DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 
Challenge Entries
Portfolio Images
This image is not part of a public portfolio.
Do I Smell Popcorn?
Do I Smell Popcorn?
mgsmith53


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Pigeons (Advanced Editing VII*)
Camera: Pentax K100D
Lens: Pentax SMC DA 55-300mm F4.5-5.8ED
Location: Paducah, KY
Date: Jul 21, 2009
Aperture: f/5.8
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/180
Galleries: Humorous, Birds
Date Uploaded: Jul 21, 2009

Pigeons are scarce around Paducah right now. This one was sequestered, secure on her nest, in a high, tight corner. She sat through several minutes of my invading her world, without a flinch at the flashes, studying me as much as I was studying her.

Crop
Sharpen
levels, brightness & contrast
dodged a bit on the eyes, upped yellow sat a bit, too
size & sfw


Statistics
Place: 11 out of 61
Avg (all users): 6.0794
Avg (commenters): 7.5000
Avg (participants): 5.9714
Avg (non-participants): 6.1006
Views since voting: 1381
Views during voting: 385
Votes: 214
Comments: 12
Favorites: 1 (view)


Please log in or register to add your comments!

AuthorThread
10/19/2010 12:26:08 PM
Very nice pigeon. I used to race them...lots of fun!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/29/2009 08:57:50 AM
Hello and greetings from the Critique Club;
Of course, the first thing that grabs my attention in your photo and what is the focal point, is the bright eyes of the pigeon. The orange and yellow of the eyes have an excellent contrast with the gigantic black pupil. I can only imagine how bright the flash was for the bird! I̢۪m also surprised how serene it still looks despite said flash, but I guess it is a pigeon, after all. You use of flash is pretty good here, and doesn̢۪t seem terribly brutal. You have nice, sharp focus, and your colors are nicely saturated, especially in the case of the eyes, which are further accentuated by the fact that the entire frame is devoid of color, with them being the sole exception.
There are two minor nitpicks that this shot could benefit from, in my opinion though:
First, if you had used a faster lens, the distracting elements of the background̢۪s lines and the sticks of the nest would have been blurred a bit more, bringing an additional focus to the bird (although as things are, they are blurred a decent amount). Secondly, it would have been nice if you had been able to get an angle other than straight up at the bird. This way, you might have been able to use the structure as some nice leading lines into the bird, regardless of whether you went with a centered composition or not. Your title was a good choice as well, adding some humor to the entry.
As your score showed, this was a pretty good entry and I had to pick out some minor things for room to improve.
-Derek
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
07/28/2009 08:27:33 PM
This title made me laugh. The eyes are just right.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/26/2009 04:02:40 PM
The burning eyes make this shot. Nicely done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/25/2009 08:34:22 PM
One of my favorites of the challenge. I love the eyes and the "expression". I guess birds faces don't really change that much. The title really fits and helps you apreciate the picture. Great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/24/2009 01:56:55 PM
Love the way it shows the eyes off
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/23/2009 02:29:27 PM
I just love it! Thanks!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/23/2009 11:23:28 AM
This made me lol, Very nice image, a tighter crop would have been nicer for me, but good detail in the eyes, i love it! Also you get more points for making me laugh :P
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/22/2009 01:35:03 PM
I love the interaction between image and title!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/22/2009 08:30:14 AM
ROFL @ the title!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/22/2009 05:21:11 AM
fantastically sharp and nice eye contact
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/22/2009 02:52:20 AM
LOL! Delightful!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/14/2025 06:29:57 PM EDT.