Waterbuck Exit

[Ken Watkins]

I thought I should post something a little different to yesterday's post :w3

We found this Male Waterbuck just after leaving an almost totally useless attempt at getting some shots of White Throated Bee-eater on Lake Manze channel, Selous Game Reserve Tanzania, 6th July 2012

It was getting quite dark and we were on a moving boat, albeit slowly.

EOS 1D MkIII

300mm F4

F5.6, ISO 1600, 1/4000 (no time to drop ISO)

[Ofer Levy]

An impressive image! I love it. Won't mind seeing more room on the right.

[Ken Watkins]

Ofer,

Thanks for your comment, I would have liked more room, sadly there is none, just glad I did not have a body with the 500mm in my hand:w3

It happened all too fast.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Ken, good dynamic capture with good detail and exposure. You done well.
I would clone or remove the bush or leaves from RHS.

Cheers Andreas

[Ken Watkins]

Andreas,

Could you be more specific as to which "bush or leaves" you mean.

Cheers

Ken

[Steve Canuel]

Pretty cool shot Ken. Love the pose and the flying sand. Wishing the tree in the upper right wasn't so close but glad to see the horns are free of merges. Got a similar shot of a pronghorn breaking off like this, happens quick doesn't it.

[Ken Watkins]

Steve,

Thanks for your comment, "pesky" palm trees:bg3:

Have you posted your Pronghorn here, I would love to see it

[Hilary Hann]

I like the action in this and the wild look in the eye. The trees in the rhs don't bother me at all, glad the horns are in clear air. More on the right would strengthen the image but if it isn't there it isn't there. Biggest problem was that I was about to post a waterbuck. Oh well..... :S3:

[Ken Watkins]

Hilary,

Please post your Waterbuck, always nice to see these beauties

[Steve Canuel]

Hey Ken,
Pesky indeed! Came back to this one as my curiosity got the best of me :e3. If you like playing with PS a little, and you get bored, try flipping the tree, moving it to the other corner, and removing the original. Gives a nice parallel line with the body. No tree at all gives you a third option :bg3:. A pretty cool shot as posted though and interesting (at least to me) to see the differences.

Never posted the pronghorn shot as it was an ISO 1600, late overcast afternoon, 50% crop image taken in May 2011. A quick, worked up version from last year looks ok as a small web post, but haven't revisited it with better PS skills and more patience since then.

[Ken Watkins]

Steve,

I will give that a try, if I could only figure out how to do it

Cheers

Ken

[Steve Canuel]

Never tried it before tonight but it was actually pretty easy.

1. Lasso tool around the tree (including the outer edge)
2. Layer/New/Layer via Copy
3. With new layer active,
Image/Rotate/Free Rotate Layer,
and drag the box to the opposite side.
4. Image/Rotate/Flip Layer Horizontal.
Click the green check mark and use the eraser tool to clean up and blend the edges of the pasted tree.
5. Layer/Flatten Image when done.

Disclaimer: Not to be used by the purist or for photo contest entries :bg3:

[Ken Watkins]

Steve,

I managed to figure it just about, so here it is, it works very well, best tip I have had in ages thank you very much:cheers::cheers:

[Ken Watkins]

Steve,

Our posts crossed:S3:

I used quick mask selected the tree and some sky inverted selection, new layer, moved the selection and then rotated it using transform, finally cleaned out the original as best as possible. Luckily I do not enter photo competitions:w3

[Dumay de Boulle]

Repost is great and the IQ is tops for the ISO used. Love the pose and the sand kicked up.

[Steve Canuel]

Looks great Ken (and natural). As I said, not for purists, but if you like playing around...And this hobby is supposed to be fun, isn't it?

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Ken,
RP looks pretty good.

Thought it is clear what i like to be removed, the palm tree parts.What else nothing else is that distracting in this image.

Cheers Andreas

[gail bisson]

I would never have thought to move the tree. Very cool and really improves the image.
Gail

[Marc Mol]

The riverbank perspective really enhances here Ken, a great opportunistic shot, with the flip now providing some good room.:5
TFS

[Ken Watkins]

Hi Ken,
RP looks pretty good.

Thought it is clear what i like to be removed, the palm tree parts.What else nothing else is that distracting in this image.

Cheers Andreas


Andreas,

If I was clear as to what you meant then I would not have asked, if you had said palm tree then I would have understood.

Everybody else most particularly Steve, thanks very much for your kind comments, I actually think this is one of my best ever images, but I have strange taste:bg3:

[Riaan Marais]

Hi Ken,

Hope you enjoyed Tanzania? Great action and IQ of an animal not often photographed!!

Regards,

Riaan

[Ken Watkins]

Riaan,

Uganda is one of our favourite places most particularly Ruaha, we have been three times now usually Selous and Ruaha, and will be back in 2014. I have lots of Waterbuck images they are so beautiful and extremely photogenic.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Riaan,

Uganda is one of our favourite places most particularly Ruaha, we have been three times now usually Selous and Ruaha, and will be back in 2014. I have lots of Waterbuck images they are so beautiful and extremely photogenic.

Ken, don't you mean "Tanzania"? :w3

One of the best poses/angles I've seen on a waterbuck shot, great job Ken... :5
It's unfortunate about the bland grey sky, but what can you do...

Nice job on the RP too - good call Steve - not what I would do (personal choice) but certainly shows a good thinking platform about image design :cheers:

Ken - here again, I feel you could get more out of the waterbuck (yes - ligthening it :Whoa!:)...
Slight dodging of shadows and midtones on the buck, and 10pts saturation.

[Ken Watkins]

Ken, don't you mean "Tanzania"? :w3


.


Oops that is twice now senility is getting closer by the day!

Can you do a re-post based on what you would have done, as I think that may better express your ideas.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Can you do a re-post based on what you would have done, as I think that may better express your ideas.

I posted a repost. I would not have moved the branch/leaves, but my suggested changes were all pertaining to the waterbuck - so it makes no difference if I do it to the OP or RP. :w3

[Ken Watkins]

Morkel,

It did not come up when I first looked, or my old age is getting the better of me:t3

[Morkel Erasmus]

Morkel,

It did not come up when I first looked, or my old age is getting the better of me:t3

Perhaps just a slow response from the system...
And...what do you think...? :c3:

[Ken Watkins]

Morkel.

Sorry.

Opened both in PS and sat them side by side, I can see yours is slightly lighter most noticeably the eye, there is also very slight in the red in the fur. Is it an improvement I really do not know I would leave it to others to decide but I think that only way would be to print both at full resolution, and I have run out of ink in two of my cartridges.

[Andrew Merwin]

I prefer the tree located on the right in the OP. Since the waterbuck appears to be spooked & seems to be running for cover IMHO he would not be heading into an open space.

[Charles Glatzer]

Ken,

Wonderful action captured. As to moving the tree....to thine own self be true.

Best,

Chas

[Ken Watkins]

Andrew and Chas.
On the moving of the tree question I am now inclined to agree with you.
I really do not approve of excessive manipulation and would not in any normal circumstance undertake this sort of excercise but I thought the idea was interesting and it was.
I will keep the photo as was when posting on Zenfolio for linking to my trip reports.

[Ofer Levy]

Hi Ken,
If we are going serious PS in here - here is my quick take.:w3
Used Morkel's version, added canvas to the right, cropped a bit off the top to get closer to 2:3, slight levels and colour balance adjustments. I really don't want to get into an argument in here as there is really no point. However, are the essence and story of this image different if the OOF tree is on the right or if it's on the left...?
For me the last version is much nicer than the original with the tree on the left and added canvas.

[Ken Watkins]

Ofer,

Thanks very much for going to all of this bother, I find it really heartening that so many people have taken interest in this image. As to what is better I think everybody has there own point of view, but adding further canvas has certainly added even more:cheers:

To hopefully expand this further I will sometime probably on Saturday post the next frame in the series, this has the added puzzle of far more tree in the BG.:w3

[Ofer Levy]

It's my great pleasure Ken. Isn't it why we are all here for...? :w3
For me, getting an outstanding image like this one is a small miracle. So many factors have to work together in order to create this miracle. We are blessed and lucky to have the most amazing modern technology that we can use to turn this small miracle into work of art. (as much as I don't like using this term.)
At least 95% of the best shots I have taken in the last 10 years need some manipulation to make them sing. Nothing that changes the story or the essence of the image. I guess I am not as talented as those who get everything perfect in the camera so I just have to "cheat" by adding canvas here and there, clone out some twigs if needed etc.
Surprisingly I am fine with that and prefer it over seeing images which are simply not as good without the slight manipulation. I think this image is a good example to what I am trying to say.
Cheers...:w3

[Ken Watkins]

Isn't it why we are all here for...? :w3


I sincerely hope so:w3

[Marina Scarr]

What an awesome thread with much to learn here. A superb capture was made even better with steps on how to get there. Ironically, it was that tree on the right that bothered me but it never occurred to me to move it to the other side. What a difference it makes. Love the action and the kicked up sand!!!