Canon 7D
Canon 70-200/2.8 II + 1.4X @ 180mm
Just got this lens used and this was one of my first attempts with it.
1/1600 f/8 ISO 400
Crop for comp and sharpening in CS6
NR on BG in Noiseware Pro
Last edited by Ian Cassell; 07-22-2014 at 09:08 PM.
Hi Ian - It's a great lens and I'm sure you'll love using it. The comp works and sharpness looks good. If it were mine I would tame the highlights a bit more with a luminosity mask at 40-50% It looks more to me like heat shimmer in the bg than noise. Even with the 7D at ISO 400 with a properly exposed image, you should not have any noise.
Great to see you posting another species, and this particular image shows the subject's capability to blend so well with the environment. This certainly created some difficulty for you as the the photographer to make the subject stand out, the NR you have applied certainly helped to some extent but I personally felt that the BG was still a tad overwhelming.
The subject is sharp where it matters and also well exposed, great work! Not sure whether I am able to suggest a quick solution for the BG though, tried something but not quite sure it works all that well for you, or the other members viewing: I painted with soft light at very low percentage over the BG (in CS6), having picked a duller colour (closer to grey) from the BG itself. Afterwards I used NIK software - there's an option called "skin" which I normally use for studio portraits, and I tried it here to gently soften the BG.
Hope you enjoy your new lens, I am always happy to view your posts and hope you continue to surprise us with various species, I gather you enjoy wildlife and capture everything that comes your way, please keep those images coming
Thanks, Rachel and Gabriela. I think that treatment helped some, Gabriela. Which NIK software is the "Skin" preset in -- I need to look at my NIK and find it? I think your crop is a little too tight as you cut off the lizards left hind foot, but I do see that the tighter crop helps him stand out better. Thanks so much for taking the time. I don't get many opportunities to go to exotic places (although I AM going to the Galapagos this November), so I try and work with my local beasties as much as possible.