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Thread: Clash of the Titans

  1. #1
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    Default Clash of the Titans

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    Came across a rhino dung midden that had already been flattened by hundreds of varying species of dung beetles.
    After my last post of these guys I saw this a an opportunity to get down and dirty and join the low angle 'shooters' and with my favourite insects( pepper ticks )



    Low angle - prone position with Bean Bag and pepper ticks
    7D - 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM MK II plus 1.4 X extender MK III - focal length 280mm
    Manual - + 1 ev - ISO 800, f11, 1/640 sec

    LR5 basics
    PSE 9 - LM - Adj layers - levels, sat, B&C, - cloned out an OOF beetle in BG - I sharpened with a high pass filter and again with USM for the web

    All C&C welcome

  2. #2
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Carl, I like this very much and the interaction between the two beetles in creating the dung ball. Getting down and dirty has it's pluses and providing you came out unscathed and without attracting any ticks, then great and with a subject such as this, I do feel it makes a huge difference. I like the framing, although loosing a little of the top wouldn't hurt. Some shadows are choked ie in the ball itself, but the blacks overall look thin, so the shadow areas within the beetles look lightened? You may wish to consider double processing if you are struggling to get the overall 'global' look, in doing so you can get a bit more depth in the outer shells and retain that lovely iridescence. To me, sharpness isn't quite there either, is this a largish crop? I think you could have gone to f/9 just to gain a bit more SS.

    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 Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Great angle and interaction Carl! I like how you captured their iridescence but feel you applied a little too much shadow recovery overall (before even reading Steve's comment).
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Despite the technical issues, I like seeing these ticks in all their iridescence glory.

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    Nice colours and great details.
    Ed

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Carl - the low shooting angle was worth it. I also like the iridescence. Agree about the shadows and the sharpness.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Good to see something different here Carl, all nits aside, love these guys battling it out, nice perspective, but seeing a lot of magenta cast, an easy fix.
    TFS


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