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Thread: Dive!

  1. #1
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Default Dive!

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    I thought I would mix it up a bit more and post something a bit different. A Humpback Whale displays its fluke as it dives and another swims along. The kittiwakes and gulls followed the whales waiting for them to stir up food. Taken in the waters around Svalbard, Norway in August.

    Canon 7D
    300 II
    1/5000
    f5.6
    ISO 400
    HH from moving boat, ff but cloned out some stray bird parts, luminosity masks, levels, curves adjustments, selective color, sharpened in PSCC.

    C&C welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

    Rachel

    P.S. Please take a look at this thread and share your thoughts: http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...an-we-help-you
    Thanks

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    Excellent exposure and detail in this one. Nice contrast and the gulls add interest. Wish for a little bit more room below.
    TFS.
    Sanjeev

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Nice inclusion of the feeding gulls with good detail on the tail, I ran a lumo mask on the highlights Rachel and it came up well for mine. Something worth trying I feel.
    The other Humpback intrudes a little but understand the difficulty in getting that whilst they're group feeding.
    TFS


  4. #4
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Sanjeev and Marc. Marc - I already ran 3 or 4 different lumo masks at varying strengths to get this to where I wanted it.

    Thanks again,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel,
    after looking at this several times , i came to conclusion this not working at all for me.
    And sadly you cannot do much to make this work. Too much chaos in the picture, the subject is conflicting with the other whale in the BG, the highlights are just blown white big blobs, too tight all around. the two gulls in front of the whale. so too many issues for me.
    i think once you have looked at whale fluke images taken from a low boat , i feel i would like to bin that kind of stuff , if it were mine, but really understand if you are keeping this stuff, for memory……….
    The best are the two gulls and parts of the fluke with some nice detail.

    I am really sorry to be so negative , even if i am the only one….., just being honest.

    TFS Andreas

    I am really sorry Rachel

  6. #6
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Andreas - no problem at all. I always appreciate honest critiques and the fact that opinion's and taste differ is what makes the forum so great.

    Thanks again,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hey Rachel what raw converter do you use ? ACR or LR ? By knowing they are not really good in highlight recovery, and the fact that there is a new engine running in the BG of ACR and LR since 2012, which is already recovering HL without letting you know, i try , better said do not use them at all.

    But in this case it looks like no raw converter in the world could recover these washed out HL to make it look pleasing.

    I personally really like what you did in PP here , getting the best out of the frame.

    But if you like you can sent me the raw via DB, to make my " magic HL recovery" work. Just joking…….

    I do find it very good , that you can stand my negativity and agree about your reply

    Cheers Andreas

  8. #8
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    I mostly use ACR and did so on this image. Occasionally I'll use DPP. Personally, I can't stand LR and never go near it. For me, it's not always about recovering everything. The real scene sparkled and was bright to look out. I wanted to retain some of that. See my recent walrus post "Sparkles" for another example. As you know, I tend to favor realism in my photos and often try to keep the image close to what my eyes and brain remember seeing. Only in the past year, have I strayed a bit from this with some more arty images (for lack of a better term) and more experimenting both in the field and in pp. This one was a little bit of both with me trying to maintain the light and color as I saw it but straying a bit by cloning out some of the bird parts.

    Thanks again,
    Rachel

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Thanks for clarifying things, i finish for tonight.

    Andreas

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel, I think perhaps having the 70-200 with a 1.4x would have been better, as I feel the image needs more space below and perhaps going to a portrait mode too, but in the heat of the moment etc, it's easy to suggest in an armchair and computer screen. The light looks harsh and you dealt with it well, just want more trailing water of that fin. Having the birds feeding is a nice touch, but agree with Marc, that the other whale is a little intrusive and detracts from the scene. Techs look good and having a high SS way in your favour both in terms of capturing the moment and shooting from on board ship.

    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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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Rachel, I really like the shape of the whales tail, and interesting detail along the edges. I feel your comp works fine as is, and the following gulls add to the image. I must be honest, I hardly notice the other whale alongside.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Rachel - to be honest the thumbnail made me go "Meh!" but I decided to open it and was pleasantly surprised...a lot of interest here with the crisp splashes, the birds in the wake of the tail.
    I like it! In an ideal world, the BG whale would be a goner
    (goes to show that we should always give an image the benefit of the doubt)
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


  13. #13
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Thanks Steve, Stu and Morkel.

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