Editing photos, The difference.

[alwaysthere4chickens]

Not so much the sky but the light on the railing looks off. With a sky that bright, your shadow side should not be a dark as it is in contrast with the sky and the lighting on the lit side of the rail.

Does this look better?

 

[azurbanclucker]

Yeah better. Kicking the sky down a bit makes it blend more evenly.

 

[JadeFarms]

In case this helps

View attachment 2465164

Bahaha I’m dying, I laughed so hard when I saw that

 

[IowaChickChick]

I actually quite like this photo.. The focus is on the roos face and your attention wants to rest there. I like the color of the bark and leaves - they allow his feathers and comb to stand out nicely. I find the other two hens and background barns to be a little bit of a distraction so I would suggest cropping your picture to remove those hens and a little of the left side too to put your rooster in the center third of the picture. I like that you adjusted the brightness and color but perhaps bring it back a wee bit. You want "just enough" to make your comb *pop* without losing that lovely softness of this breast feathers.

Here's a real quick crop & brightness/color adjust for you.. majestic young man!!

View attachment 2428005

Great photo! Love this. I'd avoid the vignettes that the other post showed. This shows the deep red comb and the white contrasting feathers. Beautiful.

 

[Verna Y]

before
View attachment 2401820
after
View attachment 2401821

what are you using to edit them?

 

[alwaysthere4chickens]

I love to edit my pictures!

They all look so good everyone!

Do you have any you'd like to share?

 

[IowaChickChick]

Thanks for sharing the advice! I've been doing chicken phototherapy for years. When I do editing to one of my pictures, I do it to my liking, but yes, I have realized that some of my pictures come out to vibrant, too, and stops looking natural. There is a filter that is preferred in Murray McMurray Hatchery's photo contests that gives a cool hue to the pictures. I haven't discovered how this is accomplished, but I'd like to learn. Also, working with the flock on certain days helps accomplish what I'm looking for. For instance, my Cuckoo Maran Maisy. In my personal opinion, the Marans aren't your prettiest birds, and it can be hard for Maisy to look good in pictures. But, I've discovered that she looks the best on cloudy days with the trees bare. All the colors go great together. Another thing, even though chickens don't smile, try taking pictures of them when they are happy. You can see their moods through a picture.

Thought I'd pop in here and comment... The McMurray Hatchery catalog photos are frequently taken with a 50mm lens, or even a 35mm. The best way to enter the contests is to enter print-quailty photos highligting breeds they carry and represent the breed well, no filters, no added icons or text. If the birds have good feather quality, combs, eyes, etc and look healthy and are good resolution that's ideal. Taking photos in the early morning or the golden hour in the afternoon is best. Avoid taking photos in the brightest part of the day, or when a flash is needed. Hope that helps!!