Last evening as I sat down at my computer to compose today’s post I engaged in a conversation with friend and blog follower Ed MacKerrow. Ed had been recently falsely accused of unethically “photoshopping” an image he posted to a Facebook group (doing so is against their guidelines) and he was extremely frustrated by the situation. I commiserated with him because more than once I’ve been accused of doing the same thing and believe me, it hurts.
During the conversation I sent him a link to an image I’d posted in the past to Nature Photographer’s Network (NPN) so he could see in one of the comments where one of the members strongly implied that I had used Photoshop to deceptively and dishonestly brighten and intensify the saturation of the yellow eyes of a male Northern Harrier. Offline another person had sent emails out to at least one other member saying that I had copied and pasted the harrier into the background of the image. Neither accusation was true but once they’re made at least some of it tends to stick.
Ok, long story at least a little shorter – after my conversation with Ed I continued to browse through the photos I’d posted to NPN and ran across a different image that I’d posted there years ago and remembered how much I liked it.
So here it is.
1/1600, f/8, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This image of a male Northern Harrier (the “Gray Ghost”) was taken at Farmington Bay WMA on November 14, 2008 using my now-ancient Canon 40D. I like the nice look at the topside of the hawk in flight, the slight head turn toward the viewer, the strong hints of habitat in the background and of course that bright yellow eye (no, I didn’t enhance its color…).
I hope I haven’t posted this image before but if I have, so be it…
Anyway, this is how my blog post subjects sometimes originate – out of the deep blue sky and from a completely unexpected source. Thanks for the inspiration, Ed – in this case your pain was my gain…
Ron
Note: In case anyone’s interested in perusing my older images posted to NPN, here’s the link. There are four pages of them and you can read the critiques if you like, both good and bad…
I feel that photography is an art and we should use whatever means we have to make the image tell a story or be as beautiful as possible. I find your pictures are accurately portray birds and am glad I don’t have to be distracted by busy backgrounds. Being true to yourself is the best truth.
Gorgeous image!
We all believe in you Ron. That’s sad when others jump to conclusions without having all of the facts. It’s their loss. Beautiful picture. I too love the yellow eyes. The Hawk looks like it is smiling. Must have been a good day!
I see what you mean about the smile, Jean. Thank you.
Beautiful harrier Ron. I love the yellow eyes against the soft gray – blue colors. I appreciate your blog post today. You are a great photographer with the highest integrity. Learning that some others make false accusations on your photos is sad. For me it simply confirms they are jealous and envious, and too weak to compliment and give praise. The beauty of your photos though shines through, and that I what I remember. Thank you.
I still feel badly for your ordeal, Ed. It shouldn’t have happened.
Hiss and spit. Jealousy and feelings of inadequacy bring out a side of some people that I would rather not see. Much rather.
Your photos on the other hand I am ALWAYS happy to see (despite my feelings of jealousy and inadequacy).
The turn taken at the end of your comment brought a completely unexpected laugh, EC. Thanks for that!
Just so beautiful! Love this photo!
Thanks very much, Linda.
It’s sad how often we turn to suspicion over trust. Lovely images!
Thank you, Stephanie.
Raptor eyes fascinate me on several levels. First because when they look at you, they seem to bore deeply down into your soul, assessing whether you’re worthy of their time, or not. Steve Bodio wrote perhaps my favorite words of all time describing a haggard (adult) goshawk whose eyes had “hardened from ruby to garnet” (The whole passage was a sheer delight, but that’s the part I can quote reliably). Aside from falconers flying adult goshawks, who sees that? Who would believe it? Not many. It certainly knocked my reality into sheer jaw-dropping wonder when I saw it! That color touches the otherworldly and is so far beyond what most people could imagine that it must be manipulated, right?
And that’s the problem with PhotoShop. It’s so easily available for a computer nerd to manipulate images so that no photo can be completely trusted now, which fills my heart with sorrow. PhotoShop, while it has its uses (mostly in the advertising and political worlds where they’re all lying anyway), has eroded the wonder and magic of real photography even while photographers now have the technology to catch those shots with a clarity that’s just stunning in its beauty. PhotoShop makes it available for anyone to question the integrity of a photographer like you who goes out into The Great Out There–AKA the right place–nearly constantly to be there at the right time with the right equipment along with the knowledge and ability to use the right equipment to capture these stunning images. And that simply because there are so many who lack the basic integrity and honesty of a common paper clip and have diminished our lives overall. That’s just WRONG!
Paired with the Internet, which makes it available for any old computer dweeb to copy and steal anything, the work of artistic creators (photographers, writers, musicians, etc.) has been cheapened, devalued to the point that it’s now a real challenge to make a living through one’s artistry.
And with that, I’ll step off my soapbox and continue to celebrate YOUR artistry!
Oh, by the way, in some regions, goshawks’ eyes turn into an outrageous burning orange instead of “ruby to garnet” red, also another wonder of Nature. I’m pretty sure we lowly humans don’t know the why of that difference.
You make some very interesting points and I agree with them, Laura. I especially enjoyed this line – “mostly in the advertising and political worlds where they’re all lying anyway”.
I also enjoyed reading your words about raptor eyes and I see why you adore that quote from Bodio.
Yes, Photoshop is a double-edged sword. Every time Adobe comes up with a new tool (such as the relatively new “content aware tool”) for PS I shudder because it makes it easier for folks to “cheat”. Sometimes I wish we could go back to the old days but then I realize that doing so would mean I’d be shooting film again. I’m definitely not ready for that…
I’m not sure if i could handle going back to the old days…definitely not with photography, newer medical miracles, etc. but sure as heck yearn for some of the old values, likep honesty and integrity, manners such as “pleasecand thank you “, of feeling safe, of being able to trust your eyes, of being held accountable for lies and smears, when it was truevreporting vs pontificating and prevericating…in marketing and politics especially. I wish honesty and compassion were “in”…..yes, I’m really old and “out of it”…..
Yes, technology is a double-edged sword. I’d hate to give up my computer for its ease of writing and the many friends I’ve made. Like Elephant’s child said, “Hiss and spit” to the dishonest folks and happy dance with ear twirlies every morning when Ron’s photos appear to my utter delight!
I don’t think you are old and out of it, Patty. I feel the same way. Those values still mean something to me, and I am always happy when I encounter people who share them. That restores my faith in the world. At least temporarily…
Snap. Dinosaurs with values unite…
Never thought I’d be happy to be considered a dinosaur… but I gladly join this group!
Great topside view, Ron. The eye is mesmerizing.
When we were on the road to northeastern Washington recently and I couldn’t get an internet connection, I longed to see you and Mia’s post of the day when we parked for the evening. To be fair, WC’s blog as well. Not being very socially attached electronically, I was somewhat surprised to feel detached. On the road, every time we spotted a Harrier, my thoughts would end up here as we passed. I even checked a passing truck’s license plate as were coming past the Bear River refuge on the way home to see if it might say “Harrier”. I’ll find that truck someday! The number of raptors in Southern Idaho was impressive. Have you ever shot up in that area?
Taking a look back at your NPN gallery, I can see the progression of your work clearly go up the scale in the many aspects of wildlife photography. Equipment, experience, quality of capture and post production. Fun to see it all come together. Well Done! You set a very high bar.
One of the things that struck me going through your gallery is how NPN has changed. I completely understand Dick’s position below. My involvement ebbs and flows as well. I do visit the site daily, however. Great images for an image junkies fix.
I’d love to run in to you one day “out there”, Neil. It’s silly that we live so close to each other and have never met. Keep watching for HARRIER and maybe it’ll yet happen. I was just at Bear River yesterday.
Yes, NPN has changed and that is sad. I so miss the old days there.
I enjoyed your comment. Thank you.
PS – Forgot to answer your question so I’m back. I’ve never actually photographed birds in that area but I drive through it all the time on my way to Montana and back. The Snake River valley is loaded with raptors in summer and early fall. Swainson’s galore but other species too.
This shot is just beautiful. It has never occurred to me that you would enhance the eye color or anything else in your photos. I will never forget seeing a Bald Eagle flying low next to a freeway overpass in Richmond, VA, and being startled by the bright yellow eyes. So it’s no surprise to me that other birds, particularly raptors, would have similarly intensely colored eyes.
You’d probably be surprised what many folks do to their images during post-processing, Susan. The list of things is endless – to the point that the final version of the image is sometimes barely recognizable as the same image that came out of the camera.
Politics aside, this is an unusual, beautiful shot of a magnificent bird…love the top view, the soft, subtle colors of this stately bird….there is something very special about the face of this pewter prince that really touches me…I keep going back to look at this image again and again…..
The “pewter prince”. Love that Patty, it’s absolutely perfect for the adult male.
Thank you Patty for “Pewter Prince” it is now part of my vocabulary when talking about the Gray Ghost!!
Me too, Dick. I’m stealing it from Patty for sure. You’ll likely see the phrase used on one of my posts not too far down the road.
Always liked “Marsh Hawks” that is what they were called when I was learning birds. That white rump and the way they hunted made them easy to identify. Beautiful image.
I first learned them as Marsh Hawks too, Jo – back in the 70’s.
Nice! 🙂 The photos at NPN are also good tho you can sure see your progress in sharpness from then until now – subtle, but there. There are always folks that just want to put others down or don’t believe shots can be that sharp/good without post processing which, in some cases, some want you to believe these days with all that’s available.
Judy, that “progress in sharpness” that you mentioned was largely an improvement in my sharpening technique during post-processing and I learned that technique on NPN from none other than Dave Sparks who often comments on my blog.
I think those who want to put others down or can’t accept that Ed or Ron’s images (or anyone’s for that matter) can be so good without tricky post processing and rule breaking, are coming from a place of envy. Caught up in their own insecurities, they can’t be happy for the photographer or draw inspiration and learn from the other photographer’s successes. I’ve seen it in Graphic Design for years. It’s sad. We should be happy for those who succeed–celebrate it–it helps us to see what is possible and helps to keep us growing in our work, art, and hobbies.
Thank you for this comment. It exactly expresses what I was feeling when I read Ron’s post today.
Thanks for the very kind words, Sharon. I wish it could be so…
The quality of your work speaks for itself. Outstanding shot of one my favorite raptors.
Thanks very much, Carl – on both counts.
Beautiful shots of a stately male Harrier, The Gray Ghost.
Unfortunately, there are individuals who have a hard time dealing with an honest picture.
As you know I joined (NPN), but lately have not been as active.
I am not finding general comments as productive as I had thought they would be.
But, I’m not shooting every day either.
Dick, In recent years NPN has suffered from the competition from other photography sites where they really don’t want honest critique – just “Great shot” kudos. As a result participation has gone way down and that’s a crying shame.
I always find Northern Harriers to be mysterious too. Appear out of nowhere or so it seems! Beautiful image Ron!
Yes, they certainly do, Nancy. Thank you.