Red deer stag

[Mike Poole]

Another one from last years rut - not been able to get out in decent light for this years season yet.

Canon 1d3, 400mm and 1/1250th f6.3 ISO 800

[Mike Poole]

I've just setup a new computer at home with a new screen - looks good on there but awful now I'm looking at it on my laptop, so please feel free to be brutal, as I need to know which setup needs altering!

Mike

[Steve Kaluski]

Mike, if your set-up at home is right, monitor calibrated etc, then there will be a certain amount of change, albeit slight to what you see on other screens. I have two 'edge to edge' 24" monitors side by side and they are fine, transfer the file to a laptop MacBook Pro, iPad, iPhone they will always look different, there are two many variables.

Light looks quite strong giving a bold highlight down the neck, if this location is near then I would suggest early starts or towards dusk to get the best light, seems even after 8.30am the light may not be ideal may be changing position may have helped? It does however seem to provide a good BKG to separate the subject and to loose any distracting bushes/shrubs. Is this a crop and if so, by a large amount, as the subject isn't that sharp with lost detail sadly, there should be more definition on/around the head/rack. Just interested, but did you lighten the overall image, it looks quite 'coarse/grainy' for ISO 800, even on the 1DMK3. I do however like the posture of the bellowing stag, but again, due to the light a lot of detail is blown around the mouth and I might be tempted to run a little NR on the BKG.

TFS
Steve

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Mike - great bugling pose and the color/light on the grasses. It's one of those tough exposure situations where if you expose to get detail on the side of the face, you're going to blow the highlights. If you expose for the highlights, you won't have much detail on the face. Steve has covered the problems well.

TFS,
Rachel

[Mike Poole]

Thanks for looking and commenting.

Steve, I think of broke the cardinal rule here of trying to polish a - well - wasted frame. I like to try and get something different from lighting angles whever possible, but on this occasion it was too much to work with to get a decent result.

My new screen seems to be asking for the brightness to be set low down, so when I've processed shots on it, a few people have started commenting on the brightness levels, I'll re-calibrate.

Rachel, thanks for commenting but ultimately I think it's headed for the bin!

regards

Mike

[Morkel Erasmus]

There was potential here, Mike...but as you said it's probably a "wasted frame", more's the pity...
Can't add more to what Rachel and Steve have pointed out.

[Steve Kaluski]

Mike you are correct, if it's not sharp, lacks detail, or you have to crop hard, move on. Regarding your monitor you need to get on top of calibration & output, otherwise you will be in the same camp as the image. Obviously Mike not knowing what you have, where you have placed it within the room, the ambient light/lighting, what you are using to calibrate the screen, it's hard to advise, but once you have cracked it then calibrate once a month or when it tells you i.e. after 300hrs and if it's a brand new monitor then it may need calibrating in a very short space of time, as monitors 'drift' when new, then settle down.

[Mike Poole]

Mike you are correct, if it's not sharp, lacks detail, or you have to crop hard, move on. Regarding your monitor you need to get on top of calibration & output, otherwise you will be in the same camp as the image. Obviously Mike not knowing what you have, where you have placed it within the room, the ambient light/lighting, what you are using to calibrate the screen, it's hard to advise, but once you have cracked it then calibrate once a month or when it tells you i.e. after 300hrs and if it's a brand new monitor then it may need calibrating in a very short space of time, as monitors 'drift' when new, then settle down.

Thanks Steve, the monitor is a dell ultrasharp 2414H. I got that as I believed it could be hardware calibrated with the x-rite i1 display pro, but it now appears that with a mac its software calibration only.

Ii's in my box room (actually now it's been converted into my 'man-cave!) with a window off to the side and I'm going to look into if i need to change the light bulb. I'll do a bit more research over gamma etc...

[Jonathan Ashton]

I like it - the dynamic range is outside the camera's range but I think the image presented is great. Some highlights on the chest are blown but it doesn't seem to matter to me because the image as a whole comes together, it is the sort of scene you may occasionally see and the first thing anyone would do is wish they had a camera with them.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Mike, like the sound of a 'Man cave' cool, just don't hibernate there though!

I'll try and send a PM over the week with some pointers which may/may not help??? Just don't by a ColourChecker Passport!

[Mike Poole]

Steve, if you do get a spare 5 mins, it would be very much appreciated

Mike