Topaz Remask 3

Have spent a few hours mastering the techniques for selection using Topaz ReMask.
See:http://www.topazlabs.com/remask/ where there are some excellent tutorials. Experimented with this image to get a selection of the arch:

After some false attempts managed to select out the arch only.

Then tried selecting an antelope from its background, as below:

 This shows the real power of the tool - a remarkable selection of the fur.

Update 30 December

Spending time preparing for South Africa trip mainly.

Have checked on requirements for submission of work for assessment. Consensus seems to be that it is OK simply to provide the blog address, although some advice on the forum (and from tutor) is to provide additional data - images in fine resolution or (as someone else has suggested) converting blog to pdf and submitting. It appears though that he has other information not on the blog; I have everything on the blog, deliberately so that would not have to spend time redoing the presentation once completed the coursework and assignments.

Tutor advice is:

I would certainly submit a disc of higher resolution images for any assessment.

And fom online tutor:

You should link the blog images to higher rez versions, say 1024 pixels on the longest size.

But to be honest, I don't see why this is necessary. My images are all saved as low res in order to upload and cannot now recreate. In any case, a right click on an image gives the option to open in a new window and the resultant image is comfortable larger than 1024 pixels on longest side.

Other advice is:

Hi Chris I sent the OCA a CD containing my tutor reports and also included info on how to navigate my blog and the URL link for them to access it on the web. The assessors seemed more than happy to receive my work in that format.

Good luck!

This accords with my view exactly although will think about saving hi res images for next course.

Visit to Veolia Envirronement Wildlife Photography Exhibition

Veolia Envirronement Wildlife Photography Exhibition 

Attended WPE at Bristol Museum. The aim was to view top wildlife images and to get some ideas for taking photographs for final assignment to be carried out in South Africa game reserve next month.

Two factors struck me:

1) there is a clear bias towards images that are art as well as wildlife. The comments on the winning photograph; the presence of a category called "Creative Visions of Nature"; and some of the winning entries (e.g. Harbinger of Spring in In Praise of Plans and Fungi section) are good art;

2) simplicity, particularly of background. Snow featured heavily in the winning entries (e.g. Winter Snow Hare and The Assassin below)

I picked a few of my favourites below from most of the categories:

Animal Portraits 

Winner Sinousness Marco Colombo A grass snake near a stream. "merely had to look in the viewfinder and press the shutter".

I like this very much - a personal favourite, partly because of the simplicity of the execution. It evidently did not need 4 days sitting in mud awaiting the perfect shot; Colombo found the opportunity and executed simply.

In praise of plants and fungi 

Fading Beauty specially commended David Maitland. Poppies against an overcast sky. Simple and very effective.

This was third in category but my favourite due to simplicity and effective use of an overcast sky.

Sandra Bartocha has winner above (Harbinger of Spring) and also had another image in the competiton rated as highly commended. Takes plants using in camera double exposure to create softness.

 I assume in camera double exposure means Bartocha uses film. This is a very arty effect.

Behaviour birds  

 

The Assassin Steve Mills. Merlin swooped down and grabbed a snipe. Superb shot.

Taking flight Paul Goldstein. Hyenas disturb flamingoes at Lake Nakuru. Shot contra jour to give monochrome effect.

Lovely image - reminiscent of Freeman's shot on page 19 of notes.

Underwater world

Paul Souders won and received runner up award for Salmon swipe:

He waited four days to get shot of salmon's eye view of bear swiping at salmon. Used underwater camera on ballasted tripod and remote control.


I am not so keen on this or his other work. I don't know why - perhaps because it is a great action shot but not so arty.


Wild Places

Stephane Vatter winner and highly commended.

Winner Celestial Arch 24 images stitched together to show Milky Way as an arch:

A brilliant sky but foreground rather lacks interest for me.


Also had Heavenly light show taken in Iceland. Series of eight shots to show auroras.

Still life in oil

Daniel Beltra took a sequence of six photographs telling memorable story. He aimed to take a series of images of an oil spill that would not look out of place in art gallery. Captures the colours of the oil beautifully. This image of brown pelicans waiting to be cleaned is especially brilliant and is overall winner.


This is a wonderful image - disturbing yet very artistic.

Animals in their Environment

Winner Snow Hare by Benjam Pontinen taken in Finland, a superbly simple image of a hare next to a barn. I like this very much - beautifully simple, could be a charcoal drawing.

Nature in black and white

Winner Big Foot by Peter Delaney is a close up of elephants foot. Peter was in hide so could only shoot close up when elephant herd appeared. "creativity can emerge from constraint." he says.

I think this image shows why we can all have a go at this competition - nothing remarkable but very effective, showing texture very nicely.

Creative Visions of Nature

Winner Illuision Stefano Unterthiner is an arrangement of whooper swabs giving the impression of being one swan at different moments in time. Very effective and again quite simple.