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Thread: Mousing Coyote

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    Default Mousing Coyote

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    ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2500, 500mm, +0.67 ev
    Imaged in early Oct ~1300h
    This coyote was unsuccessfully hunting mice on a warm pleasant Oct afternoon. I was quietly sitting on a knoll when she appeared. She was so intent on hunting that I doubt she knew of my presence.
    Andrew

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Andrew - It's great to see you posting an image. Nice stalking/walking pose and there is a sense of intensity. The comp works well. The light looks pretty harsh at 1 pm so I'm wondering why the +.67ev? If it were mine I would do a luminosity mask to tame the highlights a fair amount and might also drop the yellows slightly. I would also back off on the sharpening on the surrounding grass a little and perhaps run a round of NR on the bg.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rachel Hollander View Post
    Hi Andrew - It's great to see you posting an image. Nice stalking/walking pose and there is a sense of intensity. The comp works well. The light looks pretty harsh at 1 pm so I'm wondering why the +.67ev? If it were mine I would do a luminosity mask to tame the highlights a fair amount and might also drop the yellows slightly. I would also back off on the sharpening on the surrounding grass a little and perhaps run a round of NR on the bg.

    TFS,
    Rachel
    Thanks Rachel. That was a good call. Here is a repost implementing some of your suggestions.
    Andrew

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    Interesting image Andrew.
    I can see the points Rachel was making about the original post but I think that you have gone a bit too far the other way with your repost. The repost seems to have better detail but looks very flat. The grass in particular seems to have had all the colour drained out of it.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Andrew, each time you post here, each time I'm amazed at how much you progress, the detail and sharpness is really nice and compositionally too.

    Looking at the two side by side the OP far outstrips the RP IMHO as the RP looks flat. In the OP there is a nice balance of colour in the subject and although the light might have been harsh you handled it very well. Personally I feel all you need to do is just tweak the Exp setting in the RAW converter and then perhaps add a Channel Curves & mid tone to either the subject and or the surrounding habitat. It's not much because you are almost there overall, you just need to define the coat a bit, likewise tone the whites back a fraction. As to wether you ant to adjust the grasses is personal choice, I won't RP unless you need a steer.

    Be nice to see more from you.

    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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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Andrew - I do think you took it too far. Here's where I was going with a quick luminosity mask at 50% and then a hue/saturation layer dropping the yellows -10 in the grasses with the coyote masked out at 65% opacity. Finally, one round of NR just on the bg at the top. I didn't do anything about the sharpening of the grass since I was working from your op. WDYT?

    Rachel

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Ok Andrew, just to through more ideas into the pot to ponder on. Here is your OP with only the adjustments I suggested, you can clearly see the difference between the two RP's and what each adjustment has added to your original. No sharpening applied to the OP.

    Good call in posting Rachel, as it's a visual comparison for Andrew, cheers.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    Thanks Rachel, Steve & Martin for your excellent suggestions. I clearly see how your suggestions have improved the image. Well, back to the RAW image to see what I can do with it. Thanks again all.
    Andrew

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    Color in the RP's are much better and toned down from the OP. Still looks a little oversharpened to me. Nice capture for 1 PM, when most of us are on break.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Good to see you posting Andrew. Some good reposts above to give you stuff to incorporate into your workflow. I too think it looks a bit oversharpened as posted.
    Looking forward to more, and thanks for your comments on other threads too!!
    Morkel Erasmus

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