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Thread: Elephant Seal Pup discussing with Gull

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Default Elephant Seal Pup discussing with Gull

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    Hi folks,
    took the image of this discussion between the pup and the Gull in St. Andrews Bay on South Georgia Island .
    The Pup felt threatened by the Gull, i think. Normally for a healthy pup at that size , they should not feel threatened as far as i know.
    The gulls were running through these groups of seals looking for food, even for weak looking seal babies or after birth.

    Canon EOS 1D MK III
    Ef 500 IS L
    Gitzo Tripod and Video Head

    F 8 ; ISO 640 ; 1/1000 sec

    Processed in DPP and PS CC ; cropped from top and LHS
    In a better world there should be a tad more space on RHS , but the world is not better so i have to take it as is.Like wise the OOF seal on RHS is some kind of distracting , but moving was not all the time possible due to seals and /or ship mates on location.

    Hope you like it, C&C most welcome.

    Cheers Andreas

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    I think the image is spot on in terms of sharpness and DOF for the subjects in question.

    The RHS is a bit distracting, and would agree with your self crit there.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Andreas - nice interaction and low pov. I too agree with your self-critique about the oof seal in the lrc. The techs look good but the image doesn't have as much detail as your usual posts. Did you process it differently?

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Thanks Rachel and Russell for your comments appreciate them both.

    Rachel - conditions has been very dull when the shot was taken, actually really foggy , so the original is quite lifeless in terms of clarity etc.Last image was taken at the same location, but i have been much closer to the subject so less fog , between the lens and the subject.Last but not least this is MK III , the other one MK IV.
    Originally i wanted to post a really dull version , which reflects the original situation better than the stronger processed version you see here.But i found it boring, so i went for a more contrasty version.
    BTW i never process images the same, i have a base routine and then i go with the flow , wherever it takes me .

    Hope that helps.

    Cheers Andreas

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    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    Hi Andreas, I just can agree with the others and yourself. The RHS is a bit disturbing for me as well.

    have a great eve

    Ciao
    Anette

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Andreas for the explanation. It makes sense. I also never process images exactly the same. This just looked a little smoother than usual especially on the gull.

    Thanks again,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Rachel - the gull is not in the same Focal plane as the seal , so slightly OOF , i could have tried to give it more USM and /or LCE , but honestly i forgot and in the end i thought it is ok.Hope that helps , too.

    Thanks Anette for leaving comment.

    BTW - what about toning down the LRC ? Will that help ? WDYT?

    Andreas

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    I like the interaction, low angle and black/white contrast here Andreas.
    I concur with Rachel but I know too that shooting through fog and dust is killer for fine detail. Did you try and play with selective clarity in LR before exporting to PS?
    The lower right corner OOF seal is a pity indeed. But not an image killer for me.
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Andreas, the explanation behind the image is very helpful and portray's well the issues many of us have experienced and so in terms of framing you did very well. Shooting in this domain can be very tricky as you have a lot to contend with, makes you appreciate shooting from a vehicle at times.

    I quite like the framing, even the OOF seal which diffuses the lower RH corner, however and just a thought, why not continue the OOF mush across the LHS to, very easy and perhaps gives a bit more continuity, WDYT? I would look to add a Linear burn to the Gull to retrieve a bit more detail, however you would then need to remove the Blue & Cyan cast. The black of the seal looks a little thin, might look at a halftone Curves adjustment to bring back a bit more depth to the black.

    Andreas remember, the MKIII in 2007 was a great camera, technology has come very far in a short space of time, so don't compare the images then to the 1DX now. If you took that shot then you would be very happy.

    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 Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Thanks Morkel and Steve as always very much appreciated .

    Morkel - i never use LR neither ACR , do not like the output.Now that i have changed to CC , i use ACR from time to time as Filter in the images, mainly because of the HSL function.

    Steve - please post your suggestions visually . I was not complaining about the MK III , just telling Rachel the possibilities of the lower clarity in this post, oops there are so many factors to consider…….. But as soon as you open the files one after the other, i think i see a difference, but fully understandable from a technical POV.

    Cheers Andreas

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    OK Andreas, here you go. Obviously as I said, I still think you can tease more out and better than my attempt from the RAW and avoid the slight cast.

    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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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Thanks Maestro,
    good job on improving an almost perfect image……LOL.

    Andreas

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    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    I like Steve' RP very much. Could not come from me

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    Like the interaction going on here.. Always a plus for a wildlife image!

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Morkel Erasmus View Post
    I like the interaction, low angle and black/white contrast here Andreas.
    I concur with Rachel but I know too that shooting through fog and dust is killer for fine detail. Did you try and play with selective clarity in LR before exporting to PS?
    The lower right corner OOF seal is a pity indeed. But not an image killer for me.
    Lower left corner??? Steve's repost rocks this one!
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