Results 1 to 15 of 15

Thread: Framed

  1. #1
    Forum Participant BenBotha's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Alberton, South Africa
    Posts
    569
    Threads
    126
    Thank You Posts

    Default Framed

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Canon 7D
    Canon 100-400 l
    F 7.1
    ISO 500
    1/400
    @ 235 mm
    Cropped about 20% to complete the frame on the RHS.

    Taken in Mghoto campsite Moremi game reserve Botswana. He was a regular visitor and was in the camp on several occasions, bashing the "Kameeldoring" trees with his head until the pods dropped and the he enjoyed the fruits of his labor.

  2. #2
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Thousand Oaks, California, United States
    Posts
    3,023
    Threads
    416
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Ben, great composition of a fine specimen. I like the framed trees and the lost bark on the tree on the right. Regarding the image, the BG is bright, so I figured you compensate for it, but the image looks a bit too bright on my monitor with not much details on the grass and the ele is alittle flat. I'd suggest reduce the overall brightness/exposure and add some tonal mid-tone contrast. There is a halo around the ele, which is easy to fix. I also see a red cast, which can also be fixed with WB. Loi

  3. #3
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Alberton, South Africa
    Posts
    245
    Threads
    19
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Hi Ben - I like the majestic elle and the composition with the frame works great. The tail visible on the lhs adds nicely. I downloaded the image to see if I could manage to decrease the HL in the background before Loi's response appeared. I added a luminosity mask at 40% to decrease HL, added Midtone contrast, and burned the trees and grass around the elle. WDYT?

  4. #4
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Ben - I do like how you have used the trees to frame the ele and the head on view of the ele is a nice one. I like what Hennie has done in his rp. It has brought out additional detail and texture and made the ele pop a little more. Just watch the very slight sharpening halos around the ele and at the sides of the tree trunks. If it were mine, I would consider a crop from the left to have the tree trunk as my left edge all the way up. Overall, a very nice ele image.

    TFS,
    Rachel

  5. #5
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Nacka, Stockholm, Sweden
    Posts
    433
    Threads
    43
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Ben

    A very good picture of the powerfull elephant. I like the composition, the texture and detail of the elephant. Maybe you could go down a bit on exposure to get even more detail. I also think the image is a bit grainy, is it from using sharpening for the full picture. If so consider sharpen the elephant selectively. You have good comments from the others.

    A picture very well worth working on.

    TFS / Gregor

  6. #6
    Forum Participant BenBotha's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Alberton, South Africa
    Posts
    569
    Threads
    126
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks for the responses and suggestions, I do agree with the exposure adjustment. Hennie, your repost is an improvement. The sharpening halo is because I sharpened the image twice-I have a problem with sharpness. I cannot figure out why my images are about 20% less sharp when I post them and compare the image to the saved original one. Hence the over compensation on sharpening. Any suggestions why I would loose sharpness when posting? Ben

  7. #7
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Ben - are you sharpening as your last step after you have resized the image? What sharpening method are you using?

  8. #8
    Forum Participant BenBotha's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Alberton, South Africa
    Posts
    569
    Threads
    126
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I use USM first, then editing cropping etc, then adjust size and then smart sharpen, all in CS6.

    In this case, I posted and then previewed the image-not sharp (but the jpeg saved in CS6 was much sharper). I then did another round of smart sharpen @ 40% thus the halo.

    Usually only USM and smart sharpen as above each only once.

    I am also going to ask one of the forum members (Hennie Loots) to post one of my photos from his computer to make sure that I dont have a problem with settings on mine. I have posted some photos on a different site and the sharpness problem was less of an issue. I really think that just posting an image should not degrade the sharpness.

    Ben
    Last edited by BenBotha; 10-01-2013 at 08:35 AM.

  9. #9
    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
    Posts
    1,237
    Threads
    135
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Ben

    Agree with Rachel to crop slightly tighter on LHS.
    When I opened the image my first thought was bring down highlights and add mid-tone contrast on Elle.
    Slight magenta cast on Elle ears.
    Some detail on eyes would be nice, but light was not right.

    Ben, I sharpen in LR5 and then only again in CS6 after resizing and just before Saving for web.
    Regards

    Andre.

    www.gappimages.com

  10. #10
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Hyderabad, India
    Posts
    5,088
    Threads
    1,356
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Awesome image Ben, I like Hennie's RP, shows how this beautiful image can be improved a bit more.

  11. #11
    Forum Participant BenBotha's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Alberton, South Africa
    Posts
    569
    Threads
    126
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Repost with USM and smart sharpen. Crop as suggested. Please comment on sharpness.

    I think I solved my problem. The display settings on my browser was 125% All my images were enlarged and thus appeared not sharp.

    Ben

  12. #12
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    14,858
    Threads
    1,235
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice framing here Ben. Sharpness seems to be solved in the last post, though I may add a small amount of "smart sharpen" just to the elephant still (use 125%, 0.1px).
    I like the repost exposure with detail throughout the scene - the OP was too bright and Hennie's first RP showed that.
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


  13. #13
    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    1,818
    Threads
    95
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Ben,

    I really do like your RP. Being in Botswana and the colors are just as you bring them. A tad to saturated for me. Just for me. never mind, glad you got the sharpening solved, wanted already to suggest tho "unsharpened" the right hand tree. Why not a square crop? That would work as well. Just my thoughts

    Have a great day

    Ciao
    Anette

  14. #14
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,551
    Threads
    1,285
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Ben, the RP does address the OP issues and Hennie illustrated in the RP there was truck loads of detail & content still within the image to come out. The OP looked as if you had lightened it overall, which in turn brought out a lot of noise in the image and I still believe the 7D is not the most forgiving camera when it comes to exposure. I do find the 'square' format restricting, as it boxes the subject in too much, but as you know, cropping is oh so personal, however it would be nice to see also a more conventional one in portrait, as I assume you shot it that way? Just looking at the OP in LR and you can get more tone, texture, form and detail from the image, for me the RP does lack some of this compared to the OP, likewise the subject still does not have that sharpness/clarity it could have and I'm still uncertain Smart sharpen is the right tool compared to USM and subject to the PS version used. Although a little coarse due to the OP, just look at Hennie's two trees in the FG, they have much more detail & form. As I say, not ideal, but I think it's more the direction you perhaps need to explore. The image I feel has a lot more potential still to be extracted and would certainly take it up several notches.

    To recap Ben, and without seeing the RAW and based on the image posted, I would create several images from the RAW adjusting exposures etc and toggle between LR & PS using several exported layers to build your initial image, in doing so you can keep the RAW data within the layers, mask and the flatten to create you initial TIFF file to make your final tweak adjustments in PS.

    Question for Morkel & Rachel, I personally try to avoid mid ISO settings, although the 1DX is great at anything, but would Ben have been better to jump to ISO800, or would IQ start to drop? Just a thought.

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

  15. #15
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Ben - Steve has addressed several issues regarding the rp. This is definitely an image worth taking the time and making the effort because I believe it is all there, just needs to be coaxed out a bit more. As to the answer to Steve's question - I never use intermediate ISO settings and would have gone to 800. I find that the 7D is fine at 800 and even 1600 if exposed properly.

    Rachel

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics