nikonbill's 2025 images when possible

[nikonbill]

The start of a new year, I will start with a summery of last years photo adventures - my goals this year is to take more photos and post more. In the last year I've learned more about post processing with much more to learn. I'm getting more used to Affinity and to do that I have played with some "freeware" particularly rawtherapy w/GIMP learning "general" editing has helped when I come back to Affinity as the editors are mostly the "same" tools. I still use Topaz AI on occasion to see if it assist certain photos, its refinement by their developers has been pretty good for my photos when I use it. I will see what the deal is when renewal comes up and decide if I should keep that up. I do not find myself using it a lot, and for most "task" I have found ways to get Affinity to do pretty much the same thing.

For those that have commented and liked my material in 2024 Thank You! This thread is about personal growth in photography, so if you have a pro or con or suggestion please don't hesitate to jump in! -- bill

Today I played with using two flashes one in front of my subject and one hidden behind it to have a major backlight

 

[nikonbill]

Well who thinks up these weekly challenges here is a first effort at abstract....
here is what I did - I used my 200/500 for a bit of selective focus on a ribbon Ruby (the cat) has been playing with on the floor. Next I used a flood select tool to make the random selection of the floor, next I inverted that selection, created a fill layer and blacked out the "selection" much to my surprise my weird theory seemed to work

 

[nikonbill]

here is a version with the overly bright parts brushed out

 

[nikonbill]

Here is the start point for the above edits - Note: I did crop it also

 

[nikonbill]

Here is an outtake for the weekly, I thought it did not have enough "ride" in it

The Pleiades star constellation on my ride

 

[nikonbill]

Well the year is starting slow for photos, who knew retiring from work took so much effort I will conclude work life on Feb 28th things should pick up then.....

Here is a Hermit Thrush who was posing kindly from a nice walk last Sunday

 

[nikonbill]

This shot is an edit in effort to pull the well camouflaged Thrush out a bit better - I lightened the out of focus top portion with a brush

 

[nikonbill]

When I'm out I sometimes take a random shot of things that "may" look interesting in a photo - here is a random cut tree stump

 

[Needa]

When I'm out I sometimes take a random shot of things that "may" look interesting in a photo - here is a random cut tree stump
View attachment 415188

That would have been a great entry for the monthly Wood/Metal. Too late now.

 

[nikonbill]

Too late now.

Thanks Jeff - it was my thoughts as well this morning.....I just did not get to the processioning till now

 

[nikonbill]

I got out to the local lake the other day, a goose with a wake

 

[nikonbill]

a red wing in the sun

 

[nikonbill]

decisions.......

 

[nikonbill]

a more stony approach -- still some time

 

[nikonbill]

 

[nikonbill]

I got the pleasure yesterday to befriend a Great blue and he walked around a water area where I stood on the shore. He went about his fishing while I took photos. Not fantastic shots as my technique on the cloudy day was not the best but the experience was very cool.

 

[nikonbill]

 

[nikonbill]

looking for food

 

[Clovishound]

looking for food
View attachment 417501

I'm thinking more like "Stop scaring the fish away, or YOU are gong to be my lunch!".

 

[nikonbill]

Clovishound,

Well thatwould be a great caption - I have to admit to being more mesmerized by the acceptance of the Heron of me, than concentrating on getting some good images - my wife watched from a good 100 yards away also mesmerized as the heron went about fishing as he walked by me

This is what my pre-retirement dreams were made of - as the weather is breaking in the northeast I'm excited to commune with the birds more