alberta_pizzolato

Thanks ever so much. Always such a pleasure to hear from you, so far away.

Yes, this one was a comedian. In this area of the beach near my home the birds have become quite use to humans - too use to humans. You can get very close to them and sometimes they seem to be hamming it up (acting) for the camera. I love when that happens :)

Cheers ~

Alberta

Wow, Gerald. It isn't perfect but no matter how you took this shot, it's a winner!

With some post-processing, I'd clean up what appear to be JPG artifacts around the first girl's head. Other than that, it's like a Disney movie poster. Good eye!!

Cheers ~

Alberta

Yuck. But I can see where you had to do it. 

Your photo should be printed on every pack. Then again, if smokers aren't deterred by the astronomical price of a pack then this wouldn't phase them either.

May our vices be more aesthetically appealing.

Cheers ~

Alberta

Thanks!

I did ask Mr. Mallard to move over closer to the Mrs. but you know how ducks can be. Like herding kittens.

Just for grins, I'm attaching the original color version which is also cropped but with more room to the left of the post.

Cheers ~

Alberta

Impossible to suggest any improvement. The dove is just about 3D while the green leaves, which in the hands of too many photographers would be too busy and overbearing, appear in varied levels of focus from tack sharp to soft blur. All that and the placement of the bird on the branch with those delightful red berries make this a great capture!

Cheers ~

Alberta

Donna - such a poet. I'll shoot, you write (in addition to sketching, which you do so well). Do you cook, too?

Pat - thanks. When you're in Freeport, I'm sure you're treated to much of the same delightful scenery.

Cheers ~

Alberta

Nice shot, Pat. Beautiful colors, great point of view, crisp and the horizon is level (Yay!)

Ah, the Bahamas. One of my favorite places to cruise. We cruised the Abaco Islands just over a year ago. Always a good time.

Cheers ~

Alberta

In color, you'd see that the mallard on the left has a yellow bill and slightly different coloring than his female mate on the right. He's in eclipse plumage. Happens at the start and end of summer. Mating season is over.

What if humans turned colors in mating season? Or do they??

Cheers ~

Alberta

The guy got the dinner already prepared! A fisherman had done the filleting.

¡buen provecho!

Alberta

Beautiful girl, pretty dress, great photo! I think B&W is an unusual choice for a child's portrait, but I love it. Gives it a documentary feel.

But next time, the shoes. Don't forget to get the shoes in the photo.

Lucky man with such a lovely family . . .

Alberta

Bigger is not only better, it's mind boggling!!

Thanks, Giulio.

Cheers ~

Alberta

Fantastic capture. I especially enjoy the light showing through the thin parts of baby's ears.

I wouldn't darken the foreground - I would crop. Mama doesn't have an especially lovely tail and I think that a crop to just under her foot would bring more balance to the image and shift more attention to the subjects.

A photo to treasure!

Cheers ~

Alberta

Most unusual sight (for me, at least) and well captured, Larry. I'm not sure what HDR effects you applied but I like the outcome - not overdone but edgy. 

Enjoyed the poetry too :)

Cheers ~

Alberta

Thanks. Always appreciated.

Cheers ~

Alberta

Thanks. I think :)

I wish I could say I shot this for its comedic value. But I didn't. I shot it for the sheer irony (no pun intended) of an urban fire protection device with the tender word "Darling" embossed on its side.

Here's a heartbreaker of a shot:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fire_hydrant_knocked_over.jpg

Cheers ~

Alberta

It looks like it might be a great shot, Giulio. I say "might be" because with Photo.net's standard size presentation, it's hard to tell. If you would upload the shot with more resolution (assuming you have it) then we could view large and get a view more suited to critique.

There's so much packed into such a small space! Boggles my mind, having lived in an area with a low population density for such a long time.

Cheers ~

Alberta

I wonder where this was shot as well. Searching with Google I do find several hippo and mallard shots, all taken at wildlife parks. There's even stock photography available: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-97152926/stock-photo-hippopotamus-and-duck-in-the-water.html

And there are several children's books on the subject. So it isn't a new concept. Strange one, but not new.

Thanks! I'm surprised any color came through. It was raining heavily with the downpour blowing sideways.

They're dancing, aren't they?

Cheers ~

Alberta

Great capture, Mariusz. Fantastic detail in the tree and grass. The sky and clouds are dynamic and not processed to display banding, as is often the case on PN. Love the B&W conversion.

Cheers ~

Alberta

Thanks for stopping by. I like your idea of a texture overlay but can't imagine what I would layer it on. Any suggestions? (subject matter)

Cheers ~

Alberta

Gracias! 

B&W just seemed right for this one. Although the fire hydrant is brilliant in its natural bright yellow.

Cheers ~

Alberta

There has been so much negative mention of stock photos, I thought it important to note that this one does not seem to be for sale on any sites where Stasys' work is available for purchase.

Creating havoc with tornadoes and flooding all up and down Florida, especially the west coastal areas. About 10 inches of rain fell yesterday with more expected today. Wind gusts were about 45 mph. This is a view of very large philodendron leaves that grow up the side of a huge Cuban laurel in my back yard. The Intracoastal Waterway can be seen through the leaves. 

The top platform of my dock was completely submerged for a good part of the day but thankfully the tide didn't breach the sea wall:

http://albertap.smugmug.com/Other/Unseen-Phononet/22974210_WGQmkR#!i=1926372867&k=8p8Cb5P

Mother Nature is scary, awesome. Living on the water isn't for the feint of heart.

Just to be clear, this is not a stock photo, at least not for sale on all of the sites I could find where Stasys sells his stock photography. It is included in personal collections on a few sites.

Thanks!

I want to try Gordon's suggestion too but this darned tropical storm is making outdoor photography impossible. Next week?

Cheers ~

Alberta