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Thread: Queen of the Night

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Default Queen of the Night

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    Thought I'd join Sanjeev with a leopard portrait.
    Captured earlier this year on Singita (Sabi Sand, South Africa) - spot lit from the side.
    I only figured out the better ISO settings later (which meant taking it off auto ISO haha). I shoot auto ISO most of the time but at night given the consistency of the spotlight it's better to switch to manual ISO and choose your settings wisely. Still, I think it's impressive given the techs!

    We had a lovely sighting on our own of this female. She and a hyena squared off for a few minutes along a firebreak which made for great viewing at night using the spotlight.

    Techs:
    Nikon D3s
    Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
    f4.0 | 1/160 SS | ISO-14,368
    Morkel Erasmus

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    A fine portrait, Morkel! The intensity and coloring in the eyes is really well captured. And the sharpness of the eye and surrounding area shows us nice details. The lighting from the side is soft....never having experienced a night safari I thought it might be more harsh. The grass in the lower RHS is a bit distracting, but it does give a hint of the environment.

    THS! A good one for me to study.....my first trip to SA is in 2 weeks....and we will be at Sabi Sabi.

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    Hi Morkel, a fine night shot of this lovely cat. You did well with the techs and comp. Impressive high ISO IQ and equally well handled Whitebalance and detail as it's easy to blow the detail in the spot light. TFS.
    Last edited by Sanjeev Aurangabadkar; 08-15-2015 at 06:53 AM.

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel - the side lighting with the spot makes all the difference. The comp here works extremely well. Nice sharpness and detail. IQ looks great for such a high ISO. I might reduce the yellows in the whites slightly but not a deal breaker. Interesting about the auto ISO, I still prefer to control the ISO myself.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    She is a beauty, Morkel!

    Love the pose and concentration from this Queen of the Night... equally impressed with the D3S at high ISO

    I like the colours here, very similar with those on a Leopard print on my study wall (err...not mine, Brendon Cremer's) , they add a kind of warmth but also tension to the moment.

    Well composed and nice IQ, sharp and good detail, love the tree in the BG, well executed my friend, I am a bit jealous

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Forum Participant BenBotha's Avatar
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    I agree with the comments, well executed and impressive at the ISO. The yellows could be reduced a little IMO.

    Ben

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    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    I'm not normally a fan of the spot lit shots as they can look too false, but on this occasion it has worked beautifully. A great stare and the sallow DoF really emphasises that eye.

    Interesting ISO!

    Mike

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    I like the consistincy of the lighting here Morkel, with good quality ISO we've come to expect with the D3s

    I would like to have seen this a tad lighter by lifting the exp perhaps 1/2 stop but increased noise comes into play of course, just a thought?

    I'm surprised you didn't try for a lower ISO in conjunction with -EV exp settings, I've found this to be very fruitful for my night/spotlit images.

    TFS


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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marc Mol View Post

    I'm surprised you didn't try for a lower ISO in conjunction with -EV exp settings, I've found this to be very fruitful for my night/spotlit images.

    TFS
    I did later, mate. Haven't shot at night much before this trip - so a learning curve haha
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Morkel Erasmus View Post
    I did later, mate. Haven't shot at night much before this trip - so a learning curve haha
    Yes, have noticed your leopard encounters are on the increase.........and not before time


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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel a nice tight head shot of the leopard for sure .
    For me as a general feeling , i hardly find a night shot that grabs my attention for whatever reason , and even more when compared with shots taken in daylight like Sanjeev´s recently posted Leopard portraits .
    I am sorry Morkel to say that , just being honest with you , but guess you can stand that .

    TFS Andreas

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    Lifetime Member Ákos Lumnitzer's Avatar
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    I love photographing at night and always shoot in full manual mode with flash providing all the light I need. Simple as that.

    Fabulous portrait given the techs, however, a little NR on the foliage in the right side would come in handy.

    Well done mate. Keep it up!

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel, the 'spot' has provide some nice warmth to the image, surprised you didn't add any NR to the BKG area to reduce the noise??? Good to see you pushing the ISO.

    TFS
    Steve

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    Hi Morkel -- i liked this one lovley warm colors due to the lighting and nicely composed with superb IQ considering the high level of iso. still u could have applied noise reduction on its lower neck area . TFS !

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Thanks folks.
    I have applied NR to the BG in moderation, but doing more would result in a blotchy look that I don't like. A bit of grain has never hurt anyone eh
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    You could always try dealing with it within LRCC???

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    Lifetime Member Andre Pretorius's Avatar
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    Hi Morkel

    Me as you know is also a big fan of Auto ISO. Have found not to step 1/3 stops, really helps.
    Love her focussed look, directed at the hyena?
    I just thought of the light source- the traditional spotlight has a halogen globe, which gives "warmer" feel with more yellows.
    The handheld spots use LED globes, with a more "whiter" light- would be interesting to capture the same scene with different light sources...
    Wonder what the most ideal Kelvin value is for photography?
    Regards

    Andre.

    www.gappimages.com

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Kaluski View Post
    You could always try dealing with it within LRCC???
    I did a bit Steve - not a fan of pushing LR NR since it destroys fine detail...
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Very true, it becomes a very fine balancing act, as you invariably need to refine all the sliders.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    I prefer doing NR through a mask/selection in PS, just gives more control in the end.
    Morkel Erasmus

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