Playing with levels and tones...I've obtained this hard contrastated image. I like the patches of light over the swans that make it seem as an abstract and I like the the detailed mixture of transparencies and reflections on the water. Comments and advice are particularly appreciated. Cheers, Paolo
Hi, Hugo! Thank you very much for your advices and, in general, for your very complete comments. It's easyer to learn with such a help. I'll keep on experimenting new ways! My best regards, Paolo
Hi Paolo, As an experiment, I think you did very well, the hard contrast is definately there.
I'm not sure if it fits very well with the subject. The feathers of the swan are already easily over exposed, and the contrast in the body in comparison to the neck do not quite compute, IMO. In other words, I don't think swans are the best subject for such an experiment. The dodging of the feather coat seems quite extensive.
Other than that, the composition is well balanced, and I think the idea is very creative. The clear water, and the refraction of the pebbles in the river bed add a very good touch to the image. The hard contrast works well in that area, and the same applies to the reflection. I think you could soften the swans them selves, and burn the over exposed parts a bit. Tweaking the levels (after copying the swans to a new layer in PS) might also work.
I doappreciate the fact you explore new ways and do some serious experimenting. Very interesting!
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{K:209486} 5/17/2004
