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Thread: B&W Polar Bear

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Default B&W Polar Bear

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    This is a male polar bear in Svalbard, Norway. Taken just after 7 a.m. It's another backlit one where the sun was low in the sky. I have been trying to find a polar bear image with enough tonal range that it was suitable for conversion and finally settled on this one. I used Nik Silver Efex for the conversion but masked the polar bear only at 50% to retain a slight tint and make it pop a bit more from the surroundings.

    Canon 5D3
    300II plus 2xIII
    1/3200
    f5.6
    ISO800
    Monopod from moving boat, cropped to straighten, levels, curves, converted as described above, sharpened in CS6.

    C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

    Rachel

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    Hi Rachel, it must be a bit difficult to make the Bear stand out against that BG but it looks to me as though you have achieved your objective, bet it's great to work on these magnificent animals .

    Keith.

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    This works very nicely for me. If there was any colour on the head of the PB, could you enhance that a little just to bring out that as the focal point, rather than the body of the bear?
    Ed

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Keith and Ed. Ed - the head and body were treated exactly the same and the head seems to have had less color than the body.

    Thanks again,
    Rachel

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel, I like the comp, but not the colour choice of toning. When I first saw it, straight away I thought of Frank Hurley, the photographer who documented Shackleton's expedition - Endurance, with the snow and ice it just has that feeling. Might be worth a look, food for thought? Certainly adding a mid tone layer & Lumin adj will help the snow, or do you want a very 'bleached out' look?

    I'll send you something.

    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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    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel, I like it what you have done here. I might would not reduce so much color. I also like the comp very much and the space around this chap. Very nice

    have a great afternoon/eve

    ciao Anette

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel,
    like the image as presented, keeping some kind of color in the subject works nice , lifting it from the surrounding.
    The comp is good and i do not mind about the bleached look of the snow.

    Well done Andreas

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    Awesome image Rachel. Well composed, nice HA and I like the way the PB stands out against the snow.

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  15. #9
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Steve, Anette, Andreas and Sanjeev. Steve - I did want a little more starkness and brightness. I should have mentioned that I tweaked the Nik Silver Efex preset that includes a GND. Thanks for pointing me to Hurley. Made for some interesting reading. Talk about tough conditions.

    Thanks again,
    Rachel

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    Rachel, really like your decision to leave a little colour tone in the bear, it work very nicely for me. Snow wise i would maybe look at slightly bringing this back a little. I may also be inclined to loose a little off the FG as i fee there is a little too much water there, maybe only about half as much. Otherwise works nicely for me.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Good call on the colour tone mask on the bear, Rachel, really has helped it stand out without looking weird.
    Nice use of lines and light/shadow here.

    How about a crop from the top to remove the sky?
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Hi Rachel

    I like the treatment you had given the image …. only suggestion I would make is too lighten the dark stripes in BKG.

    Well done …

  21. #13
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Brendon, Morkel and Peter

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