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Thread: Renegade Cows

  1. #1
    Harpo's Avatar
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    Renegade Cows

    Decided to make sure my G12 comes with me on my morning walks because Im starting to see some funny characters like this...

    As I walked by a pasture with this juvie posse grazing and stopped to watch, they all started walking towards me in a line... I immediately thought "Who do you guys think you are? The Magnificent Seven?"

    1) B&W cows with B&W? contrast challenges?
    2) electric fence... clone out?
    3) I cropped it lower so the tall grass is in the foreground and to reduce the overcast sky above. Thoughts on the cropping?

    This was done in Aperture, basically a B&W conversion. When I tried some sharpening, the grass started looking funny.

    Renegade Cows

  2. #2

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    Re: Renegade Cows

    I think I would crop slightly differently, Mike, and reduce the foreground grass by around half. At the moment, to me, the grass seems taller and more important than the cows.

    The general layout and contrast of the scene looks good to me.

    I'm not sure about the fence though. I think I would have to see two versions side by side to make a decision.

    Which means a lot of work before being told 'I preferred the original'!

  3. #3

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    Re: Renegade Cows

    Exactly what I was thinking. Crop the bottom quarter of the photo and showcase those curious little milk-makers. What a nice scene

  4. #4
    Harpo's Avatar
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    Re: Renegade Cows

    Ahh I see what you mean with the grass seeming prominent. Heres a revision focusing more on the cows rather than grass

    Renegade Cows

  5. #5

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    Re: Renegade Cows

    Personally I like the original, only i would crop off some of the grass and add the same amount to the sky. I like the way the cow on the left is looking into the scene.

  6. #6
    Harpo's Avatar
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    Re: Renegade Cows

    Ah figured out a better way to make the revision in aperture... Heres the original #1 cropped as suggested by all three of you...

    Im hoping to hear from more of the B&W gurus on any advice for improving the B&W version. I really like B&W and thats a new area i'd like to work on to improve as I haven't done much of that yet.

    Renegade Cows

  7. #7
    Moderator Donald's Avatar
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    Re: Renegade Cows

    Mike - To go back to your original questions

    Quote Originally Posted by Harpo View Post
    1) B&W cows with B&W? contrast challenges?
    2) electric fence... clone out?
    3) I cropped it lower so the tall grass is in the foreground and to reduce the overcast sky above. Thoughts on the cropping?
    First up - I like your final (3rd version) in terms of the composition. That works for me. But in the second of the three, you've got the whites whiter than in either #1 or #3 and in terms of your question about B & W cows in a B & W image, I think that works better. In #1 and #3, the whites look a bit grey and 'smudgy'. #2 looks a much 'cleaner' image, in my opinion.

    Overall, it's a good B & W conversion and in terms of your developing this area of your work, keep doing more of the same. I can't see any obvious 'errors' in anything you've done.

    As for the fence. It's a question of how far do you go with something like this. You could take out that second top strand of wire that's cutting across their faces. But would that gape between the top wire and the one then below it look odd? So, do you take oput the top two, leaving just the bottom two. That would be more balanced.

    Re the grass - Other folks have commented and I think you've ended up in the right place with that.
    Last edited by Donald; 25th April 2012 at 07:50 PM.

  8. #8
    Harpo's Avatar
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    Re: Renegade Cows

    Thanks Donald for chiming in. Thats one thing I was debating in my mind... In other B&W images Ive seen, there was talk about balancing out a overcast sky so its not too blown out. I thought the second image might have been, while I thought the white on the cows heads should have been lighter. I considered dodging the white parts of the cows upper half in image 3 but wasn't sure if it looked natural. Heres version 4 combining the composition and crop of 3 with the lightness of 2. I like that one better. in the left upper corner of the sky, there is a cloud and it is slightly darker. I think that helps that area not feel blown out?

    Renegade Cows

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