Leopard - head shot

[Steve Kaluski]

Nothing 'earth shattering' just a simple head shot of one of Rachel's friends gazing into the distance :bg3:. Shot across the Head rangers body to my right, early morning is some reasonable light.

Rachel, I think Dean has left.

Thanks to those who viewed or posted a comment on the previous thread.

Steve

Subject: Leopard (Panthera pardus) head shot, sitting
Location: SA
Camera: Canon 1DX
Lens: 200-400f/4 with ext (560mm) HH
Exposure: 1/640s at f/8 ISO800 (shot now, I would have easily gone to ISO2500 for more SS)
Original format: Landscape, slight crop for presentation
Processed via: LRCC & PSCC

[haseeb badar]

Hi Steve -- This a very nice image , its amazing how guys pull out such detailed shots with lovely looking natural colours . I wish some more light was hitting on its face but not a deal breaker .

Tfs!

[Steve Kaluski]

ts amazing how guys pull out such detailed shots with lovely looking natural colours

Thanks Haseeb, but it all comes from having a good file to start with, well exposed and maximising the whole Histogram. My Workflow is very simple and I only use adjustments that are required for that particular image rather than adding the whole kitchen sink of goodies. In that way I can try to retain as much of the scene, but more importantly/hopefully a 'natural' looking image.

I wouldn't swear to it, but the jeep may have been shading the subject slightly, although too much light and the whites could well become hot, although I was at +0.33EV.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Steve - I have similar images though I think you may have flipped this(?). It's Marula and she was under a bush before going up in the tree to get a better look at the impala herd. I still think the highlights on the shoulder look a little off/recovered here.

TFS,
Rachel

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Rachel, flipped no, as shot.

The highlights/shoulder are not recovered, why at +0.33? The Raw is spot on across the board (albeit I needed to pulled the blacks back by +4), as you can see from the Histogram of the RAW before any PP, in fact I have dropped the exposure in PP.

Shot on the 24th at 9.35 if you want to check your archive :bg3:.

[Rachel Hollander]

Steve - perhaps her neck was wet or something. It just looks a little strange in the brighter areas of the neck/shoulder.

[Steve Kaluski]

Would you like to see the RAW?

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Steve lovely portrait of this cat , simple but very effective .
I fully agree with Rachel and her observation ......
My initial thought was that this image looks " too balanced " from the tonal POV . As if you have lifted the 3/4 tones and dropped the HL / 1/4 tones ......

TFS Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Lets put this to bed once and for all guys, highlights were dropped as I said above, and then I balanced/tweaked the overall Exposure like we all should do, you can't just leave things, that's the whole point of PP, not recovered as per Rachel's thoughts, there is a BIG difference between the two, is there not???? Don't you guys adjust Exposure in the 1/4, 1/2 & 3/4 tones?????


As if you have lifted the 3/4 tones and dropped the HL / 1/4 tones ......

Probably about right Andreas, but without accessing the LR/PS doc I cannot say 100%, but to me that's all part of the PP stages in processing a file, to adjust, build & create the file and hone areas where applicable???

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

A simple and effective portrait Steve, I like the clean BG and the gaze does look intense. Thanks for showing the histogram and clarifying reg exposure. Good learning for us.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Steve for sure you are right with your thoughts regarding the tweaking of tones , we all do that :bg3: and it is the way to go !!!!
And you processed this one as per OP , nothing " wrong " with it in general , i just see it a bit different and might have left a bit more tonal contrast , a matter of taste . Nothing more or less .
Thanks for the histogram :5

Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Sanjeev you really want to maximise the capture and really push things just before you clip the Darks or Highlights, in that way you will capture the most amount of data/info which, when processing just means you will have a better file/image. If you then need to adjust the Exposure you are probably just dropping it, in that way you don't introduce noise.



i just see it a bit different and might have left a bit more tonal contrast , a matter of taste . Nothing more or less .

Indeed Andreas, at the end of the day it's just personal taste in the direction we take our images, but remember, your monitor is perhaps one of the few and if we all had the same monitor I think we would perhaps see things a little closer, but never the same, as we will always interpret/see things differently and subject to those 'personal' tastes.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Indeed Andreas, at the end of the day it's just personal taste in the direction we take our images, but remember, your monitor is perhaps one of the few and if we all had the same monitor I think we would perhaps see things a little closer, but never the same, as we will always interpret/see things differently and subject to those 'personal' tastes.
Agree with you :5

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Steve,

Just how close you were to this leopard? Love the intent stare. Well composed and the sharpness looks great to me, not an easy one to pull off with that mottled light, but this is where experience in the field and PP skills come in:) BTW, thank you for Histogram and info re. workflow - appreciated.

Steve, we saw a leopard this morning, a large male on the hunt. The sighting only lasted a few seconds. No images, just a faint memory of this awesome fellow with his tail curled up. As soon as I pulled my 500 out of the bag the chap leaped into the thickets near the road. He certainly left us (Carl, Andre and myself) wanting for more...But we were later rewarded with a different sighting:) Some PP work tonight but not fully satisfied with the outcome, will post as soon as I am ready and really hoping for some feedback from you.

I agree your leopard does appear at first sight as if it has some recovered HL, but I see clearly this is not the case. In the same breath I must tell you I have a number of similar images of lion taken in the KTP in golden light, late morning around 8 am. I did not know what to do with them, the strong morning sun killed the detail in their mane in so many of my frames. No blown HL according to histogram, just lots of yellows:)

I really like the detail here and the fact that you did not lift the shadows too much. If this were mine I would crop tighter from the bottom and RHS, IQ is great and I would love to get closer...

Warmest regards,

[Morkel Erasmus]

You handled the light and exposure well overall here, Steve.
I do agree with Rachel that some of the H/L look over-recovered and muddy...and the file overall has a hint of too much midtone recovery (almost HDR-ish?) to it?

[Steve Kaluski]

Oh well, I guess I just don't see it, however I do feel the word 'recovery' is used more for dark images where you endeavour to 'recover' the file, but guess that is semantics. :bg3:

HDR Morkel, if that is the case then I think I better get the monitors & these old eyes tested.

[Rachel Hollander]

Steve, I think we have often used recovery with either highlights or shadows to bring back detail usually in the RAW. Adobe instruction also uses it with respect to both.:S3: