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Thread: Suggestion on how to improve picture

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    Default Suggestion on how to improve picture

    My setting for this picture was in manual at f/5.6, ISO 640, shutter speed 1/5000 with canon 7D Mark II and 400mm f/5.6L lens. I upped the exposure some and the shadows a little and added a little sharpen. I am trying to get more detail in the feathers. I do think I should have should have exposed to the right more as I am learning that I always seem to be short on the exposure. I got to trust the histogram and not my camera display because when viewed on the camera it always looks to bright. Then when I look at it at home on the computer is always underexposed by 1/2 to 1 stops. Suggestions to make this shot better would be appreciated. Thanks in advance
    _61A6952 by rgollar, on Flickr

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    BPN Member Don Lacy's Avatar
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    Never judge your image by looking at the LCD if you are shooting Raw always use the histogram it will give you the must accurate information regarding your exposure. There are a few issues with this image first is the pose with your subject flying away from the viewer and with no eye contact there is no way for your viewer to make a connection to the image, and the reason you are lacking detail is from lifting the exposure in post which has added noise to the feathers and the image is slightly out of focus. I did another round of sharpening in PS using the smart sharpen filter at amount 55 and a radius of .4, which helped but also made the noise in the feathers more noticeable. Work on getting your exposure right so you don't have to correct it in post if anything you want to overexpose as much as possible without blowing the highlights and pulling the exposure down in post which has the opposite effect of decreasing noise as to pulling in up in post. Also pay attention to how your subject is moving in the frame flying or running away from the viewer rarely makes for a compelling image.
    Don Lacy
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    Thank you Don for the time to help. I swear you think I would learn by now. Its seems every time it comes down to not exposing to the right enough. Thanks so much for help on how to improve this kind of shot.

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    Don is absolutely right -- never use the image on the back of the camera to judge exposure. Never. Try changing the brightness of the display and you'll see why.

    Set the display to show the histogram and use that. But bear in mind the histogram is from an on-the-fly JPEG created with the settings in the menus, such as contrast. Experiment to see what settings work best to judge how much exposure you can get away with.

    Also rely on the blinkies for a quick glance at how your exposure is working.

    Once you have an exposure nailed down for a scene in which the light will remain constant on the subject, using manual exposure can save you some grief.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Richard, used the camera screen for composition only and to highlight any distracting elements etc, never use it for colour or brightness, so to speak. Your histogram is your best friend for exposure and to illustrate blown highlights or clipped blacks. However make sure your monitor is also calibrated correctly too and keep it updated on a regular bases i.e. every month, if you monitor is not set up correctly then no matter how good your image is, you will simply undo all that hard work.

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    Thanks again for all the great help. Well I am getting alot sharper images by getting the exposure closest to the right of the histogram with out clipping. And I am noticing I have to fill the frame more to keep it sharp. Here is an example of what I think is good or acceptable for what I am trying to achieve.
    _69Y1652-Edit by rgollar, on Flickr

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    That looks very nice! Exposure doesn't affect sharpness but it can give you some overhead to bring out detail, which is also important.

    And yes, cropping is always going to bring out the worst in an image. The better the camera and lens, and the sharper the capture, the more you can get away with cropping, but it's best not to.

    If you can get "separation" of the background, where it is out of focus, as you did here, that can add to the appearance of sharpness on the subject, too.

    A thought on this image -- it would have been nice to go vertical and include the legs and feet, if possible.
    Last edited by Diane Miller; 10-01-2015 at 11:13 PM.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Richard, Diane is correct about Exposure not affecting sharpness, this is down SS, a slow SS will create a soft image, a higher SS will provide a sharper image providing there is no operator error LOL. With new digital cameras using a high ISO to gain better SS is IMHO the way to go. I am not suggesting you shoot ISO6400, DoF f/5.6 with a SS of 1/8000, however you just have to be sensible and judge the situation, is the subject still, or moving, in flight. Gain a good SS, camera tracking set correctly and the focus on the head/eye where appropriate and this in theory should provide sharper images. Higher bursts may also create fewer keepers to, but that's another avenue of exploration. The RAW image has to be sharp, if it's soft then no amount of software & sharpening will help. Sharpness is in relation to the original capture, thereafter once you create your file for print, web etc this is purely 'perceptional' sharpening, however ALL digital images require sharpening unlike the days of film.

    When shooting try to do as much 'in camera' as possible, this will reduce the amount of PP you have to do. Check the screen for districting elements, branches, people, objects highlights etc. Check you Exposure via the Histogram and where possible, crop the image in camera so you frame the subject how YOU want it with some room for final adjustment/framing in PP, this will avoid heavy cropping and the degradation in image quality IQ and you will have a better image. Also try to avoid cloning, this IMHO creates for a bad/lazy photographer and one who relies on software rather than there skill/fieldcraft.

    There is a lot to take in and at times you may question 'what have I done' but once you get into the rhythm of shooting and 'Post Production' (PP) it will become easier. But remember, the two are entwined, images require PP, PP needs a good image.

    Looking at the image, a little less to the right and a hint more to the left for the subject to look into would be better, don't mind the landscape format. I would burn in a bit more on the brighter whites and drop the mid tones overall on the subject, this will help add more tonal depth within the subject. DoF looks about right as the background is nicely diffused and separates the subject. A bit more USM sharpening on the subject would help.

    Steve

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