White on White: using Topaz Studio2 filters

[EJ_Jewett]

What technical feedback would you like if any? These photos were totally unusable from a photographic quality perspective. I just got the new Topaz Studio2 and decided to play to see if I could do something with these photos.

The first one used predominate the precision line filter for the Audubon like look, and the second one used the edge/glow & precision lines to give it a more embossed look. Both look great when printed on a textured rice paper…

What artistic feedback would you like if any? How do “tools & Filters” affect the way we look at photography? Is it, in the end, just personal value of artistic perception that counts? If a poor quality photo can create a memorable impression - is that all that matters? I am not saying these photo-arts are great - but they are an amazing improvement over an unusable series of photos.

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If backgrounds have been removed, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn) Nikon D500, Nikon 18-300mm F3.5-5.6 lens
Shot at 1/250 sec at F5.6, ISO 100, 300mm at -2 EV (was shooting into the dark water of the estuary when the egret launched into the cloudy sky - I chose to shoot with the current settings vice miss the sequence - hence the unusable shots…)

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ej.jewett

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[Dennis_Plank]

Very interesting image treatments, EJ. Not what we usually see in Avian, but I think both of them work. My only nit would be that I think you’d get a bit of improvement by going back after applying the filter and getting rid of the fringe line above the bill. I don’t know how it shows on the prints, but on the screen, I find it a bit odd looking. A nice job of saving something out of this experience.