Hi Sanjeev,
this is by far the best "Lion in a Tree" image you posted here in all important terms.
Think you handled exposure quite well here, nothing you can do about blown sky !! The lioness is nicely framed by the branches or trunks whatever you call them.
But as always in here , there are maybe options to improve. I miss some more sharpness and clarity in the lioness , so i tried to improve it. WDYT ?
Hi Sanjeev, certainly I would echo Andreas's comments above, good to see you were not put of with the the subject being backlit, good experience too.
I like the way you have frame the subject and the lioness is nicely relaxed and draped over the tree bows gazing into the distance. Your processing is improving with each image posted, so congrats to that too. I think just with some simple blends, adjusting the Curves & Levels it just adds a bit more depth into the body and that for me is the main area to focus on. I think in Andreas's post the Clarity is a little to much and has given a slightly crunchy/grainy look, so when I refer to Clarity it's not to adjust that. Perhaps just dropping the exposure in the bleached out sky helps to reduce the harshness of the whites, WDYT? Finally, a little more selective USM on the face only and I would look to opening up the eyes and the 'Y' of the nose just a fraction, as the eyes just come to life IMHO.
Hope this helps.
cheers
Steve
Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.
Steve's repost works well for me, and thank you for explaining the changes you have made and why. It is very helpful. I also like the relaxed pose and toning down the brightness of the BG really helped the image.
Thanks a lot Andreas, Steve, Marina and Ken for your guidance and comments. The RP by Steve and Andreas both show what is possible and I will continue to refine my PP. I really liked this shot of mine and I think this was the best pose I got during my trip! And I really liked the 70-200 f/4 IS for its handling :-)
both show what is possible and I will continue to refine my PP
As I have said before Sanjeev, you have done the hard part, getting the image. Now with time you can hone your PP skills and build on them, the more you 'play' to understand what the software can do and how it develops your image, the better you will become and your images will start to breathe more life. You don't need to do much more now, just build on getting that workflow right and keeping things simple. The more 'deeper' enhancements (for a better phrase) will come much later, don't worry.
And I really liked the 70-200 f/4 IS for its handling :-)
It's a good lens and certainly lighter than the 2.8
Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.