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Thread: Red Grouse

  1. #1
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Default Red Grouse

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    Thanks for the previous comments & feedback.

    Had a potter out to a new location on Tuesday, sadly the light was poor in the early part of the morning so had to contend with late morning, not great, but! Most were hunkering down keeping a good distance, but found a pair feeding around one of the gun butts which was situated on slight slope, so the angle is not ideal, (shooting down), however they did stay for a few frames. The heather in this part is on the turn, but the environment is enough to show how well suited they are in this habitat.

    Steve
    Subject: Red Grouse in late heather (Lagopus lagopus)
    Location: UK
    Camera: Canon 1DX
    Lens: 500f/4 plus 1.4x HH
    Exposure: 1/200s at f/8 ISO200 -0.33 stop compensation
    Crop: Slight crop (original capture vertical)
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Steve, good look back pose, and I like the detail and colours these guys have. They certainly do blend in with the enviroment, when you study the image more closely.

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    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
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    Lovely capture, Steve. Love the included environment and the head turn. It's nice that you can see the white legs.
    Marina Scarr
    Florida Master Naturalist
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    Steve
    Good capture and great head turn.
    Nice and sharp.
    For my taste, the OOF heather flower heads in the background compete with the head. Since the purpose of the frame is the bird, may I suggest a little masking and Gaussian blur on the background. (although I haven't done it, you might also tone down the black regions to the left of the head additionally)
    Here's a suggesttion -- obviously use of the original raw prior to scaling to small jpg would be more optimal.
    Hope you like it.
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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Steve fine shot, I would have suggested a slightly wider aperture as you would not get the tail and head in perfect focus in this stance and angle. Don has produced the effect I am eluding to. Not too sure why the exposure was -0.33 I usually use evaluative metering?? I will be interested to read your comments

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Don/Jonathan, in answer to your feedback, shooting wider ie f/5.6 really did not do much more to the BKG as it was to close to the subject, however it's always good to have a variety of settings to chose from and I have some shot at f/5.6, my default setting. I tend to shoot what I want, then if time allows change settings ie aperture and or format so I have a variety to chose from as your thinking may not be right first of all and the option frame might be the winner. I too use EV metering, but looking at the histogram a slight adjustment looked right, plus the 1DX seems to meter in a slightly differently to previous Pro bodies I've had, annoying when you then pick up the MKIV. Late morning is, as I said not the preferred time of day to shoot for obvious reasons, however it was worth nailing some shots before these guys become a trophy on someones dinner plate.

    I can see where you are going on this one Don, but always leave the BKG as shot and never use any blur, just my way to try and get it right in camera, however it sometimes may not achieve the desire effect.


    Thanks again for commenting folks.

    Steve



    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

  7. #7
    Nico Steenberg
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    Sharp and well exposed with good eye contact Well done

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