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Thread: Short Eared Owl.

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    Default Short Eared Owl.

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    Nikon d300
    Nikon 500ml f4.

    1/60@f4 iso 800.

    I would like to hear your views on this I took the picture along with a lot more on a wet and almost dark afternoon I have done a little work on the bg in the absence of me not having any NR software(can anyone suggest a good one that will not be really expensive) I selected the bird then dropped the contrast which certainly did improve it.I am not sure about this image I like a lot of things about it but there is just something I'm not sure about any help and critique
    would be much appreciated. Steve put me onto this site and as given me a lot of help but I am still very much a novice.

    Thanks Keith.

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    BPN Member Sandy Witvoet's Avatar
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    Hi Keith.... I'm not seeing any real problem with the bg.... in fact, it's lovely and complementary to the Owl. Face/eye look pretty good but, the OOF breast and wing are distracting. SS looks pretty slow, even for a perched bird, since they (or their feathers!) are always moving. Crop?
    I really like your comp...even the wire... it's where/how Owls perch! (I would LOVE to see one of these Owls someday!) What is your location?
    www.mibirdingnetwork.com .... A place for bird and nature lovers in the Great Lakes area.

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    What an impressive looking owl. Those eyes are amazing!

    You were cutting it fine with such low light but you managed a very sharp face

    If it were mine i would have tried to clone out the wire but its perfectly fine as is. BG is nice too

    We had one of these in our area last fall but it was killed by another raptor.

    TFS

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    Sandy think you have hit the nail on the head about the OOF wing and breast feathers I just could not put my finger on it .I live in Lincolnshire UK we had lots of these Owls that over wintered with us unfortunately the rough ground that they hunted on as been taken back to intensive farming so I don't hold out a lot of hope for this winter. Pleased that my work on the BG seems to have worked. Thanks Sandy and Shane.

    Keith

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    Default Any better?

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    Sharpened the wing and breast feathers is that better?

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    This is really lovely. The sombre conditions MAKE the image. This is the light you want IMO. The eyes look so good, and not in an artificial way, as sometimes happens when people are a bit over-zealous about lighting the eyes in this situation. I think a little off the right would work. Also, I think the breast feathers are blurry due to movement in a breeze rather than OOF- Keith correct me if I'm wrong please.

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    I was so taken with the beautiful face and very nice pose that I didn't even notice the slightly soft feathers. You got the focus where it needed to be.

    I think the image could be brightened a little, and the colors might possibly be tweaked a little. Hard to know what is right in dark conditions -- that can make colors problematic.

    Here's a version for comparison. Just brightened it up with a Curve, pulling up the center a little, then some slight tweaking with Color Balance.

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    Forum Participant christopher galeski's Avatar
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    nice image Keith,like the pose,nice BG,and I like the lighting,if mine, would sharpen the beak,looks a bit soft on my screen,before I forget,great eyes.

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    Thanks a lot folks this is just the sort of critique I am looking for.


    Keith.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Keith, personally I cannot see any issue with the image at all, in fact, if I had this in my portfolio I would be extremely happy, however keep posting at this level and I may regret helping you, as you are getting too good now, LOL this is excellent work, with a killer BKG.

    Perhaps moving the whole crop to the left, with a little less on the RHS and more to the left may be better so the SEO can look into the larger space, likewise opening up the black shadow areas a fraction around the eyes? At 1/60sec the IQ is extremely good, you must have a very steady pair of hands. Not sure what the small blemish is on the chest outline, RHS as viewed?

    Keith you are now shooting with the D4, so 'noise/grain' should not be that much of an issue providing you get the exposure right and are NOT 'lightening' the image. If you want some software to deal with NR call me, however you can do things very well with PS which you have and I feel that would suit you far better. I just need to explain how you apply it, as it's a visual implement which is ideal, as you can see the effect in real time as you apply it, allowing you to back off easily. Just remember, with NR you should be easy on application you don't want a perfect, smooth, BKG, as that looks false/unnatural and jars with the sharpening subject, you have seen plenty of those images I'm sure in your time.

    Keith as I have said, it great to see how far you have come in such a short time, especially with your purchases last year as they have made a huge difference, but coupling that with posting here will mean you will be climbing that ladder very quickly and it will help fill those little gaps you have been missing in your learning development, just wished you had joined sooner. Keep posting!

    Cheers
    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 Keith - the eyes are captivating and really make this image. Very well done. I don't see a problem with the bg and you've gotten excellent critiques and advice above. Keep them coming.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Thanks you you all, John you may have a good point re the feathers in the breeze I will check some more images.

    Keith.

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