Indian Rhino

[Andreas Liedmann]

After some days of absence, i thought just post another Indian Rhino just for luck.
Taken, as the other one, in Kaziranga NP in Assam.Do not know know what the actual numbers of these fantastic animals are, but when i was there in 2007, they were quite plentiful , at least to my feeling.

Canon EOS 1D MK IIn
EF 500 IS L
Beanbag supported

F 5 / 1/1000sec / ISO 200

Processed in RPP + PS cropped to 70 % of FF , cloned out some grass that grew out of the fore head.

Hope you like it, C&C welcome as always.

Cheers Andreas

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Andreas - the comp works well and a nice striding pose. I like that the head is up too. Nice detail on the body. I do find the bg a little distracting but not sure what you could do about it.

TFS,
Rachel

[Marina Scarr]

This rhino is processed so well that I feel as though I am looking at his actual hide. Great angle and pose on this mammal. Grasses are a nice touch. It appears as though there was either a lot of wind or a lot of heat causing issue with your BG>

[Ken Watkins]

Andreas,

Too my eyes your detail extraction has perhaps been a little over zealous on this one, and this may have contributed to the BG looking so strange, not that you can do anything about the contents of it.

The population of Rhino is around 2.000 now, the parks people have done a magnificent job there , in spite of its remoteness it certainly should be on everybody's schedule, the new road is probably finished by now:w3

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Andreas, nice image, love the 'trotting' motion and HA, a Rhino on a mission it seems.

I would agree with Marina re the BG, probably heat haze, so a little bit of NR soon helps to resolve that. Light looks a little harsh too, giving quite strong contrasts, therefore perhaps some selective lightening would help i.e. around the mouth, ear and chest area which inturn would bring out more of the nice detail & texture. The detail/structure of the image illustrates well, this 'plated' body armour it seems to have, like an old Knight in battle :S3:. Good position in frame, well caught, as it looks like he/she was about to disappear into thicker grass.

TFS
Steve :w3

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Great image and amazing animals indeed. I visited Kaziranga last october and as Ken rightly said, the Road from Gauhati to Kaziranga (4 Lane highway) is functional and barely takes 4-5 hrs to get there.

[Ken Watkins]

Sanjeev,

Does this mean the next time we go we will miss the thrill of lorries coming towards us on our side of the road:w3

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi and thank you to all you viewers leaving comments.
Light situation was , as some stated , quite harsh so difficult to achieve the right balance of light and shadow.
Ken - detail extraction was only made on the subject itself , the rest is just made by curves and /or blend modes.
The best would be more noise reduction on BG , thanks to Marina and Steve.

TFW Andreas

[Andreas Liedmann]

Here is RP with better working BG , i think.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Andreas, I'll drop you a line, I want you to try something. :S3:

Steve

[Ken Watkins]

Andreas,

Not to sure about the revised BG, if anything it now looks too smooth.

I hope you will be able to share your "private" tip with others

[Steve Kaluski]

Here you go Andreas, some slight adjustments in the blacks, soften the FG, lightened/more NR to BKG.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Thank you Steve,
for your RP, like your BG but the rest looks a little " flat".

So solution for me would be a combination of your RP in total with a tad more contrast of mine RP, i think.

Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Contrast will block the blacks as you know, I think I would revisit the RAW regarding that, or Double process. Did you look at the RP in PS? I think the FG looks better when softened, the highlights don't jar so much.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Steve during my PP i had almost the same version like yours, but for the reasons i stated above , i went further. Now i think i went too far with my post , but still think you went too far back. So i would still go for a combination of yours and mine, and i looked side by side in PS, still will go for a combo.

[Steve Kaluski]

That's fine Andreas, this is why exchanges of thoughts helps, this is why it's a critique Forum. :S3:

[Morkel Erasmus]

A bit late to this one, Andreas. A cute rhino this one!
Good to see some more images from your collection - when is your next trip?
I like Steve's repost the most thus far - be interesting to see your "midway" post you were talking about?
Their skin comes out so well with contrast added, but as always it's a very fine and personal line about how much contrast you should add...
:bg3:

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Morkel,
not late on this one, your comments never too late, as long as they are coming :w3.
If you could see them in real life close to you, i do not think you would call them cute, they are not, quite impressive and massive.But it is up to you , if you call them that way.

Just six weeks to stay at home and work, then i go on a once in a lifetime trip (money wise ). Saved money over the last years for a trip into the Subantarctic with Cheeseman`s Safaris to Falklands and South Georgia. So i think it will be more for Bird photography, hopefully with a lot of penguins.Like this kind of animals a lot, so far i have only seen two species , in SA and Australia. Long ago.So i am looking forward for a very exciting trip, and i hope i will met some nice people on the boat, what i have heard at least Mr Arthur Morris will be in this trip , too.

And here is my midway rhino......

Andreas

[Morkel Erasmus]

Andreas, I like your in-between one more than your OP.
I worked this one up from your OP - as requested. "Coffee" toning (very slight) in Nik Silver Efex 2, using adjustment points on the rhino to vary my adjustments (pulling structure and contrast down elsewhere, but punching it up on the rhino)...I also used some burning in PS.

Your thoughts? :bg3:

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Morkel,
:5, thanks for your attempt, that i ordered.
Nice job on B/W conversion.
What i really like the most, is that the rhino stands out nicely , of that grass !!
Very well done , i think.

Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Looks pretty cool now Morkel, it all has a nice balance now, the question I have is, how does it translate in colour as per the OP, that for me is the bench mark. :S3:

Nice work.

Steve