[Steve Mangan]

[Sharon Passmore]

Hi Steve. I like this image very much. Even though it is grey on grey, the pigeon doesn't get washed out or disappear. It remains the focal point. I like the balance of the beige tones as well.

What I don't feel is working so well is the typeface. It doesn't seem to be working with the rest of the image as a harmonious element, but more stuck on as an afterthought. My recommendation would be to use a more earthy color, give the text a bit more visual weight (many ways to do this) and reconsider the placement and alignment of the text at the top.

Sharon

[R. Nemo Hill]

I had the exact same reaction as Sharon about the typeface, Steve. It makes the words seem tacked-on, rather than an organic part of the image.

Nemo

[Steve Mangan]

Thanks Sharon, Nemo --

I'll get to work on the text and see what I can come up with . . .

[Birthe Myers]

Steve,

You might make the text almost like an inscription on the wall behind the dove.
Just for fun, though your coo cooing comes from a hungry dove without a partner present, this is my take on pigeons:

Absent minded pigeons coo
They’re in love, a nest can wait
See them waddle round and woo
In their funny pigeon gait.
Way up high on ledge or sill
They will build a flimsy nest
Lay their eggs and coo and bill
Leave to Providence the rest.

It is a wonder there are still so many pigeons in cities.
The blue tones are so faint on the pigeon's neck; it's such a tasteful minimally decorated bird.

[Sharon Passmore]

Wow that's a great idea, Birthe!

Steve, I don't know what graphics program you are using but that can be done very effectively by putting the type on another layer, selecting it and then going to the image layer and copy the wall within the selection. Paste it on a new layer and try the emboss filter on it - play around. When you get something cool, delete the original text layer which you no longer need, and paste the played-with layer onto the wall. (working on a copy of course)

[Steve Mangan]

Thanks Birthe, Sharon -- I'll give it a go (I use GIMP btw).

[Sharon Passmore]

That's what I use too - love it! PhotoShop is superior when it comes to print material.

[John Burstein]

I like the photo a lot, but wish the date line were more hidden, maybe within the fibers in a similar color to those fibers.