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Thread: Stroll along the beach!

  1. #1
    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    Default Stroll along the beach!

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    After a madness great trip to the Arctics the past 2 weeks I am back home with lots of images! Maybe to many, but there is no limit, only the hard drives limit, which my two are quite big

    This Polar Bear was on the island Kvitøya. The island had an ice cap just above sitting. Very impressively to see such large amount of ice. Nothing to compare to your freezer!!

    This Polar bear was strolling along the beach, over cliffs...etc. Sadly also passing by trash!! Yes trash. I thought that I won't see any trash up there in the north, but sadly there is quite a lot here and there.
    I was so freely to take some images of Polar bears with the trash included! I won't remove it. If you see any trash beside a Polar Bear or Walrus in my images, that is how their environment is right now! Filling up slowly or fast with trash. We have been told to pick up trash when we do landings. On one landing I asked the tour leader for a few trash bags! My camera bag was packed with picked up trash and so the others people bags as well! Lots came from Russia but also from way down south. From a bottle to oil barrel to plastic thing I could not identify at all to bottle box in which you can store the glass bottles like 12 of them!!! Shame on the human kind I would say and honestly it p.... me off very much. I would love to go up there with a ship and trash collectors to clean up this place and to make space for more trash from the human kind! My complain is now finished!

    Polar bear walking through a creek on the beach. The water of the creek comes from the ice-cap/glacier behind.
    LR all adjustments to nearly finishing the image. Graduated filters used in LR. Fine tune in PS, Levels, Mid-tone contrast & selective sharpening for posting.

    1DX
    ISO 1000
    f/6.3 1/1000
    70-200mm IS L II - 192mm

    This is my first Polar Bear I processed. I need to get into LR & PS fast again

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Anette and a warm welcome back, I think it will be interesting to see the different shots you and Rachel come up with portraying this great animal, The Ice Bear.

    I like the environment and slightly different to what we have seen to date, great to see the diversity, thinking and opportunities you two had, albeit on different ships. I did try flipping it L to R but nothing gained in doing so. Would slightly darken that ice cap at the top just to add a bit more 'tone' just watch it doesn't get too saturated. I do like the crop/comp and the way the 'river inlet' leads you to the bear, planned obviously . If this is FF I would expect a bit more detail & clarity (sharpness) within the subject, perhaps a fraction more selective sharpening, WDYT, as you did have SS.

    Take your time in processing, your images and friends will appreciate them even more.

    TFS
    Steve

    PS Great to catch up with you, things worked out well.
    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 Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Anette - Welcome back! I like the walking pose and the creek coming in. Looks like the light was a little bit flat. I'm not sure the sliver of ice in the bg really adds much and might consider a crop from the top to eliminate. As always, Steve has made excellent suggestions and I hope you'll do a rp.

    Sounds like in addition to seeing a lot more bears you also saw a lot more trash. We did see some around the walrus colony but not by the foxes. Additionally, all the polar bears we saw on land were binocular distance away rather than camera lens.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    Hi Steve and Rachel,

    Thanks so much for your comments & welcome
    Steve this plan came up within 5 sec. Had too, saw it and get all done faaaast. I just saw in front of the second zodiac the river/creek coming out and the bear walking towards it. As the second zodiac drifted against the bears walk I saw the chance. Same moment our zodiac driver said, well shall we go to the other bear!! Well, my shout NO was not to overhear in our zodiac. All looked at me with question marks in their eyes, but I had no time to explain whatever, I just told the zodiac driver to go backwards about 5-10m that I at least get the bear as you see on the image and the creek coming from the right. If you have noticed the wave in the sea/FG make a nice "underline" under the beautiful animal

    Tech wise, oh holy moly, yep it sits, but have to say same like Rachel it is not that easy from a zodiac in rough sea!! But managed to get it done with tiny waves and huge waves

    The image is slightly cropped from top, bottom and a tad of the left side for comp. With details, just let me remember my LR & PS magic again. I have seen it, just need to get back into working on a stable ground ( in my head there it is still rocking side to side or forward - backwards )
    Miss the peace up there, beautiful place to be.
    Rachel a RP will come

    Enjoy your Sunday

    Ciao
    Anette


    A suggestion to all who want to know:

    Whenever you enter a zodiac, calm sea or rough, never ever have your big lens attached to the camera and let it dangle of your neck on those "strings". We had one guy entering that way the zodiac, the lens bounced quite hard a few times on the boat edge. It is rubber, but hard. The end of the story is. Lens & AF damaged, he had to focus the rest of the trip with the 500mm manually and above f/5.6!! The eyes have been big and sad as the trip went on another 5-6 days!

    We were able to take our bags into the zodiacs. When your gear does not fit in a bag like the 600mm+ & camera, hand it over to the driver to give it to you when you sit secure!! There are many hands helping like handing over the bag/gear. Backpack can easy carried on the back into the boat! Keep that in mind, if you like to use AF or a lens the whole trip long!
    My way was, leave all in the bag, hand it over to the driver, when I sat I got my bag or found it already in the middle of the zodiac. When we slowly moved to the spot we wanted to go, there was enough time to get my big lens out, attach the sunshade and set the camera, which was for me basically switch on. The rest I did on board already! Second camera was done that way too and both left in the open bag, which the latches have been over the gear. Sometimes, I put all together at the spot due water spray of the zodiac, fast driving or hard wind combined with sea water. There is always enough time to do get the sunshades and what however set in time. I as well transformed my bag for my set up that all fits easy and to grab easy

    Steve K., best bag so far I ever had, but would go with the newest model by now. A bit bigger and a bit higher, so the 1DX fits better in it.

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    Hi Anette - I love the image and scene it is set in. The comp looks great and the position of the bear at the inlet works very well as Steve has mentioned. It must have been an amazing experience you have been on.
    TFS
    Cheers
    Hennie

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    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel,

    here the RP of the image. Addressed the to bright ice-cap in the upper RH corner pulled out a bit more detail and sharpened a bit more!
    WDYT?

    Thanks so much Hennie, yes indeed quite an experience which I do not want to miss and for sure always remember

    Have a great day

    Ciao
    Anette

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Anette - If it were mine, I still think I would crop out that area.

    Btw we never got into or out of the zodiacs holding any gear, with any around our necks or on our backs. People always got into or out of the zodiacs first and then the gear was passed once everyone was settled.

    TFS the repost,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    I initially thought that you need to crop the top so the upper RHS corner is removed, but the more I look the more I like it.
    I like the soft light and the layers/tones. Looking forward to more from your trip!
    Morkel Erasmus

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    BPN Viewer Steve Canuel's Avatar
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    I like the habitat and leg positions of this shot. All the colors, the bear, water, and BG, blend well together. I prefer the look of the ice in the URC on the OP and would leave it in as it serves as the source for the stream he's crossing.

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    Beautiful - lovely timing to capture one leg coming out of the water and the first about to touch land.
    Ed

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