Fracted Penguin « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Fracted Penguin

This image above was created from the image below using Fractalius, a really neat Photoshop plug-in from Redfield.

Fracted Penguin

I was introduced to Fractalius about two years ago by Denise Ippolito in BPN’s Out of the Box Forum. It is great fun and can produce a variety of looks. I started this one with Glow 100 and adjusted the sliders to taste. See the screen capture below for more details.

This image of the feather detail of an Adelie Penguin was created at Paulet Island, Antarctica with the tripod-mounted Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS II lens, the 2X III teleconverter, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV). ISO 400. Evaluative metering -2/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/10 in Manual mode. (Stopping down even more would have been a very good plan….)

Which Do You Like Best?

Take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of the two images you like best, the Fracted version or the straight version. And do let us know why.

This screen capture shows the settings that I used to produce the Fracted image that opens this blog post.

Fracatlius

To learn more about this great plug-in, check out Denise’s free Fractalius tutorials here. To purchase the plug-in which runs only on PCs, please use this link. To see the spectacular images in the original Bulletin feature on Fractalius, click here and scroll down. To see a killer Marine Iguana Fract click here.

Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris

I traveled to Antarctica with Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris; find out what I thought about them here. You can learn more about CES by clicking here. If you have any questions you can shoot them an e-mail or call them at 800.527.5330.

[Not a valid template]

Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.

Remember: you can earn free contest entries with your B & H purchases. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click here for details.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear used to create the image in today’s blog post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS II lens. This lens proved to be ideal on a tripod for both birds and wildlife with both the 1.4X and 2X III TCs. All images were super-sharp and the lens was light enough for hand-holding both in the zodiacs and when doing flight photograph from the ship.
2X III teleconverter. This new TC is sharper than the 2X II version.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My two Mark IVs are my workhorse digital camera bodies.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
Be sure to check out our camera body User’s Guides here.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV User’s Guide. Learn to use your Mark IV the way that I use mine. Also available for the 7D and the Mark III here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.

5 comments to Fracted Penguin

  • avatar cheapo

    Fracted Penguin feathers! I love it! :¬)

  • avatar Keith Carver

    This abstract composition of a large black mass next to a large white mass is enhanced by the fractal ticks, which just doesn’t work in the original photo. Nice job, Artie.

  • I prefer the “fracted” version as well. I haven’t always liked this sort of thing but have to admit that sometimes it works and in this case it certainly works.

  • avatar Liz Noffsinger

    I wish that i could use the plug in because I think, as you demonstrated, that it is very versatile and must be fun to experiment with. I wish that I could use it but since i process with an iMac I do not have that opportunity.

  • No doubt about it. The “fracted” version. Well done.