Unhappy Rhino

[Stu Bowie]

I am fortunate enough to live close to a nature reserve. A good while back, I had met up with a friend to drive through the reserve in separate cars. It was early morning when my friend in front saw this rhino still resting from the previous night. He decided to use his flash, which obviously upset this guy. I managed to get this shot of him giving me the beady eye, before he charged us. My friend accelerated away, whilst I reversed in haste.

Canon 20D
100-400 @ 105mm
1/200
F/7.1
ISO 400

Exp Comp 0
Hand held from the car.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Stuart, nice looking animal, good detail & colour here, comp works well. I like the alert pose and slightly blurred left raised leg.

I guess this is done with the NEW sharpening technique, but wonder if it just needs to back off just a fraction, WDYT?? My only uncertainty is the BG around the back, head & front, as it looks to me as if some slight blurring has been added, it just looks too clean around the subject? Now this might be the mask, or the sharpening or a little of all three, but personally I find it a little unnatural, but that is just my thoughts, others I am sure will have their thoughts too.

Overall I like the image and it's a cracker, just uneasy about the point I raised. Still be good to know your process, but more so for the other boys & girls here :w3:w3:w3

TFS
Steve

[Stu Bowie]

Steve, thanks for the great feedback. With regards to the areas mentioned, no extra blurring was done. All I did was select the rhino, run a slight NR on the BG, and then sharp the rhino. The sharpening technique is no big deal other than me having changed to smart sharp after having been using unsharp mask. Im no PP boffin. :w3 Maybe the rhino was sharp enough, so that extra step may have over sharpened it.

[Steve Kaluski]

Thanks for that Stuart.

Not sure about the brand, route, product you use for NR, but depending on the type used, you should be able to vary the amount of NR if that makes sense. Personally I just feel it has flattened, blurred whatever you wish to call it, a fraction too much IMHO, coupled with the sharpening, everything thens to 'pop' :S3:. Now some may like this, it's all down to personal taste, I just feel perhaps easing off on both counts just a fraction may give it a better feel. Obviously this is just my POV as I say.

Again, routes, methods for sharpening is all personal, but I find Smart Sharpen too aggressive and I would only use it if things needed tightening up, ie something was just a fraction out on the Focusing, LOL, but this I guess is based on what I have seen & read. The main thing is that it has given you the results you wanted, provides a great image without artifacts & halos, so top marks on this. Be guided with the preview screen and check & uncheck the box so you can see the effect applied before clicking OK, don't go by the version on the screen, the preview window is you guide.

I know I am teaching my Grandmother to suck eggs, but I felt it was worth including for others.

It's a fine line Stuart, so no big deal just adding my thoughts.

As I said in my original reply, I still think it's a great shot. :5

cheers
Steve

[Steve Canuel]

Hi Stuart,
This is an interesting shot to view. I like the angle at which the rhino is coming into the pic. I also like the different colored layers of grass, the red dirt of the path and how its also on his belly, and the dipping line of the tree tops in the BG. The slightly blurred, raised foot and the forward turned ears add to the alert demeanor of the rhino. Regarding the sharpening, the eye looks a tiny touch over done for me but everything else looks ok. The most interesting thing to me though is that this almost looks like a diorama set up in a museum. Perhaps a little less NR on the green grasses.

[gail bisson]

Hi Stuart,
This pic has a 3D quality to it. Love the slightly blurred foot that gives picture a sense of motion. Love the comp. I am OK with the sharpening-maybe 10% less?!
A fabulous shot .
Gail

[Morkel Erasmus]

Nice pose from this fellow, from the days when this reserve didn't have to de-horn their rhinos due to poaching :2eyes2::eek:

Interesting discussion - I have been preferring Smart Sharpen over Unsharp Mask since taking up photography, and frankly any sharpening method can be overcooked - just depends on how you apply it. I tend to use Smart Sharpen at a range of 0.2px and then vary sharpening based on the number of times I apply the action or how selectively I apply it by using masking.

I would like to see this with less NR on the immediate grass around the animal as that needs to be "as sharp" as the focal point since it's in the same focal plane...making sense Stu? :bg3:

[Hilary Hann]

Some great discussion on this image which gives us all avenues for learning so thanks for that. I do like this image, perhaps more to do with the attitude shown by the rhino … love that eye!!

And I have to say that out of the 20D, the IQ is just awesome, perhaps I shall go back and re process some of my 20D images and see if any new skills I've learnt can improve the final product. Well done.

[Tom Graham]

What I see is sharp grass (seed) stalks in front, then fuzzy green grass, sharp rhino, fuzzy green grass just behind rhino. Not saying it couldn't happen that way but I think it is triggering some visual confusion we perhaps unconsciously picking up on. So I'd make the front grass seed stalks of image blurred, that is, the whole foreground blurred.
Tom

[Stu Bowie]

I would like to see this with less NR on the immediate grass around the animal as that needs to be "as sharp" as the focal point since it's in the same focal plane...making sense Stu? :bg3:

Thanks Mork. I understand you 100% - makes sense. Strangely enough, the amount of NR was very minimal on the BG, but will have a look at the overall BG and sharpening. :w3

Thanks everyone else for the positive feedback and comments. Always appreciated.

[Grace Scalzo]

Sharpening technicals aside, what a cracker jack image. You can fill in the blanks about what's going to happen from the red dusty belly (suggesting that he just rose), to the glint in his eye, to the raised foot with just the perfect amount of motion blur. Full of tension and interest.

My eyes do find some areas that appear unnaturally blurred (under his face and behind him, for example), but I'll leave it to the experts to figure out why this is. Not 100% sure that I would have had an issue with this had I not read the previous comments.

[Rachel Hollander]

Stuart - nice pose and I too like the blurred foot. Interesting discussion about the sharpening and NR. I'm also not sure how much I would have noticed had it not been pointed out by others. Glad you retreated safely.

TFS,
Rachel

[Stu Bowie]

Grace, Rachel, thanks a stack for your feedback too.

[Dumay de Boulle]

Nice pose and like the motion blur on the foot...the day's when Rietvlei Rhinos had horns

[Harshad Barve]

Terrific pose Bhai , liked it as posted
TFS