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Thread: white pelican

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    Default white pelican

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    Would really appreciate processing suggestions for this image. This is nearly full frame and cropped from bottom only. BG as is except for some green leaves in the upper right side which i cloned. I processed in DPP, in PS i used topaz detail highlight (light) and then dodged the eye to lighten.
    Some questions include the shade of white, is it pleasing to the eye or do i need to do something, which i don't know how to do! Crop suggestion?
    Thanks for your comments and suggestions.
    Ann

    1DX, 700 mm
    iso 1600, f 5.6, 1/1000

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Ann:

    Interesting capture, but the whites are too dull for me.

    In the repost, ran a screen blend mode at 85%, then toned down the bill and neck reflection to reduce its tendency to pull the eye out of the frame. That ended up quite close to your post.

    I liked that not only are the whites a bit brighter, but the water drops in front of the bird pop out as well.

    I left a few small green areas in the Bg, adds a bit more depth to the image. They show up fairly distinctly on my NEC monitor, but not as well on the MacBook Pro, so it is def. monitor dependent.

    Rotated 2 degrees clockwise.

    This one could be tweaked in many different ways, but has lots of potential.

    Cheers

    Randy
    MY BPN ALBUMS

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    Super Moderator Daniel Cadieux's Avatar
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    A few options for sure, but the one in need of tweaking is the whites brightness which Randy has taken care of. Personally I would make it an all black BG by getting rid of the greenish areas, but that is subjective. The image would need a bit of CW rotation as the pelican seems to be swimming downwards. Finally, as far as crop goes (since you ask) is that I would have preferred more room top and left. I realize you had a prime lens on and this can restrict the comp if the subject is close.

    Good job on the details, and I really like the bill pointing upwards with water dripping off of it. I also like the small bow wave showing us the pelican was moving forward.

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    Ann, another fabulously different angle/pose. Randy has made a very nice repost. I, would lose the OOF lighter bits in the black BG...and maybe even add a bit of canvas top an in front.

    Beautiful.

    Thank you for sharing!

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    Ann do think the repost done by Randy looks like it's covered a lot of your points, not taking anything away from your OP in which the bird looks really good against that dark BG.


    Keith.

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    Hi Ann, lovely White Pelican. You asked about the white... capturing and post processing many white birds in Florida, I have sort of learned what works for me. I like the white to be between 235 and 240. Once the exposure of the white is in that range then I work with the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom dodging and burning areas and feathers of the bird until the exposure looks even and pleasing. In Lightroom the 235-240 is between 92% to 94%. I will hover the cursor over areas of the image watching the readout of the percentages under the histogram and adjust the exposure accordingly.
    Joe Przybyla

    "Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams

    www.amazinglight.smugmug.com

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    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Stout View Post
    Ann:

    Interesting capture, but the whites are too dull for me.

    In the repost, ran a screen blend mode at 85%, then toned down the bill and neck reflection to reduce its tendency to pull the eye out of the frame. That ended up quite close to your post.

    I liked that not only are the whites a bit brighter, but the water drops in front of the bird pop out as well.

    I left a few small green areas in the Bg, adds a bit more depth to the image. They show up fairly distinctly on my NEC monitor, but not as well on the MacBook Pro, so it is def. monitor dependent.

    Rotated 2 degrees clockwise.

    This one could be tweaked in many different ways, but has lots of potential.

    Cheers

    Randy
    Thank you Randy for the info and the repost. I like the whites brighter.

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    Magnificent image. Great black and white show in the frame. Rest is mentioned above.

    Regards,
    Satish.

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