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Thread: Antarctic Fur Seal

  1. #1
    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Default Antarctic Fur Seal

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    Hi Folks

    another kind of difficult image i like to know your thoughts on.

    Taken this image during a session with king penguins on South Georgia, while waiting for the penguins coming onto the beach, this seal was moving along the same one.
    Camera was set to Auto ISO with High SS so that is the reason for this fancy setting , not ideal , but nothing i can do afterwards.

    The image appears almost B/W due to the shooting conditions , heavy overcast late in the afternoon.

    I worked hard , during conversion to get a " acceptable" IQ. WDYT? Did i manage ?

    Also used a new sharpening routine ( not for web though), used my usual web sharpening. When i discover more i will tell more.

    EOS 1D MK IV

    EF 500 IS L on tripod

    F 5,6 ; 1/ 3200 ; unbelievable ISO 8000

    Converted with RPP and edited in PS CS6 ; full frame


    Please donate your input

    Cheers Andreas



    Last edited by Peter Kes; 01-15-2013 at 05:24 PM.

  2. #2
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Andreas, I think you have done well considering the background to the shot and your gained knowledge in PS has stood you well.

    Why so high an ISO, was it to freeze the action? Personally it's just too tight in frame for me, and a bit more space all round I feel would have been better, likewise a slight CW rotation. I do like the almost monochromatic look & feel, fits well, just with a splash of colour. Personally i think you could push it a bit more with a green channel overlay & Curves to add a fraction more depth, but all personal.

    I can fire something off if you want, let me know.

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

  3. #3
    Roman Kurywczak
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    Given the ISO I think this turned out well.....although like Steve.......I would like a bit of room at least on top. This is one reason I don't use auto.....at ISO 1600 or 3200......you would have had a 1/640 SS or 1/1250.......that should have been plenty to freeze this action and would have made the noise more manageable with the Mark lV. That being said......I still think this turned out to be a keeper with some minor tweaks!

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Andreas - for a second I thought you had posted a b&w image but then I saw the bit of color. Steve and Roman have covered the critique quite well and I agree a bit more room top and bottom and the suggested minor tweaks would take it up a notch.

    TFS,
    Rachel

  5. #5
    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Thanks guys for keeping your comments friendly.Was hard work for me.Do not know how many versions i have binned.Maybe i just need to learn how to address high contrast , which i always prefer , without plugin the shadows, and specially do this all without 3rd party plugin or some fancy local contrast moves with PS tools.

    This was all done with contrast layers,and a little local contrast enhancement, as you can imagine the luminance and color noise have been the biggest problems.

    As i said i did not expect the seal to arrive , i was setup for the penguins in a further distance , no chance of moving or getting another camera combo , i was half sitting / lying in wet sand sometimes water was running between my knees or butt.So i had to take this tight FF, by knowing it would be too tight, also for my personal feeling.

    But in the end it was more because of the high ISO challenge, to post the image and get comments for the PP job.

    High Iso - i wanted to get the penguins sharp when they get washed onto the beach, so i have set the camera to the desired SS / F combo and set to Auto ISO.The metering system took the dark fur of the seal , so the ISO jumped to ISO 8000. I think when photographing the penguins the ISO would have been like 800- 1600.

    Steve - if you can improve , please feel free to fire.Always willing to learn, meanwhile itty myself with your suggestions .

    Thanks again Andreas

  6. #6
    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi folks here is an RP with some tweaks , but not sure if the blacks are too choked ?

    WDYT ?

    Cheers Andreas

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    Hi Andreas, I did comment on this one but cant see it...It must not have saved. Lovely detail and IQ for that high ISO. Great action and lovely colors for the overcast conditions. I would just like to see more space all around

  8. #8
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Andreas, late to this one...but here goes.
    From what I have seen at similar ISO settings from the 1Dmk4 this is remarkeable, especially given you were shooting a dark-coloured subject.
    Your RP does look a bit choked up...I too would have liked a bit more space in the frame overall.
    Morkel Erasmus

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