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Thread: Mother and cub moment

  1. #1
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    Default Mother and cub moment

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    I am still not sure about this image. I took a number of tight full frame shots of these guys with the 300mm before changing to my 70 to 200mm. The IQ is quite good but the comp has had me trying all sorts of options so I hope to get some ideas from you all here. I know there should be a bit more on the top and bottom but left it as is without adding canvas.

    I cropped 1/2" on the lhs.

    This was taken close to 1700hrs in the afternoon around an almost dry pan with the odd pool of water where they quenched their thirst.


    Canon 1D Mk IV - Canon 300mm f2.8L IS ISM MK II plus 2 x extender - Bean bag
    ISO 640, f9, 1/1600 sec in manual mode - the cubs were running around playing which is why I eft the ss as shown.

    ACR basics
    PSE 9 - LM - adjustment layers, sat,levels - NR on BG

    C&C welcome as always

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    Lovely image and I actually like your crop. The cub licking the mother and the mother's tongue are nice touches. The close framing is nice because cheetahs often lie flat out on their sides and it's not very flattering!!!

    The whole thing looks very thin on contrast and colour though, and there are almost no shadows.... Did you lift shadows heavily during PP?

    I would look to get more contrast in the mid-tones with a bit of global contrast adjustment and then some tweaking of shadows and highlights sliders. I managed to make some good adjustments in LR even without the original RAW.

    Good luck - it's a really nice image so I'd spend some time on it.

    Ed

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    I like it Carl.
    Detail is good and crop is fine, except it's possibly a bit tight at the top. I like the cub's muddy paw in the foreground and the pink tongues add a nice touch.
    Colour wise I might add a bit of saturation as the colours are a bit flat.

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    Nice Images and intimacy is always something to be looked for.
    For me the crop is just a bit too tight, the paw front right is cropped in a position where my eye says that it needs to see more. The image to me is also a bit flat, maybe you opened up the shadows too much, and I would suggest that you bump the black a little in selective color, select the color black then bump the black slider inside the black to taste.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Carl - nice intimate moment captured. I am ok with your crop but agree that you could also add canvas on the left, above and below if you wanted and if it is within your ethics. I also agree with the above comments about the color and contrast being very thin. It does look like perhaps a little too much recovery of shadows or lightening in pp. For me, this is an image worth working on.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Carl, yur images are looking much better, you have the detail and sharpness, but would agree the overall look & feel is a tad light.

    As Ed said, you just need to pull back within the exposure module in LR, if the blacks start to clip you will see it's only in the shadow areas and these can be dealt with separately, I think you were working on Global changes and forgot perhaps you can also selectively adjust things. Agreed, the tightness top & bottom is not ideal and I think there is a tad too much to the right, changing the crop to the good old 5 x4 and working from the LHS utilising the whole depth does offer perhaps a better option, WDYT? Adding a % mid tone does also help, but a lot can be achieved and better within the RAW module. Not sure if you blurred the BKG?

    Carl, I would look also to adding a 1.4x into your kit bag, you will save a stop or two and IQ will be better, plus it will avoid framing too tight as you can always crop a little at PP stage.

    With some small adjustments you have the making of a nice image.

    TFS
    Steve
    Last edited by Steve Kaluski; 12-28-2013 at 10:52 AM.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    Hi Carl,

    Beautiful and intimate moment captured here. I agree with the others that the image looks a little flat, it's missing some 'pop'. The crop is fine, but if you could include the pawn again it would be better.

    TFS
    Gert

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    BPN Member Anette Mossbacher's Avatar
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    Hi Carl,

    very nice moment you have captured. For me as well it looks a tad flat and needs a bit more room to breath. Maybe you have it! Details look very good
    You got already good suggestion above.

    Ciao
    Anette

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    There's been some solid feedback already, Carl.
    Few things that struck me immdiately:

    1. Could lose some LHS and RHS to go tighter altogether?
    2. Very thin - midtones are muddy and looks like shadows/highlights tool was abused
    3. Something odd above the cub's head - and did you add blur to the BG?

    Applying some of the suggested changes above will improve this lovely moment of interaction you captured.

    Happy New Year!!
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Agree this is one where a wider or better still a tighter crop would benefit, once that and the S/H detail is remedied it would be greatly improved.
    TFS Carl.


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    Hi Carl - I like the image very much. Great to capture such an intimate moment and the fact that both tongues are out adds. All the techs covered already.
    TFS, Cheers
    Hennie

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