Falcon & Branch — Costa Rica, 2001

Photographed with a Canon EOS D30 and 100~400mm f/5.6L lens @ 400mm1/500 sec @ f/8 — ISO 400 

This photograph was taken on a February 2001 trip to therainforestof Costa Rica. It was shot from a small boat on the Rio Aquinas. While I quite like it, after a couple of weeks of living with the print I decided that while it was a very good literal interpretation of what I saw, it didn't capture the "feeling" of the hazy heat and humidity of this tropical locale.

I believe that this interpretation does a much better job. Sharp yet soft at the same time. Shadow areas have darkened and become sharper while highlight areas have lightened and become softer. Remarkable, isn't it? (You may view enlarged versions of each photograph by clicking on them).

Not all images lend themselves to this treatment, but for those that do you can create a print that is quite special and yet at the same time doesn't have ...