Before and After Loon with Chick

I thought that I would show an image that had been cropped alot. I am more concerned about images presentable for my website to be used by family, friends, and my biology students. I have been making a conscious effort to get images closer to full frame but I won't turn down what I perceive to be an interesting image, either. Deciding how much post processing, cropping, cloning, and manipulation really depends on the purpose of the image.

This is the original only converted from RAW and turned into a jpg.

Here's is the finished product. I cropped it, blended some of the water to get rid of light areas and then blurred the water to make it more appealing. I selected the loon and chick and sharpened then reversed the selection to blur the water. I added a touch of saturation with a border and was finished. I just realized these are a small size for my computer but it was something I could come up with quick on my lunch period to post.

You've done a great job, Lana. I like the image very much. Well done

A lovely image :)

Subtly processed.....

And how cute is that little baby?

Jacqui

wow superb capture,,, nice post processing..well composed... the baby is so cute and you nailed both their eyes real well

Lana,
The image really held up well.
I like the placement in the frame of your subject and the fact that you left the whole reflection.
The negative space to the left, with momma pointing left, gives the feeling that this bird has room to roam.
And the subject to viewer eye contact is awesome from the baby.

Thanks James

Nice capture of the moment and good post processing to get such a good result. Just curious, what equipment and settings were used to capture this photo?

I meant to post the techs but I posted it from school and didn't have them.
Canon 1DMkIIN, 500mmL IS, 1.4XTC, beanbag on deck of pontoon
ISO 200, f/11, ss 1/250 (Manual exposure)

Thanks for posting this before and after. I often shoot small songbirds and my birding lens is a 400mm f/5.6. I have a 1.4x TC but rarely use it. Why am I saying all this? Because even trying to get as close as possible, I almost always get a small bird and lots of surrounding environment. Therefore I need to crop quite a bit. So it is good to see what others like you are doing.

Can you explain a bit how you "blended the water"?

Thanks.

I think you made excellent choices on what to keep and what to leave out. You have a clean non distracting result that allows the viewer to get the full benefit of your subjects. Well done!!

Ed
I used the healing brush around those lighter areas then made sure that they blurred well. I guess "blending" is what I did but I should had mentioned that it was the healing brush that actually did it.

Lana, this is a fine image. The mother/chick combination is powerful and your processing was just what was needed. I really like how the darker water reflections at the top of the image serve as a subtle frame to keep my eyes in the photo. It's a beauty!