Big Bear

[Loi Nguyen]

I think the title says it all. Ths guy is huge!!!

This image is almost a full frame picture, cropped left slighly for comp.

5D3
300f2.8 I IS + 1.4X II
1/125
f7.1
ISO-2000
AV mode
Handheld.

Taken just after sunrise last September at Brooks Lodge, Katmai, Alaska. We were on our way to the viewing platform when this guy comingi in the opposite way. Needless to say, we all retreated in a hurry to give him room. I managed a couple of shots. The camera had been set to F7.1 from the evening before and ISO-2000, thus the low SS. Most of the images of him were blurry, but this one isn't bad. You cans ee the motion blur on the legs and feet, but his head was OK.

Appreciate your comments and feedback

Thank you

Loi

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Loi - As soon as I saw the image I knew it was going to be on the path near the lodge. He's certainly a big one and I'm sure the rangers were quickly moving everyone to safety. Always difficult to change the settings on the fly as you retreat to safety. Your image does not have a color profile embedded so I suggest you read the sticky at the top of the forum on saving for web to get that sorted. To me, there's almost a silvery, white effect to the ends of the fur and to the surrounding grasses that I don't think is attributable to morning dew. I would expect the surroundings to be fairly lush at that time of year. I also think the head is oversharpened slightly. What program are you using to convert and process?

TFS,
Rachel

[Loi Nguyen]

Hi Loi - As soon as I saw the image I knew it was going to be on the path near the lodge. He's certainly a big one and I'm sure the rangers were quickly moving everyone to safety. Always difficult to change the settings on the fly as you retreat to safety. Your image does not have a color profile embedded so I suggest you read the sticky at the top of the forum on saving for web to get that sorted. To me, there's almost a silvery, white effect to the ends of the fur and to the surrounding grasses that I don't think is attributable to morning dew. I would expect the surroundings to be fairly lush at that time of year. I also think the head is oversharpened slightly. What program are you using to convert and process?


TFS,
Rachel

Rachel, thank you for showing me the sticky on how to save for web. I'm currently using CS6. I followed the procedure and included two RPs here with different amounts of sharpening. I used Smart Sharpen in CS6, Amount = 110 and 60, pixel = 0.3, and threshold = 0 for the two RPs. As for the silver tip of the bear fur, isn't that what the big grizzlie is supposed to have ?

Thank you

Loi

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Loi - you're welcome and check out the other sticky on sharpening too. I prefer your last rp but probably somewhere in between the 2 reposts would be best. Yes to the silvery ends of the fur of the old, big bears but in the op I felt it was too much and also the surrounding grasses look off.

Rachel

[Jonathan Ashton]

I have never seen a grizzly in the wild so they all work for me. I like the small amount of movement in the feet and the sharp head, I suppose in a perfect world his eye would have been more visible but I would not tend to hang around long enough to check!!

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Loi,

he is huge, wow. never have seen either one in the wild. I agree with rachel according the sharpness, a bit between would work :bg3:
There is a white spot in the trees just above his behind, I would remove this one. My right eye was going up there :w3
Just clone or content aware scale helps in this trees easy.

Have a great day

Ciao
Anette

[John Ippolito]

Hi Loi,

Quite a handsome bruiser of a male you have here. The reposts look better, and I agree that somewhere between the two versions would look best.

With regard to the "silver tip" of the fur - this is a species I have spent a lot of time around. Some bears have a pronounced silver tip and others don't, but here, the silver look is from a bear that has a wet coat in various stages of drying out. The feet are very wet, and pattern of fur above the eyes, and flanks is a wet coat drying. The coastal bears are in and out of water, and wet brush almost continuously.

I like the slight blur of the feet with implied motion. TFS

[Morkel Erasmus]

Hi Loi - certainly a big boy!
Good call by Rachel on the colour profile.
I think you can get more detail on the bear even at the high ISO you were shooting. There's a definite fine detail falloff happening between the rump and the hindquarters.

PS: Try using Smart Sharpen at settings of 125% and 0.2 pixels for the web...:w3

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Great low angle and detail on the bear. I agree about the white spot as my eyes keep going there too.

[Loi Nguyen]

Hi Everyone, thank you for your feedback. Took out the bright spot behind the bear with the Patch tool. I also fooled around with NIk Details Extraction and Tonal Contrast. Does it work?

Sharpened for web using Smart Sharpen at 110, 0.3, 0 setting.

Thanks

Loi

[Jamie Douglas]

The boss has arrived... RETREAT!!!! Cool encounter but agree with the comments above. IQ drop off is sadly distracting but the repost with the sharpening and colour profile picks it up and I think it could be further improved by repairing the slight murky orange grass in front of the bear. Bucket list destination for me.

[Diane Miller]

Great catch! I would have been lucky to get anything under the circumstances.

A note about Smart Sharpen: I have read that the default, Gaussian Blur, is the same algorithm as Unsharp Mask, but that Lens Blur is a newer and better algorithm. I have had better results using it for fine detail.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Loi, seems like things are improving with each image posted, likewise your learning curve.

Sharpening has always been a personal POV, a bit like cropping I guess, FWIW I find that Smart sharpen is to aggressive and perhaps best if the image is just a tad off pin sharp, I much prefer USM, but as I say all personal tastes. :w3

Keep up the good work.

TFS
Steve

[Jonathan Ashton]

Loi - not necessarily any right way regarding sharpening but when using Smart Sharpen I think the general consensus of opinion is that if you intend to sharpen more than once then usually you start with a larger radius eg 3 and subsequent rounds are less radius eg 2 or even 1, this tends to render finest detail to greatest effect.

When producing web sized images it is sometimes worthwhile considering the following:

Sharpen full sized image (not Smart sharpen not Unsharp) but simply Sharpen - first option on the list.
Reduce image size to twice that of the intended post and apply Smart Sharpen say 100-120 0.3 or Unsharp Mask
Make image the web size then review the sharpening either give another round as before or reduce the radius and the amount say 40-60 and 0.2 or 0.1

As I said no right way really but a well sharpened image doesn't look as if it has been sharpened, I am mis quoting a Photoshop genius here!

[Steve Kaluski]

OK guys, from the top.

Firstly you need to apply some form of sharpening at the RAW output stage prior to exporting using the Amount slider, or adjust the other three sliders too, it's your choice. Rarely do I touch the Radius, but if I do I might just go to 0.8 or to 1.2 depending on the file. Normally you view at 100% but with files from D3, S, 4 or 1DX 50% normally works.

After exporting and making your require tweaks in PS you have a PSD (layer) file, this is you Master file that you will ALWAYS refer back to, so NEVER flatten this, as you can always go back and refine it. Now you have your PSD file flatten it, yes you heard right, flatten it, crop to the final output size, no intermediate sizing otherwise this will reduce IQ and SAVE AS, never SAVE otherwise you will overwrite your Master file. Now you have your new named image to the right size make a duplicate the layer and apply your sharpening to this. By doing this you are specific and not GLOBAL, mask, flatten save for web, job done.

Sharpening must always be done at the FINAL output size. Obviously this is different for Publications, journals etc as they tend to apply their own.