::Nikoneer

gallery

I'm guessing that sometimes, in the case of my son's Samsung smart phone (say that three times, fast), it is either lighting, wind or no wind, the stillness of a subject, or the stillness of my son's hands that determines photo quality. However, unlike the previous photos in this short series, my son tried out a new piece of software to really bring this one to life (incidentally, he's leaps and bounds better at photo manipulation than I). It's a TOPAZ AI software (remember that, all you pros out there in Pitcher-Land) that leaves Photoshop (my favorite) far back in the dust, and I stood behind him and watched--in mere seconds--what I try to do with my captures (and sometimes actually accomplish ;o), to turn questionable focus into something that's absolutely amazing. I could not believe what I was seeing because the original of this capture was similar to this one. This Sharp-Shinned Hawk regularly comes around when he wants an easy sparrow for a snack, realizing that when upwards of sixty birds hang around a feeder, it's good hunting ground. The early morning sun was highlighting the edges of the feathers on his left side, creating the kind of contrast and focus that I have been lucky to find only occasionally. This is also the last bird photo I have from him... for now. Winter is long-lived in North Dakota. 3