Was going through the latest threads here in avian and came across a lovely capture from Keith - the kestrel with a mouse. Somehow this made me think of a Lanner Falcon image I took in March 2012...I was shooting Nikon D300S at the time, my processing was quite basic and still struggling with exposure. Revisited that image and did a heavy crop to remove the grass surrounding the subject and to frame it better, the Lanner was very close and I struggled to compose, I remember sitting on the back seat of the Landrover and shooting backwards at the subject, whom by the way we spotted only after we drove past and did not want to disturb his "feast". He was feeding on a dove he had just caught, eyes on us from time to time but we managed not to stress him and came back with a few interesting images.
So here it is, not my best and a little noisy perhaps, still worth sharing I think...This is for you, Keith
Nikon D300S
Nikon 300 mm F2.8 VR
ISO 400
F6.3
1/2500s
Whites a tad blown and tried to recover, wish I had more DOF ... oh well, at the time I thought it was a pretty cool image, given the content
I was just about to comment on your Kori Bustard Image when this popped up. I was going to mention that even though I liked the Kori profile shot, it wasn't lit well and had some shadows from the sun not being lined up right. No matter how much PP you do to it, it will never have the same look as this nice capture.
The light angle is lined up much better and it has covered the Lanner really well. The detail looks awesome and I like the open beak with the feathers and blood on it as the falcon pants in the African sun. Nice BG also. Doesn't look noisy to me and the whites look perfect IMO.
Nice portrait Gabriela.
Last edited by David Salem; 05-10-2015 at 12:20 PM.
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Ditto what David commented. Quite a striking image, love the detail and colors, the intensity of the stare. The remnants of the prey tells a story. Thank you for sharing.
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
Thanks for this Gabriela,it really is very good, superb feather detail with no hint of over processing ,exposure spot on! Panting bird and the remains of it's dinner are icing on the cake.
I also had a D300 which I dropped from a tree, sorry to loose it I liked it a lot, will PM you to talk about the D4.
The IQ has held up beautifully for what you are calling a large crop.
Light on the bird is very nice.
Good IQ and love the food bits on the bill.
I might clone out the curved piece of grass in the BG to the right of the bird that intersects with the birds left eye.
Very nice portrait,
Gail
IQ looks great for the big crop (although not sure how big that means). I like the tongue and lower mandible looking wet. Cool prey morsels. Dof looks fine to me. You could darken the pupil a tad as it is a touch hazy.
Well done Gabriela in going back to an old image, techs look good and so coupled with your expanded PP you have created a nice image even if it's a large crop. Great colours and I like the 'debris' on and around the open beak. Love the narrative, just sets the scene and your issues in achieving the shot so well, therefore as a viewer you feel you are there with you.
Be great to see some Avian bods adding some images into your Story Sequence Forum?
To me the IQ looks fantastic and I am not sure what your definition of a big crop is? For me if I crop over say around 40% of the original frame that's a big crop. When you get a special shot and you know the IQ is well maintained it's worth cropping for sure.
I absolutely love the image!
The post processing does not seem to indicate any issues with regards to exposure.
Congrats!
Awesome facial expression! Details are quality and the image's graphic content grabs me. No need to have listed potential short comings for this fine portrait....I doubt many would have guessed "heavy crop" here...background has some nice context....the slightly darker area in the background bordering the neck of the bird looks a tad suspect...anything removed there?
Thank you all so much for viewing and for those kind comments, questions and suggestions - I really appreciate it, very much.
David, I am so glad you like the Lanner, the Kori Bustard image did not come out as nice as I hoped, indeed I struggled with the shadows there and again, a fairly large crop, some IQ lost I guess, the feathers not as crisp as I would have liked.
Keith, do send me a PM anytime and we'll chat about the D4, I am testing a D4S this coming week-end and would be nice to compare. Sorry about your D300S, ouch - what were you doing up in the tree, LOL, birding, sightseeing?
Daniel, this is a 60% crop. The pupil might have become hazy during my PP as I had to recover detail - it was rather pitch black, will certainly look into it, thanks for pointing that out for I did not notice:)
And Steve -thank you so much, what a great idea, as soon as I read your suggestion I started looking at other frames from this lot for Story Sequences Forum. Some are even "gorier" than this, I am afraid (lots of blood and some dove body parts), hope the viewers won't mind.
Akos and Shawn - thank you both - as I said, a 60% crop due to abundant vegetation (subject on the ground). In some images I cut the Lanner's tail, was trying to shoot some vertical frames to allow for the dove remains at his feet. The white feathers above beak and chest a bit blown but not completely, I managed to recover to some extent. Ideally you would be able to see the feathers with all ramifications. Similar dark patches like the one behind the bird occur in other places in the BG but the crop took care of them - this was taken in 2012, I cannot remember what they were and it baffles me, not rocks for sure because in the KTP they are white. Nothing removed, I assure you, I would not dare get close to those back feathers:)
Once again I am very grateful for your comments and views
Hi Gabriela , a nice moment to get the lanner falcon that close to the lens !!
You did well all around with the image , nice colors and detail , the right amount of sharpness....... so to sum this up , !!
But it would be not me if i would not see a potential shift in a certain direction , just me seeing the image a bit denser in the tones .
Andreas, I have been waiting for your RP, thought it would never come
I like it my Boet, very much! Thank you!
You know I wouldn't normally go this far, but I have been thinking whether I should push the envelope sometimes, although never quite sure when to stop and what is too much, keeping it safe, maybe doing two or three versions of one image and then reviewing the next day might be a better option, WDYT?
Really kind of you to take the time to view and RP, I appreciate it my friend
Hi Gaby, excellent angled portrait with good DOF, and showing great detail all round. I like the open beak with hints of his last meal, and the Falcon is nicely separated from the BG. I dont see any noise, and with ISO 400, you shouldnt have had any.
Thank you so much Stu and Peter, so happy to hear from you and appreciate your feedback, Andreas's RP does add a wonderful 3D feel to the image and I will try my best to replicate it in my next thread:)
Meanwhile, I have shared a number of similar images from this sighting in the Story Sequences Forum, I would be grateful if you could find a few seconds to take a look and let me know what you think
Lanner Falcon
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