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Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
2nd Place Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
vawendy


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Light On White VI (Minimal Editing I)
Collection: 2013 Challenge shots
Camera: Canon EOS-7D
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS
Date: Mar 3, 2013
Aperture: f5,.6
ISO: 400
Shutter: 1/1000
Date Uploaded: Mar 3, 2013

[Mar. 10th, 2013 10:27:10 PM]

Lost the 7 on the last day. Was at 7.13 in the morning, 6.96 at 10pm. So I doubt it will come back.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments -- even the one threatening to eat the seagull. You do need to track it down -- because this is definitely minimal editing.

The seagulls follow the Jamestown-Scottland ferry across the river. I assume it kicks up wonderful stuff, because they're constantly diving in the water. People can feed them if they do it off the back of the boat. In winter, they get quite brave and come in very close. I was using the 200-400mm because I didn't want the whole bird in the shot -- I wanted some partials. It was extremely difficult, because my lens just didn't want to focus on the bird zoomed in that close. Even though it was on the right distance setting. For every 4 shots I tried to take, it would only focus one of the 4 times. Very frustrating, but still kind of fun.

Shooting a white bird on an overcast day is difficult. You have to have the right type of overcast and the right type of bird. :)

If you get bright sun and an overcast day, the it washes out your bird:



If you don't over expose enough, you get silhouetted, depending upon where the sun is:

+1.33EV

Then you can over expose a little more

+2.33EV

I wanted to get the bird really nice and ethereal light, but I wanted the white sky -- so I needed to overexpose, but I needed to wait for the sun to go behind one of the really thick clouds. The really overcast light, and the over cast sky worked. This shot is +1.67EV

I pretty much know when I'm doing this type of shot that I want about +1.3-1.67 normally when I'm shooting RAW. I kept adjusting and playing with it when shooting jpeg for minimal, but it still was a crap shoot. But it was interesting to learn that I really didn't want sun. I thought I wanted a sun/white sky combo. But that was definitely NOT a combination that worked.

However, even when learning this, you still shoot what you have. Overexpose for the bird when you have the white skies in the spring. Shoot RAW normally so you have the flexibility, and so that you can zoom out and your camera can focus!! :D

Here were the other shots that worked from the 1 hour round trip ferry ride.



There were probably 4 other possibilities. Minimal doesn't give you much to choose from in an hour. :D

Thanks again!!


Statistics
Place: 2 out of 77
Avg (all users): 6.9688
Avg (commenters): 8.4615
Avg (participants): 6.7059
Avg (non-participants): 7.1129
Views since voting: 3126
Views during voting: 278
Votes: 96
Comments: 30
Favorites: 4 (view)

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AuthorThread
 03/12/2013 07:09:57 PM
Gorgeous Wendy!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2013 01:41:38 PM
One of my favorites! Congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2013 01:42:41 AM
Congratulations, Wendy. Gorgeous shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2013 01:15:20 AM
what a pleasure, what a feat.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 09:47:14 PM
Very special - they all are. Thanks for sharing your settings and experience shooting - quite helpful (I hope :) ) Congratulations on the ribbon, Wendy.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 02:47:52 PM
Yep. I thought this was yours, Wendy! I'm so glad that it is... it's beautiful! A 10 in my book!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 11:10:23 AM
Congrats Wendy on your Red. Another great image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 08:23:20 AM
Nice to see a comment from Shez on this.....congrats Wendy. Well deserved.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 03:41:13 AM
Someone has to stop you!
Congrats on the well deserved ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 03:23:21 AM
This is amazing and to think it is Minimal editing! You really do know your stuff :-)
Congratulations on the ribbon, sorry it dipped below 7 in the end.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 01:42:33 AM
You have a way with birds and furry nut eaters.... Congrats on the ribbon
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 01:06:41 AM
Congrats. Awesome capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 12:33:50 AM
Congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 12:26:16 AM
Was always going to ribbon, nice one Wendy!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 12:13:25 AM
Told 'ya so.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2013 12:07:02 AM
if all your shots from this day looked like this, i'll eat all the seagulls. suspect it took a few tries ;-) congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
03/10/2013 10:53:43 PM
7 for doing this in minimal editing
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/10/2013 08:59:50 PM
Yep. There's a ribbon winner! LOOK at the detail in that wing! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/10/2013 08:29:29 PM
Very creative exposure. Great capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/06/2013 08:41:28 PM
Great lighting ans composition good sharpness and nice take on the challenge ..Well done
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/06/2013 05:57:33 PM
Exceptionally well caught and captured. Great detail in the feathers. Guessing this is a vawendy image? Regardless, this is a top 5 from me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/05/2013 10:05:00 PM
I love the composition.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/05/2013 03:52:49 PM
Wow, I can only imagine the difficulty in taking this using minimal.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/05/2013 12:13:15 PM
Best in show award, congrats
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/05/2013 04:40:19 AM
One of my favorites in the challenge. Nicely done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/04/2013 05:09:01 PM
What a fantastic capture! My pick of the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/04/2013 02:36:52 PM
Great exposure, and fantastic composition. I'm thinking this took more than a few shots to get right. ;) 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/04/2013 02:35:55 PM
if this is minimal i'll eat that seagull ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/04/2013 02:10:49 PM
Well done! Good detail in the gull
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/04/2013 07:27:05 AM
YEP ANOTHER WINNING SHOT XOX
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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