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Harbor Master
Harbor Master
roba


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Wildlife IV (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Canon EOS-40D
Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Location: Redondo, WA (Seattle)
Date: Oct 19, 2008
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 800
Shutter: 1/200th sec
Galleries: Animals, Water
Date Uploaded: Oct 19, 2008

 Wasn't planning on entering this challenge. I was out shooting for a specific Free Study shot, when the fog rolled in... so I decided to pack it in & head home. I decided to stop at a local Marina Pier that I hadn't been to before. I was shooting some Blue Heron on a breakwater, when this guy surfaced & glided about 15 ft in front of me. He broke the surface for about 10 seconds, giving me enough time to frame the shot how I wanted (his wake looked really cool). As soon as he noticed me, he submerged and was gone.

Just goes to show you that chimping does have it's benefits. Had I not been chimping the exposure on my Blue Heron shots, I would've never seen him. :O)

I love the water surface/tension in this.

Minimal pp:
crop
cloned out a few bubbles and some tiny debries in the water
curves for contrast
small dodge on the seal's face
hue/sat
resize
usm (on seal only)
ni on water
add border
sfw

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Post Challenge:

Thanks for all of the comments! Was very surprised that this faired so well in a very strong field.

And thanks to CD for this:

Statistics
Place: 11 out of 159
Avg (all users): 6.7291
Avg (commenters): 7.9524
Avg (participants): 6.7534
Avg (non-participants): 6.7154
Views since voting: 2041
Views during voting: 427
Votes: 203
Comments: 30
Favorites: 4 (view)

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AuthorThread
 10/27/2008 03:46:16 PM
fantastic shot, congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/27/2008 09:14:49 AM
PostLuminous Award Nominee!
wonderful, serene, with smooth negative space that just makes this image sing
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/27/2008 06:55:37 AM
Thought this would score higher, it's a wonderful capture. Keep up the good work!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/27/2008 06:36:33 AM
Ah - just so lovely... a genuine sigh of admiration each time I look at this. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/27/2008 12:53:00 AM
Well you fell just outside of the top 10 but it's still a good achievement. There was some very good competition in this challenge and lots of close decisions to make. I gave this shot a full 10 during voting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/26/2008 08:26:44 PM
And the winner in the non-bird/deer category...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
10/26/2008 06:10:59 PM
This is sort of a typical shot, but the smoothness of the water and the shape of the water swirl along with the color tone I think makes it elegant.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/26/2008 06:09:20 PM
This is my kind of photo. The water is perfect for this shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/26/2008 01:29:32 PM
yeah.......great work.....9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/26/2008 09:56:22 AM
Nice.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/26/2008 08:53:41 AM
That perfectly smooth water looks awesome. Even though only a fraction of his face is showing, it's still a great shot because of the clear grey water and those big brown eyes.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2008 11:52:49 PM
great shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/22/2008 10:16:08 PM
A very elegant photograph.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/22/2008 06:49:10 PM
This image is absolutely perfect in every way. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/22/2008 04:34:56 PM
Back to comment.

I love it, one of my choice for a ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/22/2008 10:47:18 AM
I love how smooth the water is - nice minimalistic kinda shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/22/2008 09:23:22 AM
Absolutely fantastic image. The way the swimming otter just breaks the surface of the otherwise perfectly still water has been captured beautifully.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/21/2008 12:05:58 PM
Nice!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/21/2008 11:17:22 AM
Nice shot - lovley water.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/21/2008 10:23:42 AM
awesome shot. top 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/21/2008 06:29:05 AM
Lovely serene harbor he has to paddle around in.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/20/2008 05:04:34 PM
Love the smooth water, adds a simplicity to the shot, nicely captured, 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/20/2008 04:15:52 PM
Cool Shot!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/20/2008 03:27:04 PM
They are such sweet looking creatures!! Love the harbor seals! Nicely caught and love how the water looks so silky!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/20/2008 03:08:30 PM
I found this to be a compelling image. Excellent wildlife in its ocean environment. I also appreciate the composition and use of negative space to throw attention on the subject. (Could have been just a little more space on the right margin to allow more room to move.) My hope for you is that this image receives the votes it deserves. It's first rate! (9)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/20/2008 10:11:29 AM
I can almost feel him coming toward me since the water I'm "in" is so still. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/20/2008 08:36:35 AM
Wow, how striking. Very nice, love the calmness of the water, is that down to extra blurring or shallow DOF or just natural? It's lovely.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/20/2008 08:24:05 AM
i like the empty space, it gives the photo a cool feel
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/20/2008 05:51:59 AM
Exquisite. I love photographing seals and this surpasses anything I've ever taken.10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/20/2008 03:34:00 AM
My favourite of the challenge. Good luck
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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