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Thread: Coming Home

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    Default Coming Home

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    Taken at Tarangire National Park near the swamp just before sunset.

    5D3
    70-300L @ 90mm
    1/160
    f5.6
    ISO-400

    I created 2 images, 1 with +1EV and 1 with -1EV, brought into HDR Efect Pro2 module in CS6 and created this image.

    Cloned out one bad glare spot.

    Would very much like to hear your comments and feedback.

    thank you

    Loi

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Loi, I'm impressed with the PP work, it' hard to imagine how far you had come in just over a year of picking up a camera, we should have 'Best Newcomer', big congratulation from me.

    Firstly looking at the techs you needed a bit more ISO, but you know that . Is this FF, if not, I would have more room to the left with slightly less to the RHS, however this may not be true and subject to image content. I like the image as cropped, but if you have more image, then perhaps a more conventional 3 x 2 could also work, where the RoT's is applied with the lower third containing the tree canopy and below, with the rest of the 2/3rds being sky? Just a thought, but adding a Graduate rather than a Gradient, (two TOTALLY different adjustments) may help the sky in just darkening it a tad & boosting the saturation a tad within the same adjustment. Also just slightly darkening the FG, but lifting the highlights a fraction, this creates a sandwich effect for the subjects (the elephants), just a thought WDYT?

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

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    Good idea to shoot two images, even though I've never been a fan of HDR. This does OK though and it doesn't look like two images. I think it needs a little CW rotation and I would probably darken the blacks a little - there's not much detail in the ele's and what is there is quite grainy so I think you could reduce a little to give more contrast in the image - not too much though, keep their definition. I would also hope for a bit more space on the LHS but I guess you don't have it. See what others say before a RP.
    Ed

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Loi - good thinking to use 2 different images and this doesn't have an overly processed HDR feel so well done on that front. Good suggestions above. I would also darken the greens in the grasses in a hue/saturation layer.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    Hi Loi,

    your images looks very nice and for sure nicely done. Good suggestions above.

    Have a great day

    Ciao
    Anette

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    Hi Everyone, I'm happy that you didn't laugh out loud seeing this image. Just to clarify, this is not 2 separate images. One image but processed + 1EV and -1EV and brought back together as an HDR image.

    Sorry, Steve, this is a full width image, so no room on the left. I took some off the bottom since there seems too much grass. Should have aimed higher to get less grass and more sky.

    Just a little fun image to play around with. I know the quality of the elephants is not quite good enough :)

    Loi

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Loi - Now that you explained it more, I think the process is part of the problem. By increasing exp +1 in post you definitely would introduce a lot of noise. It's much less destructive to recover overexposed images than it is underexposed images. That's why you hear the mantra of expose to the right (ETTR). Had you actually shot 2 exposures in the field then you likely would not have the noise issue.

    Thanks for clarifying,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Loi - well done on the PP front. I won't add more to what Steve and Rachel and the others already covered.
    I often do this kind of double-processing (though I prefer to blend manually, let me know when you are ready to let go of the automated blend process ), and Rachel's made some valid points. Seeing as none of the moving parts (elephants) protrude into the sky over the horizon you could have easily shot 2 frames - one metered off the elephants (spot) to expose them and the FG properly, and one metered off the sky (spot) for a good sky exposure. It'd be easy to blend these due to the horizon being uniform here. Just some food for thought next time - as it would have resulted in higher IQ. I like the mood!
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Morkel, how about bracketing using a series of 5 or 7 images and combining, but Loi, I would suggest using a tripod at low SS???
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Indeed, Steve, bracketing would be a quicker way. Tripod or VERY sturdy beanbag with remote cable release, for sure.
    Morkel Erasmus

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    BPN Viewer Steve Canuel's Avatar
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    Nice scene Loi and I like your processing of the sun/sky.

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