I was out yesterday frustrating myself trying to shoot ducks with the 600mm + 2x on my 5D3. The AF just isn't up to the task -- it searches fairly quickly but too long (and far) before making up its mind to lock on. I had slightly better luck with still life, although this was drifting enough in a very gentle breeze to still be a challenge.
ISO 1600, 1/4000 sec, f/9.5. I should have brought down the ISO and gone for a little more DOF but I was just grabbing an opportunity while waiting for a diving bird to re-surface. Cropped to 35% of the original frame.
Minimal adjustments in LR5, touched out 2 spots in the water, and a trip to CS6 for NR and a touch of sharpening -- hardly enough to show here.
This one works well for me. Still water, well exposed, nice reflection.
I might try a version with the rachis of the OOF area toned down a bit (lower the luminosity) so it doesn't pull our eye away from the in focus area quite so quickly.
Thanks, guys. I'll try that Randy -- good idea. I was a little surprised that the reflection didn't come out darker here. John, I thought about tweaking Vibrance a little (I'm not shy), but the softer tones as the RAW converter interpreted them seemed to fit the quietness of the image.
You'll never hear me say "That's the way it was." It's the way the RAW converter thinks it was (or should have been). And if I tweak something, it's the way I THINK it was -- or the way I wish it had been.
I posted a somewhat similar image years ago, and did do a little tweaking of the luminosity to highlight certain areas. I felt it did strengthen the image.
Here is one possible B/W conversion -- difficult to decide how to balance the tonalities (how dark or light to make the blue relative to the feather), but I think I favor this one. I thought I would miss the blue-brown complements of the original, but I think this is a good alternative for a fairly abstract image -- thanks for the idea, Randy!
Hi Diane. Very nicely seen and captured! Excellent sharpness with your 1,200 mm "macro" lens, a pleasing mix of colors, and a perfect reflection. For me, the color version is more appealing - but that is my personal bias. I also like Randy's idea of toning down the rachis - a minor tweak to a very strong image.
Wonderful reflection and a lovely blue bkgd. I also think the bright white shaft and soft parts could be less bright. And I agree with the autofocus on the 5D3. I tried to capture flying gulls during a lull in my recent duck pond photography and it just wasn't fast enough.
Thanks, Steve and Nancy! I did tone down the rachis a little on the B/W but it still needs more, I think. I agree it's a good idea. I was surprised at how bright the reflection was and didn't change any relative tonalities in the OP.
Very nicely seen (scene?), Diane. The perfectly calm water is a big plus for this tranquil image and the square comp works very well. Agree with toning down oof area (and wish it were feasible for it to be in focus…).
Thanks everyone! The DOF at this magnification is really frustrating. I don't think f/16 would have been much better. I will sometimes do a very quick focus stack of 2-3 shots (have made it work on dragonfly wings), but this feather was drifting and turning just a little too much.
Floating feather
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I also like Randy's idea of toning down the rachis - a minor tweak to a very strong image.
