Fun with Ducks - C&C highly appreciated

[Brownbear]

Hi Joe,

This is just to show you that I do try... I was fine with following your edit, point by point and I was doing just fine until I got to the cloning part.. It took me over an hour and then I made a mess of it, and became frustrated with the edges and trying to clone. I want you to know that I do understand the process (and 6 months ago I would not have understood it at all) but it just seems that I don't have the skills to select and clone with any finesse. I expect it will take some time or perhaps it is just one of those things that I will never be good at.

Here is my edit following your edit... (I realize it is horrific, and I'm sorry to disappoint but I wanted to show you that I tried)





One day, I would like to be able to isolate wildlife on a white background and I will keep practicing until I can do this this nicely. It's just a matter of getting better with selecting things. I will keep practicing until I can do so with finesse.





Here is a seagull from yesterday. I selectively sharpened the gull and applied curves. I also inverted the selection and applied a different curve to the sky. I am learning to edit, and my skills are coming along slowly, but for me I think it will always be best to capture the best background I can, so my edits are simple.



FYI... I am doing all the LR tutorials, but I think I also need some time to practice what I'm learning.

Thank you, Joe. I adore your bird photos and truly appreciate your help and advice. I just need more time to learn and practice.