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Thread: Beachcomber

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    Default Beachcomber

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    I spent last week with my family in one of my favourite locations in the world, Tofino on Vancouver Island.

    Vancouver Island is home to a sub species of North American Black Bear known as Ursus americanus vancouveri. During low tide around Clayoquot and Barkley Sound, the bears can be seen venturing out of the forests in search of food along the intertidal zone. These bears are treated to a smorgasbord of shell fish and make short work of shifting the large rocks to uncover the delights.

    Photographing the black bears is a tricky process and can take multiple trips before you find yourself in the best conditions. The bears typically only venture out of the forest during low tide so you can be faced with too much sun or if the tide is early morning, thick fog, or very gloomy conditions. The low tide times were early to mid morning during the week I was there which is a good thing as the light is usually easier to work in. Getting the right weather conditions is only the first challenge though, the next is finding a photogenic bear. Because the bears are running on autopilot they very rarely lift their heads to pose for a photo. From looking at the metadata on my images I never got below ISO1600 which in a few occasions should have been boosted to ISO2000 because my shutter speed fell a little slow. I found it was rare for the bears to freeze when they lifted their heads and if the head was lifted they would be moving boulders so you still needed to maintain a decent shutter speed to freeze the claws.

    Higher res online version - http://jamiedouglasphotography.com/p...c12a#h445ac12a

    Techs, Canon 1D Mark IV mounted on 400mm F5.6 @ F5.6, ISO1600, 1/320, -1/3 EV.

    My personal nit is I would have liked more shutter speed and a F4 or F2.8 lens :)))))

    This image does have a slight blue cast which I chose the keep. The sound has a blue cast and the bears are also bluer than some of their cousins.

    Processed in PS CS6 using adjustment layers.



    Jamie

    Have I mentioned before how much I LOVE the 1D Mark IV compared to the 7D for less than ideal light conditions ;))))
    Last edited by Jamie Douglas; 09-24-2012 at 06:45 PM.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Jamie - I'm glad you mentioned the blue cast because the first thing I thought was that it had one. Nice pose and interesting habitat to show one in. I'm not sure I've seen an image of black bear on one of these rocky shores before. Good sharpness and comp too.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Jamie, this is a typical location these bears hang out in, especially at low tide for obvious reasons, food, as you commented on! I like the environment because it shows the difference compared to what we have seen in the past. You have already highlight the main issue SS, as I have been in this location three times, all with the same 'dismal' weather, so I can appreciate what it is like, however I still think reducing the blue would help, even just on the environment (especially the rocks), but appreciate your POV. Why -0.3 EV comp? What is causing the bright highlight on the rocks to the left of the front paw as viewed? BTW Did you ask Mike to switch the engine off, that does help.

    Look forward to more.

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

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    Hi Jamie, Nice to see the bear on the rocks - thanks for all the background and insight. I agree with Steve that it might be worth knocking the blues back a notch. I like the composition as it is, but would be tempted to raise the bottom edge above the OOF rocks and move the right side in to preserve the proportion.

    Thanks for sharing,

    Gerald

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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    A very nice photo in the beach environment Jamie.
    I would correct the caste, it is too blue for me, I love the rocks and the pose.
    Dan Kearl

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    BPN Viewer Steve Canuel's Avatar
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    Hey Jamie,
    Nice to see one of these guys in a different setting like this, I like the pose of the bear and the coastal surroundings. Since I don't have to many bear shots of my own, I played with this one a bit. Small blue cast to my eye but nothing overpowering, I reduced and darkened the blue channel. A touch of S/H and some lightening in levels, a little blur on everything but the bear (to reduce the crunchy contrast of the rocks), and a little bit of warming filter (helps bring out some of the color of the seaweed up top) appealed more to my eye.

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    Cheers for the comments. I haven't had a chance this evening to play around with this image but I am starting to see that maybe the blue cast does need reduced a bit, especially in the rocks and I notice the seaweed in the BG has a slight magenta cast that I can easily fix. I'll run a selective colour layer mask and see what I can come up with.

    The area does have a strong blue cast so I think it's important that I keep this... to a degree of course.

    Thank you

    Jamie

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    [QUOTE=Steve Kaluski; Why -0.3 EV comp? What is causing the bright highlight on the rocks to the left of the front paw as viewed? BTW Did you ask Mike to switch the engine off that does help.

    [/QUOTE]


    Steve, sun was suuuuuper bright and on more than one occasion it would pop out between the trees and make the scene almost vanish in the viewfinder. Not fun when you’re shooting and you can't see the data in the viewfinder. The sun was shining down strongly behind the bear and you can see a slight sun shine on the bear's rear. I reduced the exp comp to make sure I didn't blow out the highlights and overexpose the rocks. A conservative call maybe in the heat of the moment. Flare crept into the previous images in the sequence. I only wish I had kept the shutter pressed and got the next shot with the other front paw in view.

    I missed a beauty of a shot before this one where the bear was feeding and the breath was lit up a golden colour.

    Oh well, next time I'll have a F4 IS lens ;). I was in a small rubber boat on this occasion and the engine was off and lens was supported by a bean bag. Like I mentioend above and I know you know what it's like out there. Getting the right light/weather conditions and a bear walking towards you from the right angle ain't always easy to come by :)))

    1D Mark IV was the right piece of kit though but F4 or F2.8 IS lens would have been sweeter.

    Jamie

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    I love the rocks withe the moss/lichen adds to the scene. Great pose and nice detail in the blacks...Nicely done!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dumay de Boulle View Post
    I love the rocks withe the moss/lichen adds to the scene. Great pose and nice detail in the blacks...Nicely done!
    Cheers Dumay

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