These are pretty good!
Bird photography is definitely a genre of its own. Needing special equipment and the skills to use it and also needing the skills to get close enough and make well composed shots that look good and artistic. You are well under way here!
Number 3 is my favourite
Thanks, but they may be enhanced a bit. The colours were there and it was very visible but those photos don't get noticed against the digital wow we are used to seeing these days. ;-)
That is quite wonderful. A timeless capture that puts me in mind of the old classic captures by Steichen, Stieglitz, and my own favorite Clarence White. The blur does not detract but is an important component of the magic. The limited palette and limited use of contrast in only a few areas feel impressionistic to me. I'm a big fan of this one!
Oh I am so jealous of you capturing such a thing as this! Where I am there was a slight magenta tinge to the sky and some people had success making more of it with long exposure shots. But this! Better than any fireworks display, absolutely gorgeous. I don't know that any editing is needed, though the building parts seem ripe for either darkening or cropping so we're not distracted by gutters and such that don't quite fit the degree of magic involved here. So beautiful I can taste them. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. The house was deliberate as I really took these for the family down south and it sort of allows them to see where it was in a way they can directly relate to, i.e. it was overhead rather than over there.
Thank you. The swamp is richly colored in spring and summer, and that is the only time we see the swamp creatures out and about. If you look closely you'll spot another alligator in the background on the right. There were about a half dozen there the day I took this one.
Thanks. Since the swamp was decimated in a storm several years ago, my once pristine compositions are now littered with the debris from the many trees that tumbled into the water back then. Cypress and tupelo don't rot easily so they'll be there a while. I'm trying to learn to love its new look.
The gator in front appears to me to have lost an eye. He is the biggest of the residents, usually the swamp is just a hangout for the young ones.
Thanks. I totally agree with you about Topaz and I don't use it much because of these quirks. I was hoping for a fix I didn't have to mitigate with layers and brushes but it appears that's not gonna be possible. I made a quick revision to the problem areas, attached below.
Thanks, I always hope these companies will find ways to mitigate within the ap, but for me, the best solution is usually what you suggested here, layers and masks. I'm attaching a quick revision with your suggestion below.
Thanks Chris. No, I'm used to these guys. We have them turn up in subdivisions, in people's garages, on golf courses. This summer one showed up on the kids' soccer field. A common occurrence I encounter at the swamp is out of state folks who pull up planning to hike the trail, and when I or someone else excitedly tells them "there's alligators sunning in there today!", they turn and bolt to their cars.
It really depends on the "story" you want to tell.
The two people are a distraction for me and I would clone them out.
Highlighting the base of the steps and a bit to its right in post suggests a fork in the road theme, which looks better to me, inviting the viewers' eyes to choose which direction to go next into the scene - up the steps or down the "tunnel".
Outstanding. Lots of people are getting good auroras at the moment. It's the rooflines that make these special. The roofs underline that these skies aren't just wonderful events from the far tundra regions, the show has come to suburbia. Then there is the composition. The gables have been positioned to give directional flow with the lights. The last shot is a total knockout for this reason.
Great work.
2 is 4 without the house, it's abstract. My family know the house and have a memory of standing in the same spot, it gives them a direct connection which photo 2 does not. Besides I only have a 35mm which makes capturing the scale of it (it's huge when overhead, from 60 miles up to over 200) together with it's proximity a challenge. Besides, I couldn't find an angle where it was in front of the house.
Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it just means you can't see it.
Since you said we could edit, I'll show you a rough approximation of what I had in mind. I agree the houses add something in terms of story and geometry but the bright parts of the rightmost house in this one were a little bothersome for me so I toned the bright parts down by adding shadow.
Also added a little clarity to bring out more of those beautiful stars.