Red Winged Blackbird - Redux

I think its the mark of an immature photographer to simply take animage at face value and leave it there. As I slowly grow myunderstanding, I'm beginning to see an image for all of itspotential--realizing that there is a world of possibility beyond theinitial capture and basic workflow. Now I must learn how much isenough, and how much is too much.

I posted this image back in June, and I like it, but over time Irealized that the greens in the background worked against the birdsplumage and unbalanced the image. I used the color balance in PS CS2to shift the background tones. I think it works better.

Original image is posted in this thread.

Here is the original:  http://gallery.photo.net/photo/13394712-md.jpg

.............. in wildlife photography we seldom get to choose the backdrop for our subjects..... just take what we get (smiles). I definately prefer the background in this image.... it isolates the bird much better. Well done.

Although, not being a great "frame" fan........ could this one not be a little too heavy for the overall image?

I didn't see your original posting (hence did not comment there) but this is a great capture........ congrats.

Regards

Kristen, IMO you have made the image stronger by creating a color harmony. The original is a nice photograph of a bird on a fence and looks like thousands of other photographs of birds. The second is a statement that you created.  

I am including a quote from David duChemin’s Within the Frame with which I totally concur:

”Three images go into making your final photograph. The first is the image you visualize—the story you are compelled to tell. The second is the scene you capture with the camera. The third is the image you refine in post production. The better we are at all of these, the closer our final photograph will come to reflecting our initial vision. The more harmoniously the artist and the geek can coexist and the better they both are at what they do, the more powerful and powerfully communicated our vision will be.”

As far as I am concerned what comes out of the camera is a draft. The photograph doesn’t exist until I have polished the draft in post processing. A writer may do several drafts. The painter underpaints and builds then destroys and rebuilds. Why a photographer thinks that what they get out of a mechanical device is somehow sacrosanct is beyond me.