Can I eat this?

[Tim Driman]

It was late afternoon and the light was fading rapidly making this a very tricky shot to get right....

I spotted this little guy sitting on the banks of the Chobe River ( Botswana )

He seemed to be questioning whether or not he could eat the grass * Baboons do eat the tender grass stolons.

Unfortunately he was the skinniest little 'boon I have ever seen, and I have to say that I didn't fancy his chances of survival... I will never know because the troop all moved on shortly therafter..

Canon 1DX / 200mm-400mmf4 + 1.4x

1/3,200th sec
F8
ISO 640

www.timdrimanphotography.co.za (http://www.timdrimanphotography.co.za)

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Tim, overall I quite like the composition and 'pondering' look the young baboon is showing, kind of questioning what this plant is and the trailing sand falling etc. They are also great at conveying 'human' characteristics too, which are often endearing and quite entertaining too.

I like the fact the subject is on a slight slope, you have not clipped or cut the tail off in framing and the content has interest to it. Perhaps a little more room at the foot if you have it would be good, but you will find in time, cropping/framing is either right, or very much personal/subjective. The stone in the BKG is slightly distracting and depending on your ethics you can remove or leave it in, but always best to indicate any cloning :S3:.

It's hard to know if the image is a little off or it needs more processing, although I know in past postings you have highlighted the fact that you are still trying to find you feet in relation to 'Post Production'. There could also be a factor of the camera set up & shooting. To me the image looks a little thin in it's overall depth of colour, it lacks sharpness & clarity, but overall the exposure looks OK, but I wonder if you have upped the exposure (lightened the image in PP) causing some of the issues raised? Based on the SS I think you could have afforded less ISO, DoF looks fine, but the face, head has no real sharpness, it looks a bit soft. I've tried to progress your posting and there are some changes I think you will see, but as I said, I'm not too sure how good the original is?

Is this a large crop?
Do you shoot RAW or JPEG?
What was the EV?
What metering do you use, Spot, Evaluated..
Have you set the Colour space Adobe RGB?
Are you moving the focus points around, or reframing?
Do you use Rear button focusing?

Sorry to trying to get a bit more info.

Cheers
Steve

[Steve Canuel]

Would love to be able to read this one's mind. I like the sandy surroundings. Steve's repost adds a touch more pop.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Tim nice timing when shooting this frame , really like the concentrated look of the baboon on his work /food not really recognizing things around him :bg3:.
You got a good RP for illustrating some issues in OP from Steve . I agree almost 100 % with his view of this frame . Nice job Mr K. :w3.

TFS Andreas

[Douglas Bolt]

Lots of human interest here. Very enjoyable image to view. The expression in the face and the hands really make the image for me. I also like the vignette. Well captured. I might try lightening the eyes just a little, but not too much.

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Tim,

great expression of this little one. Do I eat or not :bg3:

Steve gave you all suggestions already. I would love to see this one with a bit more room.

Have a nice weekend

Caio Anette

[Tim Driman]

Hi Steve, Oh boy where do I start?

Firstly thank you so much for taking the time to coach... I really do appreciate it. You certainly have helped and I have nothing to hide and am not ashamed to acknowledge that I am trying to learn and improve my skills and every little bit helps...

I am the first to admit that my PP skills are not what they should be, but am always very willing to learn...Such a great pity you don't live around the corner... If you were, and you enjoyed good wine, I am sure that we could become really good buddies! :S3:

Unfortunately, and I really am not trying to make any excuses, but I spend quite a lot of time in the bush, and the best times for viewing are early and late which don't help the lighting.

We also don't get the luxury to compose and move around to optimise shots, so most of my stuff is opportunistic and very often I am the driver of the open game viewer, so I have my time cut out.

In this instance we were on a boat, so had to grab what we could as the troop were on the move back to their roosting quarters for the night... I am embarrassed to say that his image was rushed and really not what I would have been totally happy with, but the content was foremost in my mind and only then did I consider the finer details...TYhe other people with us never even saw this little guy...

In my circumstance I have found lately that "hand held" is a bit easier and quicker for me...

I only shoot RAW and mostly my metering is "evaluative", although I have been playing around with spot metering and EV compensation to create dramatic effect where appropriate....

I used to use mainly AV at one stop down and ISO 400 ( Bright daylight) or ISO 800 for tough overcast light... Now and again TV to set shutter speed before I switched over to back-button-focus, which has delivered far more sharp images....

I now use auto WB and auto ISO where the light is changing all the time, because I like to give myself leeway... If I have a choice, I only shoot ISO 400 on a clear day and ISO 800 on a dull day or when the light is bad..

I have set my cameras up for Adobe RGB 1998 because the main competitions seem to want that colour gamut...I changed this image to sRGB when I exported it to the folder where I have this stored...

I have only recently started playing around with EV compensation and switched over to full manual with back-button focus, but have not yet had sufficient time to iron out some glitches which only appear in PP..... * I am eternally grateful to Grant Atkinson and Guts Swanepoel for that swift kick in the butt to make me switch, as it has improved my recent results considerably.

I certainly do move the focal points to compose and usually only use a centre focal point. I have set the camera up to flick over to a small cluster for birds flying...However, after having photographed the Carmine Bee-eaters and African Skimmers on the Zambezi last October, I find myself starting off by setting up at F8 and no less than 1/2,500th sec to freeze the movement. Then I tweek to get things right if I have the luxury of time before the subject are gone!......It has worked well on the larger birds such as African Fish Eagles, but the Carmine Bee-eaters and African Skimmers don't file any pre-flight plans, fly like the wind, ducking and weaving in pursuit of their food source.... It's a challenge which takes a lot of practice.

I know that one of my faults is that I don't take a lap-top to the bush, so don't check my day's images every day. By doing so, I could tweek settings and try again the following day I guess... In fact that it is starting to make a lot of sense to do so, and I must give it some serious thought ... Again, no excuses, but we aren't always where you can get power, as all my shooting is done in the African bush and usually comforts are limited. I am also usually helping others so get little "me-time"...

I am NOT on a MAC which I suppose I should be...Man, I did try once, but never got outside help.... I guess, in retrospect, I should have persisted...

As for this shot, there is a fair amount of cropping... I don't frame too tightly because it isn't always possible with animals and birds which are moving. I use cropping to compose later where I can...

Most of my latest work is concentrated on moving subjects... Portrait shots are avoided unless it is to specifically document a particular species...

Having spent many years in the bush, I am very spoilt to say that I won't just take a shot at any animal that happens to be standing or sitting there... I will only take a shot if I can see some expression, movement or expect movement etc... I really try to tell a story in an image... I suppose I am getting picky, but don't yet have the skills to nail a perfect shot every time....

I would love to correspond more, but really don't mean to jam this site..So it may be better if we correspond by regular email please?

Thank you again for your extremely kind and detailed advice and guidance.

tim@rhinoarmy.org / timdriman@iafrica.com

www.timdrimanphotography.co.za

[Tim Driman]

Hi Anette,

He looks a little lost in the farme but I will play with it and open it up a little more.

Thank you for your input. Much appreciated

Tim

www/timdrimanphotography.co.za

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Tim, I need to just read and re read your reply, I will then respond either on the thread or as a PM but probably at some point tomorrow.

If you have time, try to look and respond on other threads as it's a great way to meet people and learn. Also, if you have a specific question(s) within your own posted thread relating to the image, ask it! :S3:

talk tomorrow.

Steve

[Anette Mossbacher]

Tim, this one cannot get lost in the frame at all!!! This is just what you think, but he won't :w3

[Tim Driman]

Hi Doug. Thank you for taking time to make comment which are much appreciated.

If I do the eyes I think he will look like some kind of monster...But point noted.:bg3:

www.timdrimanphotography.co.za

[Tim Driman]

Hi Anette... Thanks I will try but it is late now and I have to lead a bush walk at 06hr00.... :eek3:

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Tim - Looks like you got the posting issue sorted. I like the pose with the visible, outstretched hand and fingers. Good job on including the tail. You certainly had enough ss to have a pin sharp image especially given the equipment used. It looks like the hand is sharper than the face and head. Perhaps the focal point was on the hand rather than the eye? Steve has given you an in depth critique (with which I agree) and a direction to go in. I am sure he will also tell you that in low light situations you can certainly crank up the ISO on the 1DX if need be to get a faster ss (it doesn't look like it was necessary here unless this image was underexposed and you raised exposure in pp?)

BPN is a great place to learn and the more you actively participate, the faster you'll learn. We recommend posting comments on at least 3-5 other images each time you post one of your own. It also helps to foster a sense of community and enables us to all learn from one another. Just tell us what you like and don't like about an image.

TFS,
Rachel

[Tim Driman]

Hi Rachel. Thank you so much for the very kind encouragement...

Yup, you are right, I am a little slow, but eventually have got my head around things.

Steve's input was great and I certainly will follow all that up... I pretty much know what I am doing wrong and must just pull myself towards myself and become more disciplined.

In actual fact this shot was from our trip to Kalizo ( Namibia ) last October to photograph the Carmine Bee-eaters and African Skimmers....

We went with Grant Atkinson and Guts Swanepoel. Just Google their names if you don't know who they are, but I seem to think that Grant already is well known on this forum?

Those guys taught me a whole lot and were directly responsible for me switching over to BB Focus / Shooting fast and hand-held / Full manual / EV compensation and a whole lot more, so yes, there still is a whole heap of practicing to go before I can claim to be a good 'Tog.. But it will be fun learning..

Fortunately I have the in depth bush experience and knowledge of the animals and birds, so it is now for the technical stuff to be sharpened up....No pun intended...:S3:

We have a bunch of great trips planned this year so should get some good practice...

Thanks again everyone for the very warm welcome and secondly for the unselfish willingness to share your knowledge.... If ever I can repay the kindness by providing insight, knowledge and understanding of the hotspots for photography in sub-Saharan Africa, or advsing on preparation, planning and execution of a phot safari down to the bottom end of Africa, it would be my absolute pleasure, so please feel free to ask and I will do my best to provide some intelligent input.:t3

Thanks again.

www.timdrimanphotography.co.za

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Tim, firstly there are many ways to skin a cat, especially when it comes down to how you process your images and what you use and with regard to what RAW converter you use. Canon's own DPP4 is very good and those who use it have got superb results, you can also use LR & ACR, at the end of the day and IMHO opinion it comes down to what suits you, your Workflow and ultimately your final image. Don't get swayed into buying truck loads of Software, master the Conversion and if you can, use PS for the final stages. Master these two coupled with good fieldcraft and you will be well away, but always learn walk, if you try to run you will find it a very hard hill to climb, keep things simple.

The kit you are shooting with is perhaps the most awesome bit of hardware, and I would include the 5DMKIII too, but you REALLY have to understand it and also set it up correctly, this camera is not one you take out of the box and shoot with, the more you shoot the better you will understand it and the more you can hone it to your shooting, or have your own settings for particular scenes. A good % of it once set up you will not change, so to some degree you have reduced the workload. If you know Grant then get him to run through it and set things up, yes a few of us know him and he learnt a lot from us, well those that are still here. I appreciate with time and available resources devoting time to build on what you learn is hard, but Dumay is in a similar boat with regard to that, an excellent photographer, but he maybe able to help you on splitting your time etc?

Grab shots can work and often surprise us all, just try to pre empt things and have some basic settings in place so if an opportunity comes up you only have to change a few things, i.e. ISO & EV, but keep to AV and IS on the lens and AI on the camera. You also have to be discerning with your images, in this instance it's good to post, as you can learn a lot from the advice given, but ultimately if an image isn't sharp bin it, as no software will retrieve a 'soft' image.

Stick to RAW & Evaluated, forget Spot, that works in a small percentage of times. Again, like the 5D the ISO is awesome, my default is 800, if you go to Arash's posting in Avian you will see birds shot at 10K, so don't let the old school of keeping your ISO low, get the SS you need, but obviously if the conditions are good with good SS then drop it, sensibility kicks in. Please don't use Auto ISO you will get into all sorts of trouble.

Adobe RGB is the industry Standard, this is fine for most uses, sRGB is for Web & projected images. You can once imported to RAW change it to ProPhoto, but at this stage keep to RGB and make sure your set up in PP from RAW to Tiff are talking the same language i.e. RGB 16bitt. BB focus is key, personally I will override things so I'm changing more perhaps than in manual, again personal preference, likewise moving the Focus points to key areas and what FP are used i.e. with or without expansion points etc... you cannot shoot with the FP in the centre, this will limit your composition and the key element i.e. the eye will not be pin sharp, you must learn to control where you place the FP. It's hard to express in this easier to talk, but geographic locations will not allow.

Use the LCD on your camera for composition and to check the Histogram, do NOT use it for colour! Check Artie's blog about ETTR, this with BB focus are a big step in you moving along in the RIGHT direction.

Tim, like you my time to gets eaten up, but when you post I, like others will gladly chime in. I warn you, some comments may seem a little harsh (nothing personal :S3:), but it's because we can see the potential in an image, or the same mistakes keep happening and we want to see people grow & develop, but it does take time.

I won't bombard you with a lot of the Canon links about the 1DX, I think that will be an overload, but there might be something I can send you as it will clear up and explain a lot of your issues, but again, this is stuff Grant should be explaining to you.

Cheers for now.
Steve

[Tim Driman]

Hi Steve, Oh wow! Thank you so much for the insight, input and sheer good sense comments and suggestions...

I have a hide like a rhino and can take it....****, I have beeen in the prostitution and narcotics business :eek3: for so many years that some direct comments which may prick my eg, will easily bounce off, but never go unheeded... I can take it all happily in the knowledge that I will learn from the constructive input...

I fully agree that the 1DX is an awesome bit of kit and really does take some getting used to... It is a big jump up from my 1D Mkiv which was my "go-to" body of choice before the 1DX.

I recently traded my 1D Mkiv in for the new 7Dii which seems to be answering many a prayer from many 'togs.... I will alternate both bodies with the 70mm-200mmf2.8ii and the 200mm-400mmf4+1.4x depending on location and application...

It was Guts who got me onto BB Focus / f8 / 1/2,500th sec etc, as Grant told me that he still uses the combined Focus/metering button.... It has taken some getting used-to, but I now love it and will never go back.

I still prefer the evaluative metering and only very seldom will I switch over to spot metering.... Only when I am trying to get clever and create drama which seems to have back-fired on me thuis far... But is was good to try

I hear what yopu say about the sRGB colour and have now switched both bodies back to sRGB.

The next time I go out, I also will start off on AV and get a feel for the shutter speed, then switch over to manual if there is sufficient light to get no less than 1/2,500th sec at f6.3 / f7.1 and then wing it from there..

I presently use Light Room 5.7 as it seems to do well for me and I have learned how to get around most of the tools.... I hear what you say about the Canon DPP and PS ( Which I do have ) but working in layers is not my bag.... I guess the LR way is just that much easier for me personally, I guess because I did receive tuition from a real machine Adobe expert... Karen Denton who just happens to be Win Van Den Heever's mum and a dear friend of ours....

I usually don't like to do too much to an image and don't like manipulating / removing stuff, as that ends up being more about the technical ability to play with software, rather than capturing and displaying the real moment of truth! Old school maybe...

I will post some more and am eager to hear your comments.

Many thanks again for all your kind time which is seriously appreciated.

www.timdrimanphotography.co.za

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Tim, thanks for the feedback, if in a reply something is not clear ask, or if you want more as, we will all do our best to help. Typing can also be a little 'sharp' unlike the spoken word where you can gauge on tone & reply, plus sometimes time is a factor, so nice to know where you stand, cheers.



I hear what yopu say about the sRGB colour and have now switched both bodies back to sRGB.

No Tim, keep the camera bodies Colour Space to Adobe 1998, only change the Working Space when you want to upload to a website or project your images on screen, sorry if that wasn't clear.

I know Wim, wait till I see him, he is in for some ribbing, but seems his brother did well in a recent US competition.

Personally I like LR, it suits me and the architecture is the same as PS, but I will not push anyone into LR or DPP it's whatever suits that person IMHO. It seems you are well equipped overall, but one thing you really should master is Layers, Adjustment layers & Sharpening, it really will make a huge difference to the final image, all digital images require sharpening, but this must be done after cropping and applied to the final output size. In a nutshell if you are using LR & PS you will have your RAW converted file, Exported then to PS for final tweaks/refinements and this Tiff is saved as a master PSD file will all layers preserved, You can then crop to the final output size, duplicate you layer apply sharpening, mask, flatten Save As for web. This mean you will always have your Master tiff to go back to for any future adjustments.

You should be on LR5.8 now, but get those camera bodies back to Adobe RGB 1998!!!!

[Tim Driman]

Hi Steve,

Colour changed back to Adobe RGB 1998 .... Done!

I will certainly download the 5.8 version.

Thank you again...

Am posting another bird shot now..

www.timdrimanphotography.co.za

[Steve Kaluski]

Tim, I just checked your original post and I think you are getting confused with DPI & PPI, your file is only 96ppi. Can you PM the exact steps you take in creating an image for web, if you are using LR even better.

Thanks

[Tim Driman]

OK here goes....

[Tim Driman]

Hi Steve, I have resized and it still won't let me in as the site says that I have already posted my allocation for today...

I am really messing you around...Please accept my most humble apologies..

I will simply wait until tomorrow and do the right thing...

Thanks again for your kind patience.

Best regards

[Dumay de Boulle]

Fantastic moment, I love the confused look on the face. Its a great image and with a little work it could be brought to life. I have not taken the time to read all the comments so I will just give my initial thoughts. You can get more detail in the darker parts, maybe try lighten a little overall and I would do a round of sharpening for web presentation.

[Tim Driman]

Hi Dumay, Thanks for your input.... To be very honest the image was shot in poor , fading light so to pursue and really wrestle it to life would be probably trying to breathe life into an already dead body...

No disrespect, but I appreciate all the kind input from all you guys and I think that I have other images which would probably be more acceptable....

I have to say that the input I got from everyone was fantastic and really appreciated...

BTW: I see you are in Lion Sands....Are you a ranger at Lion Sands?

[Dumay de Boulle]

Hi Tim
I have to say I disagree with your assessment of it being a dead image. The SS to seems it was fast 1/3200 unless I am misunderstanding what you have typed. The sand falling off the plant is sharp which indicates the SS was fast enough to get a sharp image. if that is the correct SS means the light was not that bad. I feel there is a lot more to get out of this already lovely image.

Yes I am a Ranger/ Field Guide at Lion Sands. The Sand's is a great place to work.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Dumay, I think the fact that Tim uses only the central focus point doesn't help and so the 'critical' sharpness isn't where it should be. The grass & trailing sand as you say, is sharp, but the head/face isn't or in part, fades off. This is an area that Tim needs to practice and build on, but hopefully some pointers I have shared with him will help address this and a few other areas. If you have the time please keep chiming in, as there are areas I am sure that are parallel with you. :S3:

BTW Tim, I agree with you about the eyes, any eye work has to be done carefully and with this image it ill just look odd, there is just no good detail there sadly,

[Tim Driman]

Hi Dumay...Thanks for the kind input... Much appreciated..

Steve is spot on the money... I know that I don't pay close enough attention to the focal points and it is seriously on my "To do list"...:Whoa!:

BTW: We did our practical FGASA Field and Trails at the Nkombe Ranger Training Camp at Sabi Sabi a few years back...... Love that area but the game count is a lttle low if we compare to my home turf... We are ZUKA, and situated on the western boundary of Phinda.... Non-commercial.

Great to hook up - Take care..

www.timdrimanphotography.co.za

[Morkel Erasmus]

Late to this one, Tim, and won't be able to add much more to what's been said.
I will echo that it's a great moment and certainly not a "dead image". I just love the experience of being on those Chobe photographic boats, gets you so close to moments like these without really ever disturbing the animals so you can really get them in these uninhibited natural moments. I like what Steve did in his repost.

PS: I also changed to back-button focus and haven't looked back since then (circa 2011)...auto ISO is also a staple for me, combining it with full manual mode for great flexibility.