Marakele Aardvark
I have been privileged to photograph this very shy and skittish nocturnal mammal in the golden last light of the day in Marakele National Park, South Africa.
I have posted the image before, but decided to reprocess it. You can read the all about my processing workflow on the image on my blog at http://linruphotography.blogspot.com...rocessing.html, so no secrets with this one!
All crits and comments welcome as usual...
Canon 7D and 100-400mm L lens at 300mm, 1/800s at F5.6 and ISO 400.
Stunning capture of this rare nocturnal mammal. Last time I saw one, he was running through ankle deep water on Mabua pan, some 7 years ago! Love the golden light, the Aardvark crisp with just enough DOF. IMHO I would crop a sliver of bottom, there
is too much OOF FG.
What a beauty, Rudi! Stunning light and detail! Thank you for sharing your processing workflow, much appreciated
Kind regards,
Gabriela Plesea
Cool shot. Great warm light and colors. I like the composition. Probably hard to get close to this species.
Markus
Hi Rudi, I like the comp & warm colours and nice to see what is, or can be, an elusive fellow.
Looking at the image the arch of the back looks a little odd, lacking detail compared to the side, perhaps too much masking in the initial processing, likewise the back leg looks a little crunchy, but that might be the 7D?
TFS
Steve
Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.
I'm still green about this special sighting, my friend. Nice read on the blog too.
I do think the yellows may be a bit overcooked here? Did not check in PS, but perhaps backing down a wee fraction on the saturation of yellows will bring out more detail?
I do think you can make this special creature stand out more by selectively and slightly desaturating the surrounding grasses as well - but not to the point where it looks unnatural...
A nice capture of an elusive animal here, Rudi.
I would agree with Morkel, and think that the yellows are too strong across the image. Personally, I prefer the original image on your blog, though with a few tweaks (dodge/burn) and a touch of vibrance to take it to the next level.
A fine image Rudi and thanks for producing a great blog. Cheers for the chat on twitter re lumo masks.
Indeed a stunning image in great light. I agree with Steve and Morkel, the back definitely looks a little softer detail wise than the rest of the body, not seeing any issue detail wise anywhere else. Colour wise, for me this is quite subjective, personally i would do just as morkel suggested, drop the yellow just a tad and then drop the saturation in the surroundings a little to help the animal pop a little more.
Looking at your blog entry, I think I prefer the beautiful soft colours of the original RAW.....I wonder if we could see a version of that with normal sharpening etc. I think you nailed it the first time....
Just my tuppence!
ED
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