A Cold Day in Naples
 

...virgin pictures taken with my new camera. Well, with the exception of some pics of my daughter...it was a VERY cold and windy day, but I am happy with several of the photos so it was worth it.
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fooling around with the brightness on this one...don't why I like it, but I do
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There was a huge group of these birds, just standing on the beach and they let us get close...they were so adorable.
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This little guy was standing far apart from the group...all alone...a loner, a rebel :p
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I really like the composition on some of these. What camera did you get?

Also, if it's a cold day in Naples, do the buildings appear to stand a little taller?

Thanks, Charlatan. I was fascinated by the patterns the birds made in their groupings. It was the very first time I have managed to get that close to wild animals...that were not in cages, lol. It was so much fun I didn't even feel my ears and toes freezing.

It is a Nikon D50, as was suggested to me by skibum with much appreciation sent his way. Thank you, skibum!!

I am in love with this camera.

One thing I'm noticing is that the wood in the photo of the bench looks much more washed out than it does at home...which sucks because I really like that one.

Thanks for the visual Gulf reminder. Hopefully, it will help me get thru my wait until I go back there for a visit in May.

LOL, you know I just realized that upon reading the title of this thread one might think I am referring to Naples, Italy and be quite disappointed when they see pictures of an ordinary American beach. uh, doh.

good Photos.
...and you missed his joke.

Those are. I really like the in-flight ones.

Keep it up :)

Thank you.
...and I don't know about the buildings, but I know my naples were standing a little taller that day. :p

Thank you, hambone!

Now I am thinking about chilly Naples. What a great place to be.

I admit, I was thinking it was Italy but when I saw the photos I knew where you meant.

The clarity of the photos is amazing. I really can feel the chill from the pics....excellent.

Those are beautiful, mixed. You got some great moments of those birds. Did you have to wait for their beaks/bodies to get lined up so perfectly? Great job! Fantastic composition in the first picture, as well. Did you use a coloring effect on it? I can't quite tell if it's sepia-toned... (i think the fact that i have to ask is great, though)

One thing I might suggest: mess around with dimensions more. Crop some of those suckers. I might just be talking out of my ass, though... you're obviously more talented than me. :)

Thank you hagatha and Moskie both.

No, the birds pretty much assumed those patterns and the pictures were for the taking. There's a theory that nature is prone to assume patterns and forms that strike the eye as beautiful and/or aesthetically pleasing. Can't remember what it's called. But I believe in it. :)

As for cropping, I have cropped a few of these a little. There's another one of birds that I didn't post here that I actually cropped a lot. But frankly, I try to do my framing in the camera. It's one of my favorite things about taking pictures...seeing those frames in my head and shooting them...seeing if I can capture the image in my head. And furthermore :) I like pictures that look a little "off." I don't mind empty spaces or asymmetrical aberrations if they contribute overall to a picture that I like.

Thanks again for your nice comments. :icare:


oh!....and yes, I used the sepia effect on the first one...just didn't look as interesting as I hoped in color.

congrats on the new camera, mixed. ain't nothing quite like a new nikon!

you certainly are making some pretty music with it, I must say. that second shot, the one of the pier, is stunning in it's clarity. also the one of the gull on the pilings. beautiful. and like you, I love chasing those goofy little birds aroung the sand. they really lend themselves to being photographed, and you composed them just about perfectly. sweet how they stay in nice big groups for our enjoyment, isn't it?

Naples is a favorite place of mine, and i've taken lots of photos around town and out by the pier. some great sunsets to be shot there.

I'm gonna be down there on St.Paddys day visiting my bro-in-law and some other buds. From what I hear, we're gonna drink some Guinnys and watch what they tell me is nice little parade. definately plan on going out and looking for some of your little feathered friends, too.

Incredible photos. Great variety.

I really like the repetition of the birds in flight and in groupings on the beach. They would make a great series. The lone birds not so much, but the one on the pier gets more points than the one on the beach. A polarizer would've kept detail in the white feathers (and also in the crests of waves and sand).

Second favorite beside the series would be the bench on the pier. I enjoy the simplisticy of subject, contrast of wood to ocean, and the linear aspect to it. The person's shadow is a little distracting. The line of the horizon also detracts a bit from the bench because the ocean and sky contrast so much.
One way about that would be to crop to the brown water in the ocean, which would create a more unifying frame by matching the color of the wood.
Another way would be to try to soften the horizon just a tad with gaussian blur and blending/opacity modes.
And I always add some adjustment layers to bump contrast and saturation just a smidge. My monitor is an uncalibrated lcd laptop, so I always have to be cautious with adjustments as my monitor is very deceiving.

Attached small example versions.

Thank you motdakasha, I see your point. Thank you very much for the advice. :)

I really know nothing about photo shop. I have a lot to learn about what I can do with it.

Oh, and there was a polarizer on my lens. And you know, it is circular, but I have a hard time discerning any difference in its effect when I spin it.

I'm still a novice with photography. I have a lot to learn, lol.

If I were planning on being down there around that time we'd have to get together and go shoot the birds...in a manner of speaking. :lol:

Thanks, paddyjoe!

...and you, too, newtx. :)

remember that polarizers work best at a 90 or so degree angle from the sun. to help see it, full effect, point it at some blue sky away from the sun and start twisting. (the filter, not you!) you should definately see the blue start to darken (most effect), then lighten back up (least effect). These filters are invaluable for knocking reflections off of non-metallic objects, and thus saturating the colors underneath.

and don't worry, I'll shoot you the bird while i'm down there.......:thumbsup:

And just 'cause I'm so excited about my new camera, I thought I'd post a couple I took during my lunch break yesterday.

The first two are pretty heavily enhanced...colorwise.

The black and white one, of course, is an effect as well.

The last two are pretty much straight out of the camera.

(I LOVE this picture...probably one of my favorite ones so far.)
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and then there's this one...maybe ya'll can solve the mystery of that sphere shape in the sky...I don't remember seeing it last night when I downloaded these from the camera. I did enhance the color of this one a bit...maybe having something to do with that?

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Beautiful pictures....love the pictures of the waves rolling in I could look at that forever. I think I've been on that pier in Naples. A circular drive/dropoff point on the street right behind?

That is correct! Seems to be a pretty popular place, lol.

And thank you...the water was both beautiful and menacing on that day.

The way I check to see if I have the optimal rotation of my CPL is using the digital display and watching the meter info. If you have auto-meter (a +/- scale to see if it's over/under exposed) or set to Aperture or Shutter priority, you will see the number change as you rotate it. As the exposure time decreases or aperture number increases, it will tell you the setting is blocking more light (intended effect). Rotate until you've found the darkest shot you can take.

A good suggestion for beginning with photoshop is the Adobe Classroom in a Book series. It has step-by-step lessons for all of the features in photoshop.

well done.....hope more are on the way!!

xoxoxoo