Presentation at the Darkroomers Photographic Club - 6/2

It's All About the Eyes

I have found the secret to enhancing Wildlife images, in particular being able to add life to dull, dark, lifeless "eyes". In the past, Color Efex Pro 3.0 Tonal Contrast was my filter of choice, but since Viveza 2 arrived on the scene, all of my images begin with a little touchup with this fabulous filter.

By using the Shadow Adjustment with Viveza 2 and using Control Points to selectively enhance the eye area, I am able to bring out the catchlights, lashes and even the iris. If you've seen any of my "Critters and Creatures" webinars, one of my favorite sayings is "It's all about the eyes". If you don't have that spark, your image will lose some of that magic.

Here is an example of how I used Viveza 2 and the Shadow Adjustment with a Control Point to bring out some of that detail.

Before

After

Just Ducky

One of my favorite subjects to photograph is early morning water reflections with a duck to top it off. It is even better when you can capture the colors of the water with similar colors on the duck. Here are three examples of some images I took this morning. Viveza was used to enhance the contrast and saturation.

Results of using a tripod vs. monopod

Another great day photographing animals. This time, I used my new tripod (instead of a monopod). It forced me to stay put in one spot and compose my subject. It will take a bit getting use to because I am so use to moving around, catching a bird flying or a bee behind me. It is also giving me a good workout! But the images are much sharper and I felt that I had twice as many "keepers" as I normally would. For landscapes, this is the best setup I could ask for! For animals that are always moving and unpredictable, I'll probably miss a few shots, but I'd rather have quality instead of quantity.

Here are a couple shots from today...

Titled: A Couple of Redheads  

Red-Crested Pochard ducks

These little guys have soft fuzzy red feathers on their head that makes them look very comical when they are trying to out do one another. They like to hang out in little groups and sometimes you'll see them dive for food.

    

 

Titled: Checking Things Out

Ring-tailed Lemurs

One of my favorite subjects to photograph. With their magnificent long designer tails and brilliant yellow/orange eyes, you can't help but spend time watching them sunbath or huddle together.

Titled: Open Wide 

African Male Lion

This guy is my all-time favorite animal at the Park. I started taking photos of him a few years ago when he didn't have much of a mane (in fact, it looked more like a mohawk!) but he has grown to be a stunning creature.

A Day with the Critters

 Shy Black-Footed Ferret

Possessive Prairie Dog

Stubborn Pelican Chick

BetterPhoto Finalist in the August 2009 Contest (1 of 2)

On the Attack

BetterPhoto Finalist in the August 2009 Contest (2 of 2)

The Stalker