AK - Flight School: Day One

[Jay Ing]

Well, it finally happened - the oldest baby took to flight today. It was quite windy and I was worried about him. But, he handled the gusts like a pro. A frightened pro but a pro. Glad I was there to document his big day. Here, he's heading back into the safety of his bird box.

A1 + 600GM+1.4
Tripod with Gimbal
1250/2500/7.1
C1P + PS21+DenoiseAI

191140

[Brian Sump]

Jay, congrats on gettin the fledgling on camera!

I really love the subject on the complimentary backdrop. The eye and head are nice and sharp and really draw my eyes inward. Landing gear down pose is cool too.

I could use a touch more brightness/exp and I think it would enhance things a touch. Other than a couple spots on the upper left wing, which are maybe in the high 240's range the rest of the whites have a little room I think.

My only other nit would be a touch more wing separation from the head, but you can't really control that. Hard to nit with such a nice frame... you did real well here IMO.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Jay, you are so lucky to get great subjects like this coming in and being able to photograph on a background I'm sure Dorian would very much approve of. :bg3:

Overall the critical sharpness isn't quite there and for me it lacks the tone and depth to give the subject some punch and oomph, overall - to give it depth. Based on the OP it looks reasonably well exposed any more and I feel you might blow the higher whites. The eye does have more life to pull out, but remember I'm looking at a 256 colour tiny image and so the raw will have more. Remember, if this is flying towards you a speed you need DoF as it will be on top of you before you know it and you will run out quickly, plus the camera and lens has to work harder the close the subject gets. Is this a tiny crop or almost FF.

Again, I'm sure Arash could do a lot more with the raw, but this is purely to illustrate getting more punch, how much is optional and this may be too much, however...

TFS
Steve

PS I was more concerned about the subject so the BKG is perhaps way off. :bg3:

[Brian Sump]

FWIW, I really really hate doing reposts on other's threads and I'll probably regret doing so....

That said, Steve, you have far more experience than I do. But Jay I have no idea what processing tools you have in your bag, so for the sake of conveying what I had envisioned, please see here.

As Steve said, only so much can be done with a jpeg but at least something for you to consider. If you like it, glad to share my steps. If you hate it, then you can just shun me and put me under the stairs ;-)


191144

[Steve Kaluski]

Nice RP Brian, I'm away and using the laptop, but the blue in the wings is just too much for me. :w3

[Brian Sump]

Nice RP Brian, I'm away and using the laptop, but the blue in the wings is just too much for me. :w3

All good Steve. Safe travels, hope you bring back some nice frames :-)

[Steve Kaluski]

Safe travels, hope you bring back some nice frames :-)

Still in the UK, but now lockdown has eased were are up at the other house, so time to roam, but just messing around with birds on logs etc and some other stuff, but miss Africa so much. Just not good to travel there currently and perhaps for the next two years based on feedback... Stay safe, but envious of the light you guys have, should house swop with Arash, be good to see how the Sony works in our 'changeable' light. :bg3:

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Jay ... super duper incoming image . I bet very difficult to execute , so you did well IMHO.

I do agree with Steve about the sharpness and the overall tone and color of your OP . As posted the most sharpness is visible on the breast feathers ....
Steve has given you a direction how the image can look .... in the " correct " way . Specially the blue is problematic for me ... same with Brian´s RP .
But hey tastes are different ....

TFS Andreas

[Brian Sump]

Hi Jay ... super duper incoming image . I bet very difficult to execute , so you did well IMHO.

I do agree with Steve about the sharpness and the overall tone and color of your OP . As posted the most sharpness is visible on the breast feathers ....
Steve has given you a direction how the image can look .... in the " correct " way . Specially the blue is problematic for me ... same with Brian´s RP .
But hey tastes are different ....

TFS Andreas

FWIW, The American Kestrel has a good bit of blue in the head and wings. Also, I did not add any blue or saturation, just WB correction after some tonality adjustments :-)

[John Mack]

Man, you cannot beat that background. The pose is great.

[Jay Ing]

I use the Sony Express version of CaptureOne with RAW and then PS for any edits including DeNoiseAI as a plug in. While I don't mind doing general edits (actually enjoy that part of it most of the time) - I have tried to be judicious with the sliders typically so I've not raised the Contrast and Sats like the RPs - but I DO like the RPs more than my own.

Arash came to my place several years ago and personally showed me how to do the post work, so he must not be a good teacher! :) Brian I'll def reach out for some steps as all things photography for me can always benefit from good input though it might be hard to unlearn some of Arash's bad instruction :) :) . My technique both in the field and at the desk are very open to guidance. Again, thanks all. Hope for good shooting later today -- maybe last chance with these beauties.

[arash_hazeghi]

love the super pose, it is def tack sharp on the head, no doubt from where I am looking. it may need more sharpening for web presentation depending on the screen. again 99.9% out there cannot dream of getting a head one kestrel shot like this


I think the problem is folks who live in Europe may have never seen an American kestrel in CA light. Steve the bird doesn't look like your edit, it has blue in its natural color. I am sorry but the edit has made it worse IMO.

the original looks natural to my eye, I might warm the WB just a touch but that's it. We don't want to make a bird more colorful than it is in real life, or it will be a cartoon not a photo

Joel, did you use AWB in capture One or changed it?

best

[Ian McLachlan]

When you have sorted out which of the above you like best ;Hang it on the wall.
For all the reasons you said to capture this is marvellous.

[Steve Kaluski]

I think the problem is folks who live in Europe may have never seen an American kestrel in CA light. Steve the bird doesn't look like your edit, it has blue in its natural color. I am sorry but the edit has made it worse IMO.

Hi Arash, no problem and based on Brian’s RP, mine is way too contrasty. Take your point re colouration, ours are more grey/blue rather than the blue being the more dominant colour. As presented I still feel it’s tonally a bit flat, and limited detail in the plumage, however could this be because the subject is ‘in flight’ Arash???

If this is an 'American Kestrel' then yes I have seen one close to where Artie shoots on the Farnes islands, yours I think is slightly smaller than ours.

[Andreas Liedmann]

FWIW, The American Kestrel has a good bit of blue in the head and wings. Also, I did not add any blue or saturation, just WB correction after some tonality adjustments :-)

FWIW , all good if you or others like it or say it is that blue . Had a reading about the coloration of this species .... is described as blue/grey . Matter of taste I personally would go not that far with the blues .... that's all .
And in your version the blues became even ever so slightly more intense .... at least here on my screen :w3 .... and you not only changed the WB . With the tonal edits you made you also changed the color intensity ....

Again no problem .... just different views .

Cheers Andreas

[Kurt Bowman]

Nice job getting this Kestrel coming at you. Nice sharp head. I like Brian's repost.

[Arthur Morris]

Th blue wings of this very young male are perfect. The super-sharp eyes (thank you a1), the outstretched talons on the same plane as the face, and the bit of down on the top of the head all put ethis one over the top for me. As does Sump Scores' repost.

At any point in post did you do a selection of the bird?

with love, artie

ps: have you been having EVF blackouts?

[Jay Ing]

Th blue wings of this very young male are perfect. The super-sharp eyes (thank you a1), the outstretched talons on the same plane as the face, and the bit of down on the top of the head all put ethis one over the top for me. As does Sump Scores' repost.

At any point in post did you do a selection of the bird?

with love, artie

ps: have you been having EVF blackouts?


Hi Artie,

No, never selected the bird in post. EVF blackouts?... yeah, drove me crazy... only thing Sony dropped the ball on on the A1.... big time! :(.... just turned off my back screen...