After taking a helicopter ride across Cook Inlet and landing in a remote area, we then hiked several miles to a stream where salmon were leaving the bay and starting their journey up the stream for spawning. The girzzly bears congregate there each year. Our small group of 6 sat a short distance up the bank for a couple of hours, watching the bears catch salmon. This guy had just eaten and was eagerly looking for his next meal. Conditions were overcast with light rain.....and cold!
D300 with 200-400/f4 @ 350mm
subject at 15 meters
1/350, f8 and ISO 800 (the usable max for that particular camera body without creating severe noise)
monopod
Hi Karen, nice look at the bear with the wet fur and the blood stained snout and dripping water. Comp works well, just wish he was angled a bit more towards us but no deal breaker. Well done in the wet and cold environs.
Cook Inlet, Alaska, where you have all four Seasons in one day, but breathe taking locations.
(the usable max for that particular camera body without creating severe noise)
Hi Karen, as I shoot Canon I have no idea how the camera performs (however I'm sure Morkel can advise here), but from the images posted so far and the locations you have visited, I get the impression you are constantly fighting light and I can appreciate that, therefore perhaps for the future it might be worth asking Santa for an upgrade (sorry don't mean to sound rude or patronising), pure and simple, I feel from your descriptions, that the ISO range is restricting your images & captures, and probably extremely frustrating for you too???? Having a good SS is key IMHO, but then you have to also then balance it out with other factors too i.e. ISO/DoFEV as you know...
The DoF looks right here, but the SS I think should be more towards 1/1600-2500, yes there is a trade off with the ISO, but the images will be sharper and with a slower frame rate (not rapid fire) you would have more keepers too. Not sure where the focus point was, but I get the impression it looks away from the eye, if so, you really need that FP bang on the eye and let the rest fall off. However I think you did extremely well with the contrast between subject and the water, not always that easy, I also like the wet fur, trailing water and blood stained jaw as mentioned by Sanjeev.
If you have it, then more image content above, it's a wee bit tight I feel, but based on the posting, adding a luminosity layer, a slight Curves adjustment to the LHS of the fur and a few more rounds of sharpening I think you get a great depth and tone to the overall image, I also added a fraction more above to illustrate my thinking.
Hi Karen always a pleasure to watch them catching salmon , and what would one expect up there in AK , just what you had weather wise .
I like the comp (even if a bit tight on top for me ) and the stream in the BG . For me the HA is quite ok .
Steve has done a good job to bring more depth in the subject , i also think it has to go somewhere there .
Not knowing the D300 and the capability of the camera , but i also think pushing the ISO fro more SS would have been better choice for more critical sharpness .
My initial thought when watched the first time was that i was thinking the contrast looks like being pushed with NIK Tonal Contrast , as the detail does look a bit coarse to my eyes , but i could be well wrong .
As it is possible even with old kit to get decent or even better than decent IQ , just a matter of processing many times from my POV , have a look at Akos Lumitzer´s image with old Canon kit like 30 D .
Still a nice image , worth a try to handle it with a slow contrast hand and see how it looks
Cook Inlet, Alaska, where you have all four Seasons in one day, but breathe taking locations.
Hi Karen, as I shoot Canon I have no idea how the camera performs (however I'm sure Morkel can advise here), but from the images posted so far and the locations you have visited, I get the impression you are constantly fighting light and I can appreciate that, therefore perhaps for the future it might be worth asking Santa for an upgrade (sorry don't mean to sound rude or patronising), pure and simple, I feel from your descriptions, that the ISO range is restricting your images & captures, and probably extremely frustrating for you too???? Having a good SS is key IMHO, but then you have to also then balance it out with other factors too i.e. ISO/DoFEV as you know...
The DoF looks right here, but the SS I think should be more towards 1/1600-2500, yes there is a trade off with the ISO, but the images will be sharper and with a slower frame rate (not rapid fire) you would have more keepers too. Not sure where the focus point was, but I get the impression it looks away from the eye, if so, you really need that FP bang on the eye and let the rest fall off. However I think you did extremely well with the contrast between subject and the water, not always that easy, I also like the wet fur, trailing water and blood stained jaw as mentioned by Sanjeev.
If you have it, then more image content above, it's a wee bit tight I feel, but based on the posting, adding a luminosity layer, a slight Curves adjustment to the LHS of the fur and a few more rounds of sharpening I think you get a great depth and tone to the overall image, I also added a fraction more above to illustrate my thinking.
Hope this helps.
TFS
Steve
Thank you, Steve! I can happily say that I now shoot a D810 and D3s! And we are considering returning to Alaska next year, so I may get a do-over! LOL!
Thank you so much for a re-post! For this image, using a higher ISO would have killed the IQ, so I did the best I could with the tool I had at that time. Since he was not moving and I was well braced, I hoped to create an acceptable (not stellar) image. I like the darker tonal range on your version, guess I am quite gun-shy since I frequently get challenged to show more shadow detail when originally I didn't think it added to the image. The actually coloring of the bear was very near the OP. I was surprised at the lighter color of these bears.
Thank you, Andreas! You are correct, I did use CEP Tonal Contrast on this image, but none of the settings were above 25. For sharpening, I used High Pass at 2 px on the bear only.
Just wanted to say I truly appreciate the comments.
However, on Wednesday I leave for a 3 week trip - my first - to SA!
So if I can't respond right away, just know that I will checked back in when we return home. I will finally be out shooting. I've only picked up my cameras once since last October!!!!!!!
Hi Karen, yep bears in general can vary in colour and so in the RP it was primarily as you know, to illustrate that there is more you can get from the image. Basically a lot it is not rocket science, but everything hinges on getting a well exposed image with a good tonal range i.e. spread across the whole axis if possible, peaking in the centre, but environments, light etc will all play a part in trying to achieve that. As you say, the bear was static so a reasonable SS would be fine.
Karen ...... how do i get the idea ???
To me it does not matter what one choose in Nik Tonal Contrast ( values ) , at one point you have a certain image appearance when this filter is used , for sure it varies and not all look the same .
I have tried NIK in the past too , gives you good and fast results at first look , but when you look critical it makes detail look coarse or it amplifies already existing noise depending on the presets and use of sliders within the software .
I can only suggest try lower values or use masks for more targeted use of the filter . or even better stay away from NIK , but this is just my personal view , do not take this as a rule . Same stuff is possible within PS itself , just a bit more work to do .
BTW : IMHO from the detail POV your raw does look better than the OP
Karen ...... how do i get the idea ???
To me it does not matter what one choose in Nik Tonal Contrast ( values ) , at one point you have a certain image appearance when this filter is used , for sure it varies and not all look the same .
I have tried NIK in the past too , gives you good and fast results at first look , but when you look critical it makes detail look coarse or it amplifies already existing noise depending on the presets and use of sliders within the software .
I can only suggest try lower values or use masks for more targeted use of the filter . or even better stay away from NIK , but this is just my personal view , do not take this as a rule . Same stuff is possible within PS itself , just a bit more work to do .
BTW : IMHO from the detail POV your raw does look better than the OP
Cheers Andreas
Thanks for the follow up, Andreas. I really respect your experience and objective input. I came to this forum to learn because "atta girl's" on other forums from folks who think an OOF & over processed image is OK does nothing for me! LOL! I seldom use NIK without also using either control points or a layer mask to control where the effect is being applied. I don't use the Detail Extractor for the same reasons you expressed about Tonal Contrast.
Hi Karen - A nice look at the bear and I don't mind the lack of eye contact. Steve's rp has shown you the direction to take the image. I'm also a fan of using any plug-ins in moderation and only if combined with getting the basics right in the field and in the conversion. My guess if from looking at the RAW is that you can probably arrive at a similar place to Steve's rp without using the CEP and without too many steps.
I'm sure you'll have a great time in SA and quickly catch the Africa fever that infected most of us. Looking forward to seeing your images when you return.
Hi Karen -- pretty late to join on this . Great suggestions and discussion above. I liked the way you have handled the light and like Sanjeev pointed out that dripping blood adds to the image. I too feel it is a bit tight and also HA not a big issue for me either. TFS !
I guess it is the same Bear that you posted earlier ?
Best wishes for your Africa Trip .
I am very late to comment on your lovely Bear image and so much has been said already, so I just hope you will have a wonderful time here in Africa and I am certain your D3S will perform under any conditions, be it sun or shade:)
Keep the sun behind you and enjoy all that you see and experience! Experiment as much as you can! Up the ISO when needed and deal with the noise (if any) later! Looking forward to viewing your posts when you return, travel safe and have fun!
Late to this one, Karen.
I love grizzly bears and this wet one is a joy to look at.
I do think your OP lacked some punch which Steve added with his repost.