These are mostly transients from the north that gather for the winter at the Kankakee Sand Prairie in Newton County Indiana
25 minutes from my home. He happened to land on the most cluttered bush in the area. Hope you like it.
EOS 1DX
500mm 1.4 ext
F5.6 @ 1/1000
fading light
02-25-2016, 05:29 PM
Glennie Passier
Hello Mike. What a lovely bird. Lovely muted colours. Trust him to sit on the busiest bush! It's a pity his tail is a bit caught up. I might consider some subtle lightening on the RHS of his face and breast. I would also consider cloning out some of the OOF sticks above his head and back and down the RHS. Maybe a slice off the bottom to where the big OOF branch angles away. Something looks a little funny with the stick on the RHS.
This is a lovely image of a lovely bird. Thank you for sharing.
02-25-2016, 06:03 PM
Mike Quigley
1 Attachment(s)
Short eared owl
Repaired a few OOF sticks and lightened RHS eye. That better?? I didn't want to light to much around the eye
02-25-2016, 06:22 PM
Glennie Passier
That was quick. Maybe a little bit too bright in his eye itself. I don't mind the shadow, just a little less. My explanation of the OOF branch was bad. I would leave most of that lovely perch and just take it off above your signature where the branch angles away. I think the OP looked better in terms of the crop. IMO, I wouldn't have cropped the side or the top at all, but merely cloned out the lighter OOF twigs on the RHS . He is such a lovely bird. I think this will make a fine image!
02-25-2016, 07:19 PM
Mike Quigley
Thank you so much, I have so much to learn and think about.
02-25-2016, 09:37 PM
Glennie Passier
Don't we all! Would love to see some more.
02-26-2016, 10:29 PM
Diane Miller
Oh WOW!! I LOVE this! The tighter crop really makes the owl jump out at me, and the image quality looks wonderful!
There's always so much we could clone out in a setting like this, but I'd really only think about the twigs coming out of the head. (Of course, once you start cleaning up, you see more and more.)
I second seeing more!
02-27-2016, 08:41 AM
Mike Quigley
Thanks Diane and Glennie for you encouragement. Do Either of you have a formula or procedure for posting here directly from LR6? Most of the instruction here seem to favor PS
02-27-2016, 12:11 PM
Diane Miller
Another of the things I love about LR!
I created an export preset according to BPN specs. Everything you need to specify is in the choices that make the preset, including max file size. The first time you use it, specify the settings then click the + sign at the bottom of the preset panel and name it.
Then select your image and just click the Export button in the Library Module or do File > Export from the Develop screen and choose that preset. It creates the JPEG from any file (raw or complex layered PS files are both OK) and copies the image to a folder I have on the desktop named "LR Exports" and from there I rename the JPEG as desired and post using the "from computer" option. It's so much simpler than creating a JPEG from PS.
02-28-2016, 03:29 AM
Carolyn Arnesen
I like the intent in your face stare and how the closer crop minimizes the busyness of the background.
02-28-2016, 10:03 AM
Mike Quigley
Diane, I made a preset from LR , exported the image to the desktop but it sized it wrong, I went in too change the sizes and now I can't get the dialog box with the dimension changes, it keeps taking me to the save to box? Any ideas?
02-28-2016, 10:21 AM
Craig Schriever
Hi Mike sounds like you need to change (EDIT) your export preset. So, while in LR, right click your image and go to EXPORT. Not the preset you made but the general EXPORT option (first option at the top when you highlight the EXPORT option after right clicking the image). That will open the EXPORT dialogue box. Now you can click on the preset you created and in the dialogue box all the parameters you selected will be set. Go to the image size section of that dialouge box and set it to the size you want, For this forum I click the resize to fit box and in the drop down box select long edge and make it 1200 pixels. After everything is set the way you want look back over on the left pane of the export dialogue box and Right click on the Name of the preset your working on, another box will open, select "update with current settings" and your preset will be updated and you will be all set.
If this is not what your asking...my apologies. :)
BTW Love the Owl!
02-28-2016, 10:51 AM
Mike Quigley
Thanks Diane, that really helped.
02-28-2016, 12:46 PM
Diane Miller
That was Craig! My thanks to him, also -- I'm still playing catchup after a couple of back to back road trips. Excellent group we have here!
02-28-2016, 01:05 PM
Mike Quigley
Thanks Craig and Diane for all your help
03-05-2016, 12:28 PM
Jack Dean III
I love this one Mike. Keep them coming. :)
03-14-2016, 03:06 PM
Stuart Philpott
Stunning image Mike,we have had little luck this year,but I so love SEO's thanks for posting this those eyes are so vibrant it is unreal,little I can add on processing,but wish for the image to be mine