dave...'been away for a while and now I am playing catch up to keep up with the last week of my March 2016 P52 project.

All these were taken at the Melbourne Zoo...with the scheduled dates:

1 Philippine sail-finned water dragon -- I think I am right here in my label.
1/25 @F8,EC +1.67, ISO 3200, 86mm focal length



2 Fijian Crested Iguana -- When Fijian crested iguanas first hatch from their eggs they are dark green, but after several hours their skin becomes bright emerald green and narrow white bands can be seen along their body. Their distinctive crest is also present from birth and can grow up to 1.2cm long. Juvenile crested iguanas look just like miniature versions of their parents. Females are the same in appearance as the males. Adults grow to 70-80cm and weigh 300-350 gms.



3 Philippine crocodile



4 And another one: -- according to the write up label, this is the most threatened crocodile in the Philippines, I reckon it is because the natives use the skins for handbag and shoes.



5 Rhinoceros Iguana -- The rhinoceros iguana does best when housed in large, outdoor enclosures that allow it access to natural sunlight and high temperatures. A heated hidebox allows for thermoregulation during cool evenings and days. The rhinoceros iguana does best on a vegetarian diet consisting of collard greens, romaine lettuce, mustard greens, squash, parsley, figs, papaya and mango.



6 Star Tortoise



7 Another one ...



For C& C please...Thank you for any comments...afterthe comments settle down here, I will upload my April submission...which I am still editing at the moment...

[Shadowman]

Thank you Kaye and Dave...'been away for a while and now I am playing catch up to keep up with the last week of my March 2016 P52 project.

All these were taken at the Melbourne Zoo...with the scheduled dates:

1 Philippine sail-finned water dragon -- I think I am right here in my label.
1/25 @F8,EC +1.67, ISO 3200, 86mm focal length



2 Fijian Crested Iguana -- When Fijian crested iguanas first hatch from their eggs they are dark green, but after several hours their skin becomes bright emerald green and narrow white bands can be seen along their body. Their distinctive crest is also present from birth and can grow up to 1.2cm long. Juvenile crested iguanas look just like miniature versions of their parents. Females are the same in appearance as the males. Adults grow to 70-80cm and weigh 300-350 gms.



3 Philippine crocodile



4 And another one: -- according to the write up label, this is the most threatened crocodile in the Philippines, I reckon it is because the natives use the skins for handbag and shoes.



5 Rhinoceros Iguana -- The rhinoceros iguana does best when housed in large, outdoor enclosures that allow it access to natural sunlight and high temperatures. A heated hidebox allows for thermoregulation during cool evenings and days. The rhinoceros iguana does best on a vegetarian diet consisting of collard greens, romaine lettuce, mustard greens, squash, parsley, figs, papaya and mango.



6 Star Tortoise



7 Another one ...



For C& C please...Thank you for any comments...afterthe comments settle down here, I will upload my April submission...which I am still editing at the moment...

Interesting processing, especially the iguana.

[Geoff F]

For me, Izzie, #1 looks much better when viewed at full size. Can you get away with increasing highlights just a fraction?

#2 is OK but I'm not over keen on that particular tint effect.

#3 & 4 are too soft in focus.

#5 is an interesting attempt at alternative processing but for me, it has either gone too far or not far enough with that effect. Something of a limbo state between a photograph and an abstract painting.

#6 is OK although possibly slightly tone down the abstract effect on the gravel?

#7 is too out of focus in the foreground so that is spoiling what could have been an interesting scene.

Which means, I'm afraid, I am being a bit on the negative side with these.

[IzzieK]

Thanks for the detailed critiques.

For me, Izzie, #1 looks much better when viewed at full size. Can you get away with increasing highlights just a fraction?

#2 is OK but I'm not over keen on that particular tint effect.

OK, I should have gone full black and white, my bad...

#3 & 4 are too soft in focus.

They are bracketed shots as it was hard for me to get in with the crowd of small and adult people trying to find the crocodile. Not much of a shots these are and for what it is, compared to the crocodiles of Australia, these are pretty smallist in nature.

#5 is an interesting attempt at alternative processing but for me, it has either gone too far or not far enough with that effect. Something of a limbo state between a photograph and an abstract painting.

Another one I should have left in pure black and white...I thought I was being smart...darn!

#6 is OK although possibly slightly tone down the abstract effect on the gravel?

I hard a hard time trying too, but those shiny thing on top of the gravel are irridiscent green of whatever. There are some on top of the turtle's head too. I have no idea what they are. I tried Viveza's control point but it just wouldn't go away.

#7 is too out of focus in the foreground so that is spoiling what could have been an interesting scene.

Which means, I'm afraid, I am being a bit on the negative side with these.

Sorry...which brings me to the question, I have done several bracketed shots and instead of using photomerge in Photoshop, I did an HDR merge but making the result just as natural as it was that I remember. No fancy schmancy over colouring hence the results here. It was all in the experiment...I will try to do better processing -- to leave the toning alone next time...

Thanks for passing by...I do appreciate your valuable assessment...

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Izzie,

This post is a reply to the Melbourne Zoo series.

I see Geoff has already given some feedback, I fear mine might be rather similar.

I notice most this week are monochrome, I assume this was because, if Melbourne Zoo is ones I have been to, the vivariums have really unforgiving, very red, overhead (heat) lamps, which throw the colours off enormously
Further, this has probably compromised your ability to convert to monochrome as well as you might with normal daylight. Not to mention often needing to shoot through (dirty?) glass(?).

#1 - the subject is becoming lost in the background due to similar tones

#2 - unfortunate timing as s/he's looked away (camera shy) just as you took this, so we have lost the face

#3 - not a well defined image, not really helped by the effect(s) applied

#4 - In this, I think the subject moved a bit during the exposure, again, the effect(s) applied haven't helped IMHO

#5 - As someone might say in Star Trek; "it's colour Jim, but not as we know it" - I'm sorry Izzie, these weird effects just aren't to my taste

#6 - Best of the bunch, mainly due to the lighting, although if mine; I'd still have dodged a couple of places to give more detail to darker areas of the face and rear end. I'll overlook the weird goings on in the gravel behind the tortoise

#7 - Not a good angle on the closer animal - and it is not in focus.

Sorry...which brings me to the question, I have done several bracketed shots and instead of using photomerge in Photoshop, I did an HDR merge but making the result just as natural as it was that I remember. No fancy schmancy over colouring hence the results here. It was all in the experiment...I will try to do better processing -- to leave the toning alone next time...

Experiments are good, but they don't always work - and what works for one person may not for another.

Not sure I have been much help this week, sorry, Dave

[IzzieK]

Thanks for the detailed comments, Dave...will certainly work on this offline. I think it is time to catch up on my April submissions before I get too carried away with two more exams I need to take, one for tomorrow.

[Bobobird]

Interesting and imaginative work here. Nicely done.

[rachel]

I love the strawberries and the eggs

[joebranko]

Great series Izzie! Always interesting to see animals from other countries. Well done!

[Geoff F]

It is always worth experimenting with different effects in both shooting and processing, Izzie.

A lot won't work but sometimes there can be an unexpected reward. The problem with venturing on the weird side is that there is often a fine dividing line between 'doesn't work for me' and 'absolutely brilliant'.

We have a few members here who specialise in taking things a little bit further into the unusual zone and they produce some excellent results.