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Red River Pros: Laurie Excell

Laurie Excell at Red River Paper Pro Corner

Nature photographer and photographic educator

Laurie Excell is a wildlife photographer, speaker, writer and workshop leader whose images have appeared in Outdoor Photographer, Outdoor Photography (UK), Photoshop User Magazine, Audubon calendars and other publications. Her intimate workshops encourage small groups of like-minded photographers to enjoy time in nature while learning the process of photography from start to finish. She has also authored two books: Snapshots to Great Shots and Composition and Wildlife Photography, both published by Peachpit Press. Thousands have enjoyed viewing her images while listening to her speak at Photoshop World, camera club conventions and at other events.

Laurie Excell - Nature photographer and photographic educator
© Laurie Excell

The Client

A personal project while leading a photographic workshop at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge near San Antonio, NM.

The Assignment

Photograph the tens of thousands of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes that call Bosque del Apache home during the winter months.

The Execution

“In wildlife photography, timing is everything, from being in the right place at the right time to the actual execution. The best time of year for photographing Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes at Bosque are from mid-November through mid-January. Each morning the Snow Geese blast off from the local ponds into the sky and shortly afterwards the Sandhill Cranes follow– off to the farm fields to spend the day foraging for food. At the end of day they return to the ponds where they roost in safety for the night. Once the sun drops behind the hill to the west, the light drops off dramatically. "

“My shooting options at that time of day were limited to raising my ISO higher than 200 (at which this photo was shot), adding fill-flash or going with the low light and trying some blur pans. I chose blur panning at slow shutter speeds in order to create a feeling of motion, mood and softness. Successful blur panning requires panning with the bird, keeping its eye in focus and releasing the shutter while both camera and subject are moving. It takes practice, practice, practice and my “keeper” ratio drops significantly when I attempt this technique but, when successful, it’s worth the effort.”

Post Production

“Post production began using Nikon Capture NX2 where I processed the RAW file, deepening the darks, brightening the image overall and adding a touch of high pass filter to increase the clarity. Once I had the image to my liking I opened it as a TIFF in Photoshop CS6 where I used NIK Color Efex Pro to bring out the rich colors and NIK Dfine to reduce noise. I then saved the finished file with all the layers at the native size. From that master file I'm able to either downsize to JPEGS for social media, web and emails or upsize (using OnOne Perfect Resize) to produce large prints, posters or murals. With a good, clean, original file, the possibilities are nearly endless.”

The Output

“I have relied on Red River papers for years to provide a quality product that I can be proud to print my images on, both for my clients as well as for my own enjoyment. Some of my top picks are Polar Gloss Metallic 255, (my hands down favorite), Aurora Art Natural with its ‘fine art’ finish and Polar Matte for my personalized greeting card line. The longevity of the images on my walls and my customers’ satisfaction keep me reaching for Red River papers when it's time to hit the print button.”

Contact

To find out more about Laurie's Excellent Photo Adventures, her fine art images and more, visit www.laurieexcell.com or email her at [email protected]

Favorite Papers

UltraPro Satin

UltraPro Satin looks and feels just like traditional photo lab paper and features a medium depth luster finish.

Favorite Of: Jim DiVitale & Peter Randall


River Linen

River Linen adds a special dimension to your printed image with its premium quality linen surface paper.

Favorite Of: JVS & Helene Glassman


Aurora Art

Made using fine 100% cotton rag content, Aurora Art White and Aurora Art Natural offers the look and feel of fine art paper.

Favorite of: Marilyn Sholin, Matt Hoyle, Susan McCartney, & Kaitlin Walsh


Arctic Polar Satin

With its crisp blue white shade, Arctic Polar Satin ensures your images will project more brilliance. Its state of the art microporous coating will enhance details and color saturation.

Favorite of: Al Francekevich & Susan McCartney


Polar Gloss Metallic 255

Your images will take on a brilliant, almost luminescent quality with Polar Gloss Metallic 255. Everything from airplanes to flowers will look bolder, more saturated, and more real.

Favorite Of: Dan Shepherd

Last updated: September 03, 2021

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