A Raven and Half Dome - You will never stop Learning

[Donald]

I never thought I'd be one for going back to images and starting again with finishing them on computer. Once I had processed them that was it.

But since May and my attendance at a B & W Masterclass, I have learned how to ease and caress tones out of an image in a much more subtle way and I have understood better how those tones work in an image to make a better image. The truth is that you never stop learning, if you open your mind to it and accept that there is much that you do not know ... always.

Some of you may recall seeing a version of this image nearly 18 months ago. This morning I pulled up the raw file. I knew there was a better image in it than I had produced in the past. I looked at it and decided how I wanted to finish the image. This is the result.

The big lump of granite in the background is Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in California.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured and processed.

[Shadowman]

Donald,

Regarding your comment about editing older images, I found this photographer's comments about his own imagery interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qCQBBjAA1g&t=289s

[Tom Barry]

I like this a lot.

[FootLoose]

If your processing skills improve over time then surely it makes sense to revisit some of your favourite images to see if you could do better. Ansell Adams, to name one, had no problem processing his photos differently over time. Nice work on this scene Donald, I like the soft glow around the top of the rock

[John 2]

With any image, mono or colour, its the attention to detail and finish that matters. I like this a lot. Not many would have seen potential in a raven against a background like this in the first place.

[rpcrowe]

Great capture... Is that a raven or a crow, I can never tell the difference but, there is a difference in the way that they fly (I think)

[Donald]

Thank you for all the comments.

It is a raven, Richard. There are a lot of them in Yosemite. It's ideal land for their nests.

John - Standing where I was you could see birds floating of the updrafts all over the place. As I watched it struck me that one was bound to fly across between me and Half Dome. It was a case of following the candidates who were flying in that general area until I got the shot I wanted. I had been tracking this bird for a little while and it did go right across where I wanted.

[george013]

That's why I shoot in RAW. Always the original to play with. Otherwise you must work on a copy of the jpg.
And I've a lot to learn.

George

[John 2]

Thank you for all the comments.

It is a raven, Richard. There are a lot of them in Yosemite. It's ideal land for their nests.

John -...……………... I had been tracking this bird for a little while and it did go right across where I wanted.

….and I forgot to add - the patience to wait for the opportunity.