New Page 1

The great hobby of keeping racing pigeons has many fascinating and interesting aspects. Some fanciers prefer the racing part where others prefer the challenge of breeding better pigeons but all enjoy both to a certain degree. For over forty years I have enjoyed all facets of this hobby but just recently discovered another one that I find as challenging and rewarding as flying and breeding pigeons. Since 1998 I have been photographing pigeons with a digital camera and rendering and enhancing their photos. Now that I am retired from a career in education that has covered over 30 years I am in a position to put more time and effort in to this pastime. For the past several years I have spent countless hours photographing pigeons and learning the techniques involved in digitally rendering photographs. I have learned some techniques that will help taking pigeon photos become a less frustrating experience for you. On these few web pages I will share these tips with you. You will also find some examples of photos of pigeons that I have digitally enhanced. Rendering digital images is much more difficult so it will not be discussed here. You may wish to read a very detailed article written by Silvio on pigeon photography and yours truly, just go to: http://www.silvio-co.com/pigeons/photography.htm

Below you will find samples of my work.
This photo is of the Great Champion "St. Thomas" owned by Silvio Mattachione of Ashdon Farms. It was scanned from "The World of Champions" 94 Edition published by Silvio and has been digitally enhanced to present St. Thomas who is now deceased to look as he did in his prime. Even though this is a good photograph it does not give this champion justice. The profile of the bird is quite good except for the back foot which makes him look a bit off balance. Also the back wing is out of place and the tail and wing tips are a bit ragged. With a little work notice how this photo can be improved. First, on the completed picture you will see that the back leg has been moved forward and the angle of the leg is now parallel to the front one. Then the back wing was removed and the tail and wing tips have been touched up. Also the color has been adjusted slightly and the photo has been sharpened. Finally an appropriate background with a halo effect was added to finish the photo. "Voila", the great St. Thomas at his best.

Andrew Steven Skrobot BA, BEd, MA (Ret.)

Samples of my work

Restorations