"Essence of Winter"

[jonny_redhorse]

I guess I just like winterscapes!....winter certainly has it's own unique beauty!....now....Where's that great gray owl!

[micpic]

I really like this image Jonny. You caught the background very good. I'm totally into wildlife shooting, but when I see something like this I think I may start taking some other images of nature. Thanks for opening my eyes.

Mic

[Yeti]

That is sweet. Care to share your pp...assuming it was processed??

[jonny_redhorse]

Thanks guys......Yeti,I used "Picasa"(which is essential for my PP) and Adopbe Elements in this winter landscape shot that day....actually I run all my images through these 2 programs.....In this paricular image(I took many others that gray overcast day)... It looked rather nondescript,dull, lacking "interest"....Yes the image would certainly be "as is" in nature but I wanted that special "boost" to make the image more visually interesting......all a position of personal taste of course as some may think and want the original "black and white" toned image originally taken out of the camera....my position is not many images (to me of course) are "perfect " right off the card....I started with "Picasa" and under "tuning" in the program, adjust the "color temp"(adds yellows and oranges gradually)...it can go anywhere from there depending on the "look" of color intensity one would like on the colored horizon...then I may saturate ,darken,or "soften" the colored background...then...I hit "effects" and use "focal black and white" which adds color in the center softly with a black and white edging...I know this is hard to explain without doing it "step by step" but this at least gives you an idea what one goes through so one gets a generalized "beginning"....then I save the image and compress it for posting....or.....I send it to a "framing program" I utilize for more visual "special effects"....One can play with the colors for quite sometime adjusting here,tweeking there untill the desired look is accomplished....it may take 5 minutes or 10 minutes...depending on the results you may desire ....I guess this is part of my interest in photography...it's more than just snapping a picture

here's that same image untouched from the camera...nothing done to it yet.....I took the position that it's "lacking" in interest...a nice image but not "that" interesting...sooooo...I made it a bit more interesting....

and another from that same morning using the same technique....