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Winter Woodland Symphony
3rd PlaceWinter Woodland Symphony
MaryO


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Fine Arts: Exhibit I (Advanced Editing VII*)
Collection: Birds
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Sigma 100-300mm F/4.0 EX IF HSM for Nikon
Location: Alexandria, VA
Date: Mar 3, 2010
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 4500
Shutter: 1/500
Galleries: Nature
Date Uploaded: Mar 5, 2010

 Taken out at my favorite park on a gloomy day. This appeals to me because it tells a story ... maybe several, depending on how imaginative I get. The crows were making a raucous racket as they moved through the woods, which is what attracted my attention to the scene. The man in the background stands out but at the same time is part of his own little scene in the light, while the crows head back into the dark of the woods after briefly taking over his path. All of the elements together work for me ... though there isn't a focussed focal point ... I think it's the overall mood that I like.

Is it fine art? I dunno'. I like images that tell stories and/or have a mood, and those I can enjoy exploring repeatedly. It's something I would like to accomplish more often in my images.

PP - slight crop, white balance, levels, tonemap in qtpfsgui to get a little more texture on the trees (pregamma 0.697, mantiuk method, contrast mapping 0.1, saturation factor 1.049, detail factor 1, erased path and man and merged at 30% transparency), copied as another layer (Gaussian blur, merged in multiply mode at 20% transparency), burnt puddle, dark gradient filter on right side, decreased saturation, desaturated path, increased contrast, resized, sharpened, added border.


_____________________

Post-challenge: OMG! I can't believe I got a ribbon in a Fine Arts challenge. THANK YOU :-))) Guess I should get out of my box more often!

Statistics
Place: 3 out of 193
Avg (all users): 6.7300
Avg (commenters): 8.3600
Avg (participants): 6.6939
Avg (non-participants): 6.7647
Views since voting: 7050
Views during voting: 431
Votes: 200
Comments: 54
Favorites: 16 (view)

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AuthorThread
 03/20/2010 02:03:51 PM
Beautiful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/18/2010 12:30:58 AM
Mary,As an artist myself I truly admire your work and am very interested in a print of Winter Wonderland Symphony. If that is possible, please contact me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2010 01:18:49 PM
Congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/17/2010 09:09:25 AM
Oh mary , this is so fine - congratulations !!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2010 10:47:07 PM
Awesome shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2010 02:42:28 PM
Great shot. Good for you!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2010 10:01:27 AM
This was my favorite image in the challenge. I gave you a 10!!! Congrats on the yellow ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/16/2010 05:18:08 AM
very beautiful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 08:22:13 PM
Very Cool Mary congrats on your Yellow ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 08:21:46 PM
Wow. Fabulous. Really.

Congrats
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 06:21:01 PM
I really like this!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 02:03:27 PM
One of my top picks. A wonderful image! Congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 01:26:15 PM
Very nice shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 12:24:48 PM
Well, I'm honestly not that good at commenting on this stuff but I did give it an 8 and have to say I guess that put it somewhere in my Top 15-20 and I really didn't have number 1 pick in this Challenge. Simply said, it's a really beautiful scene and that rested quite well with me. Cheers on the Ribbon...super, well deserved.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 06:24:46 AM
Congrats on your Ribbon Mary, love the mood excellent image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 06:02:19 AM
Congrats on your well deserved ribbon Mary. Superb shot!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 01:37:12 AM
big squawkin' congrats! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 01:12:17 AM
Loved this during voting - so glad you got a ribbon! Excellent image and wonderful atmosphere!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 01:11:20 AM
Nicely done, and the bits of color do a lot for this shot. Congrats on your new ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 12:44:39 AM
I thought this would do well, congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 12:25:05 AM
I thought the swirl of birds was such a wonderful catch. Congrats on the yellow!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 12:23:45 AM
This was one I really liked in the challenge. Congrats on the ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 12:22:19 AM
Congrats on the yellow ribbon. I really like what you did with this image.:)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 12:08:08 AM
awesome!!! Congrats! I loved this shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 12:03:01 AM
YAY!!! Definitely in my top row - how can it not be with birds and blur? And a story - yes indeed. Congratulations!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/15/2010 12:01:24 AM
Oh Mary!! I'm so happy you won a ribbon. I had absolutely NO idea this was yours. Congrats and hugs. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
03/14/2010 11:45:33 PM
I have no objectivity here. I love it. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2010 06:38:48 PM
Stunning mystery. In my top ten of the challenge. 9.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2010 01:47:32 PM
very haunting! those birds.. what a brilliant shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2010 09:52:58 AM
Brilliant.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/14/2010 09:46:17 AM
Love this. The dark feel and the birds then the person with the bright red works well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2010 10:51:46 PM
Mystical, beautiful, and puzzling.....I want to know what the birds are talking about.......9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2010 10:39:03 PM
Love it! (even without the title). Nice job bringing out the woodwinds.
Maybe the conductor could be just a little closer so we could see him (okay that's a joke). Even the branches could be like the strings on the violins playing way up high over everybody else. Now let's see.... which symphony did you say they were playing? Great job (did I say that part yet).
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2010 04:17:56 PM
8 - I do really like this - the feel of being there, the feel within the scene but, and I know you might not get this, the distant figure's clothing, including color/style, detracts, for me. Up to 8 from 7 as it does appeal - but mostly everything but the figure. Had they been in different clothes/the tones changed, who knows - but either way, just sharing my thoughts and vote with you.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2010 02:13:29 PM
One of my favorites. Love the movement the birds create. PP & border perfect for this. The one dot of color leads your eye into the scene.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/13/2010 01:42:41 AM
Great use of DOF to lend a strong feel of dimension to the image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2010 07:08:03 PM
This photo has a nice mood to it. It definitely has an artistic feel to it. The birds and the person in the background are a nice touch, and the post-processing is perfect IMO... 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2010 04:15:06 PM
Voted earlier - a top pick for me. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/12/2010 10:01:40 AM
nice scene. birds a little crunchy but can call that a stylistic choice ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2010 05:21:48 PM
Very engaging, drawing the viewer in to follow down the road, hear the squawk of the birds, the rustle of leaves. Love it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2010 02:56:45 PM
Slightly over-sharpened but I really do like the scene; a slightly softer re-edit with different colour handling and this would be magnificent I think.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2010 11:36:42 AM
Some technical aspects detract, for me: the sharpening method used; the shadow/highlight (or other hdr) fix. Compositionally interesting but not outstanding. I love places like this, though, so it's nice from that perspective, personally.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2010 02:03:42 AM
I like this and the ominous mood it creates. It makes me think of the thriller by Alfred Hitchcock, "The Birds"
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/11/2010 12:51:57 AM
Beautiful composition. The reed jacket in the background is perfect. This is one of those shots I see and wish I took it. Because of my jealousy I scored you 2 points lower than I really should have. Just kidding.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/10/2010 12:08:48 PM
There is No Doubt! "10" from me! Potentially Top-10 for the challenge! Truly Unique Quality!

The Wide Top & Bottom Frame gives the impression of a wide-screen movie momentarily paused, which was possibly your intent. The movie could be titled, Homeward Bound III: Avian Migration. ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/09/2010 09:52:16 PM
Very eerie. I think this would look better in B&W. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/09/2010 06:05:00 PM
This is a great shot. Very nice job.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/09/2010 04:03:51 PM
Alfred, eat your heart out..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/09/2010 11:18:53 AM
almost should have called this "The Birds"... I love the processing on this...very eerie to me
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/09/2010 09:19:06 AM
I'd hang it. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/09/2010 12:05:33 AM
This is fascinating. The title speaks of art as well. Nice job.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/08/2010 08:56:18 PM
visually stunning image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/08/2010 07:52:55 PM
Nicely done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/08/2010 02:09:50 PM
Love the birds, really nice. This might be just as good without the person in the background.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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