Lovely soft golden light with reflections and shadows combined. You have a hall of mirrors infinity effect with reflections from different chimes bouncing back and forth. The dark background with soft, indistinct elements allows the off centre crop. I wonder if a little background above and below would work? I am sure you tried it.
Oct. 18, 2023
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Yes, birds know every trick to annoy a photographer! But every now and again they reward, as this one has here. The composition, pose and background are great. Looking at the larger image reveals quite severe noise, which would be worth reducing. The image is quite bright, which doesn’t matter in itself, but means you could darken it a bit and it would still look good, and have the advantage that the noise would no longer be so visible.
Pete
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A very good series, which again proves that dodgy, but changeable, weather may not be most people’s first choice, but is ideal for photography. I agree that the last has all the ingredients, but I also particularly like the first, for the same reasons. The mountain, the subject and destination, is in sunlight, making it stand out attractively from the duller surroundings. Maybe the clouds could be darkened slightly(!) to enhance that feeling?
Pete
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Mike, is there a sort of protected area where the public can view? The bears aren't too perturbed by human presence?
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Thanks Pete,
It was bright overcast but failing light. My camera with small sensor needs reasonable light otherwise noise becomes an issue as you see here. I do need to invest some time in learning to use better pp tools. -
re-edit further down, sorry
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along the road
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Thank you very much! I'm often attracted to contrasts, especially when the background is very dark and the subject is in sunlight. My processing aided my vision 😀
I too recognize your images immediately, Johannes - and not just for the very clever "punny" titles 😁 Yes, windchimes. Thanks for your comments!
Thank you Bryan! The chimes are hanging from a large pine tree. They are quite long, so to include anything at the bottom - which would only be a deeply shadowed patio full of a resident's "stuff," I would have to create my own. I certainly have no moral objection to that 😁
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The Gitga'at people are very protective of these bears who hold a spiritual significance for them. For example, we were asked not to post GPS data of the exact location out of concerns that poachers might shoot one of the bears for a trophy. And there is no public access without a Gitga'at guide.
This area of the Great Bear Rain Forest has the highest concentration of Kermode Bears (also called Spirit Bears) anywhere in the world. Estimates vary on their numbers - on the order of 200 or so. Our Gitga'at guides led us about a mile into the dense forest to a viewing area where the bears are known to fish in this small river. We sat quietly for hours waiting for them to appear. And they did. There was no "physical" protection, only the guides' knowledge of their behavior and our willingness to respect their habitat. We watched for hours as they moved up and down this small river fishing for salmon. At times they were as close as 15-20 meters away. I frequently had to switch to my medium telephoto (40-150) because they were too close for my longer lens.
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Windswept
Location is Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada with water surface of 59.600 sq km, consequently wind gusts of up to 30 knots in the fall are not uncommon.
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I like where you've placed the center of the coil, Rich. I have a similar photo, but the center is centered, and perhaps not as interesting as yours.
I wanted to comment on your backstory as it also applies to the "knots" and cleat (?) on the dock from last week: in replies to feedback, you are providing a lot of context and interest about the setting and history of these photos. However, when we view without that knowledge, or when we can view only on a computer monitor (mine is 13" though very bright and sharp), we are restricted in a lot of ways from understanding and appreciating the shared photo.
I guess there's no solution to that aside from presenting photos that require no explanation and that are suited to web viewing, or photo stories with both information and multiple shots, or like MinnieV posted last week, explaining the purpose.
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I love fog and weather contrasts in any location. For locations such as yours, the moods are far more interesting to me than sunny tourist brochure photos. Some of mine of Mount Rainier in sunshine I call "postcard" shots. This was a highly enjoyable series, giving me a sense of the real Hochkönig region.
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The steel wool textures, gaping mouth and oversized eye definitely make me smile!
It did take me awhile to figure out what the circle/cylinder was in its mouth 😀
I might try reducing the opacity of the background object on the left, or cloning over with trees. Even with the impact of our star, it distracts a little.
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Beautiful colors in your bountiful plant!
I've never really cared for artificial blur, but I understand your wanting to minimize the background's details. When I was looking for a closer crop that might still contain the feeling of the bounty and colors, I found a beetle on a stem!
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A Prince in a Bottle?
My grand-daughter was determined to catch a baby frog and was looking for a fishing-net. We whistled in the wind and pretended we didn't have one, so she took a fly-swatter as a poor alternative and, amazingly, tempted the frog onto it and into the jar! Luckily, after gentle persuasion, she decided to set the little fellow free again.
Pete
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This is a very nice scene and I like the composition. It looks lke a pictoresque area and good for a long or short hike. Maybe it is worth attempting to clone out the railings when you reach your PC, but they are so dark, they don't intrude much. A faster shutter speed may well improve the look of the water, but since there are still separate streaks, and it hasn't just turned to a pure white mush, then it is acceptable as it is.
Pete
