One Dead Rat

[Bill McCrystyn]

D300 200-400VR 1.7TC @750mm ISO800 f/6.7 1/250

Once again Arkansas beats Texas for the largest. This rat was easily the size of a squirrel, one of the largest I have ever seen. I do understand N.Y. has some big ones and recently that Jersey has a few too :), but this made a good meal for the young hawk.

[Daniel Cadieux]

You stumbled upon a neat scene here! I imagine you had time to take a series of images...do you have one with a better HA? With the hawk looking back I would have preferred more room behind it rather than in front, and I would look into raising the colour temp a wee bit and/or upping the saturation some (careful not to overdo it!). I love that we can see the prey's face, and also appreciate seeing the talon powerfully clutching the rat.

[Arthur Morris]

Neat situation but there are two other problems with the image in addition to the above:

1-rat's tail cut off
2-bird on a concrete structure

The head turned away is the biggest bummer.

[Bill McCrystyn]

Thanks Daniel. I always appreciate your careful critiques. It just so happens I had to pick between the rat HA and the hawk and the rat won. Here is what you were looking for instead. I will give sat a little bump and take a look. It was a soft light falling.

[Bill McCrystyn]

Man your tough Artie. :) The rats tail dropped below the concrete wall immediatly below my crop and the wall was part of an old campground step that was unavoidable. Maybe I will try cloning it out - but I took the shot.

[Arthur Morris]

Man your tough Artie. :) The rats tail dropped below the concrete wall immediatly below my crop and the wall was part of an old campground step that was unavoidable. Maybe I will try cloning it out - but I took the shot.

I need to be as tough on your boys and girls as I am on myself or else there is no point in my being here at all :)

The repost though less than perfect offers the best of both worlds via some Quick Masking... Also sharpened the bird and the rat.

later and love,

artie

[Glenn Forbes]

Nice job on the head transplant, Artie. Also, an excellant job on the sharpening. Nice sequence on both of the shots, Bill.
Glenn

[Bill McCrystyn]

Wow Artie, you are the Wizard. I am really interested in knowing what your sharpening factors were, if you can recall. Thanks as always. I was afraid you didn't love me any more. ;)

[Arthur Morris]

Wow Artie, you are the Wizard. I am really interested in knowing what your sharpening factors were, if you can recall. Thanks as always. I was afraid you didn't love me any more. ;)

Just a few Quick Masks with transform and rotate. I painted a QM of the bird and the rat and ran a contrast mask: 10/50/0.

And, I am a lover of what is so unless you ain't, I am loving you.

[Bill McCrystyn]

Thanks Artie. I am going to work on it as we speak.

Bill