Walrus -scape

[Rachel Hollander]

Taken between 9 and 10 pm in Svalbard, Norway from a moving zodiac.

Canon 5D3
70-200 II @ 200mm
1/2500
f4.5
ISO 800
HH from zodiac, cropped to 16x9, grad filter, levels, curves, luminosity mask, LCE on sky, sharpened in CS6.

C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

Rachel

[Russell Johnson]

I like the approach you have taken with this image - heads bobbing on a landscape. The snow covered peaks n the background really add to the image.

I am fine with the overall murky tone to the image, though the water does look a little odd in places in terms of colour, though appreciate this may depite the scene well.

[Diane Miller]

Wondrous walruses! And I like seeing a "wide angle" wildlife shot, especially in such great light.

I'm finding the dark band of dark clouds at the top, and the bright sky below it, distracting. What would you think about cropping down to the top of the gray clouds? That moves the horizon up and gives a nice pseudo-burn to the top of the image. Finding not a lot there to explore, the eye returns to the walruses.

[Rachel Hollander]

Thanks Russell and Diane. The colors are as they were though I appreciate your point Russell. Diane - I thought about a version without the dark band at the top but don't think I would go as far down as the grey clouds.

Thanks again,
Rachel

[edwardselfe]

I like the dark band of clouds at the top and I don't think the image looks complete without it. The walruses look great and the pinky-blue colour scheme is perfect. I love the feel of the scene.

Ed

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Rachel, well you are certainly ticking them off the list, good choice with the line up & format. Not sure if it's too 'formulaic' but going for RoT's and then using the mountains as the top third, (keeping everything in) crop some off the foot, but you might then feel it's too tight either side? Could go to 245 on the whites? I too had some reservations about the water, you can't go too blue, but perhaps more grey, colder, I just feel it needs some tonality in there it's look a little thin? Now back, great to have nice big screens to view, I see there is some 'arching' around the tallest Walrus, perhaps a mask, faint, but it is there, WDYT?

Once you gain their trust they are very curious creatures, fast in the water, and at time coming out, hope you had some more encounters. I get the feeling your images are now Payback time for me, perhaps PB will need to be revisited, but no sure if I can go with Pete, LOL.

TFS
Steve

[Morkel Erasmus]

Love the composition, "story" and their inquisitive poses Rachel. Nice soft light and depth in the scene too.
I notice slight halos around the walrus heads (wow, I noticed a halo?? )...see attached darkened image...think it's due to some selective dodging or other adjustments?

[Morkel Erasmus]

Posted at the same time as Steve

[Rachel Hollander]

Thanks Ed, Steve and Morkel. Yes, I noticed the halo also but its there in the RAW as well though fainter. Not sure how to completely eliminate it. Steve, I did want to keep some space on each side of them. Pete's not going to Svalbard for the next year or two at least so you'll have to go with someone else.

Thanks again,
Rachel

[Rachel Hollander]

Based on the suggestions I decided to experiment a bit. I went back to the RAW and increased exp by .35 and then dropped the WB from 7000 to 6000 for a cooler version. Then cropped to 16x9, luminosity mask, selectively burned the sky, LCE to the sky, levels and sharpened. The halo is there in the RAW too. WDYT?

Thanks,
Rachel

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Rachel,

beautiful image of those great animals. I think most have already said above. The RP I like much more. Since the walrus in the middle does not stick to much out and gives also a bit attention to the others on both sides. The BG I like more from the OP.
But overall I really do like it.
Sorry for not posting much, I have here all hands tight up with some other things, which are urgent to solve within 1 week or so
Morkel, I do like to know what you pulled over the image to see halos. Graduate or just pulled down exposure!! I think that is quite a great thing to check images at the end for halos!!
Would love to know.

Have a great day

Ciao
Anette

[Stan Cunningham]

I like the OP better but not the expert as some of the others.

[Loi Nguyen]

Rachel, wonderful Walrus -scape. I think the OP shows more dramatic lighting and the colors in the sky, but the water seems a bit murky. In the rP, the scene is less dramatic, but the water has more definition and tone. So, it comes down to which image faithfully describes the scene? Perhaps somewhere in between the two exposures is best. Loi

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Rachel,
Love the comp and you have some excellent suggestions above....which I think you used well in the RP!

[Steve Canuel]

Hi Rachel,
Looks like you got a nice sampling of images from this trip. Like the crop of the RP, would only add some sat to the sky to bring out that nice peachy color and darken the distant ridge.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Rachel,
think you had a great time on Svalbard, better said around Svalbard.

Good animal scape in general, with nice positioning of the main subjects in the frame , good image design by using the environment they live in as part of it.

Processing on this one is not working as presented, for me. All in all looks kind of flat in color and tone, think there is more potential in this image.

But maybe you want to achieve a moody /murky look and feel, you were there.

TFS Andreas

[Gregor Bergquist]

Really nice one, Rachel. My vote for your last repost.

TFS / Gregor

[Morkel Erasmus]

Anette - I just pulled levels midtone slider to the RHS

[Rachel Hollander]

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions. As always, they are very much appreciated.

Thanks again,
Rachel