Shot from below the level of the road. Didn't need the TC for this one. These are wild horses.
Cropped to size, WB, white point, black point, highlight and shadow adjustments plus a little saturation. Removed power lines running through the mare.
Canon 7D Mark II
EF 100-400 f/4.5 to 5.6 Mark II
EF 1.4TC Mark III
ISO 200
f/6.3
148mm
1/500
Last edited by John Hackney; 07-20-2016 at 08:22 AM.
Reason: Additional info on the horses.
Hi John - Nice to see wild horses. The biggest issue with the image as I am sure you know is the tightness at the bottom which I presume you did to eliminate the road. It's unfortunate that they were on the road but I still would have included more below. The image is a little bright and feels a bit overexposed. I did a luminosity mask and brought up the blue channel. I also applied a bit more midtone contrast through a curves adjustment. Both done very quickly just to give you an idea of where you can go with the image. If I spent more time I would also try to bring out more detail in the clouds. Btw you don't have an embedded color profile so the colors may shift depending on the browser used. You should always convert to sRGB when resizing and posting on the web.
Thanks Rachel. I thought I had the sRGB embedded. I will need to look and see if it was lost when I upgraded to PSCC 2015.5. I don't remember checking on it.
I will see what looks good to me on the road bed. I will also work on the brightness and other adjustments you suggested.
Repost with more canvas on bottom. And an attempt at Rachel's suggestions. Embedding color profile was clicked on the export dialog. Thanks again Rachel.
Hi John -- The low POV has lifted this image literally . Also your RP is certainly an improvement especially the inclusion of more space at the bottom of the frame , coz the road was anyhow visible when you tried to crop it.
Colours look a tad bit over saturated , i think Rachel's RP has better colours , the sky certainly looks more attractive in your RP .
Hi Jon, I also like the low POV and the behavioural aspect of the scene.
The OP is just too close at the foot and retains a certain amount of blue, likewise I think either there is some Chromatic aberration in the tail, or where you have added some blue, blue fringing in the tail. I would also look at the whites & highlight then perhaps some luminosity to help the white areas of the lower portion go the legs, not the whole image. Perhaps a third of a stop less in the EV and a bit more DoF i.e. f/9???
I find the RP just to saturated and has lost some of the original qualities, but having a bit more of the road is has helped.
I took the OP, dropped the Blue and brought out some more tonality through Curves & selective colour, plus a hint more USM as you can see the fine detail & form has come out, the RAW will be better than a 256 colour file, but hopefully this could help in direction. The shadows a bit dark, but as i said I more intent on the overall look at present.
Sun was high when the shot was taken so I need to work on the shadows definitely. I think I may have gone too far on lowering the exposure on the repost. I do believe you are right on the CA. This was overexposed due to using auto ISO. and the darker color of the horses. I see I have some saturation on the repost in the pre converted original. Probably from the original attempt with leaving the exposure up.
Hi John, I don't think the original capture was too far off, my advice would be to create a virtual copy and then rework on that based on the above feedback, but perhaps in stages, returning back after a break just to refresh your eyes, as you may see things in a clearer light and it's easier to gauge things too perhaps? Just keep things simple and use saturation if any, in small amounts.
Thanks Steve, appreciate the advice. I do believe I am making it to complicated. I do try the do some and rest style and have found it does help when I manage to do it.
Funny you mentioned the refresh your eyes. I was feeling that I was wearing them down.
Hi John, I have no idea where you are in your Photographic journey, but my advice is, keep your Workflow simple, do not get bogged down with Third Party software that you may read elsewhere that people use. Get to grips with the basics of PP (Post production), that is your cornerstone for starting any PP. Have a clear thought of what you want the image to look like at the end, in that way it may help in not getting distracted and taking an alternative route. Over time it all becomes simpler and then you can add certain Third party software because you have the basics applied in the conversion of the RAW. Why spend time nailing the shot with perfect exposure and techs, only to lose your way at the final hurdle. You owe it to yourself and the subject.
When posting here, if there are any specific questions or concerns you have, please ask them, we will all endeavour to help, in that way the feedback can be more selective and where you will benefit even more.
Hi John nice intimate moment of the horses , besides the missing bottom room i like the framing .
So many different variations of tone and color in the various versions ... i will just comment on OP .
i think overall a bit thin in the whole tonal range , specially the 1/4 tones to the HL .But this for sure a personal view .
I am with Steve regarding the WF ...
TFS Andreas
Thanks Andreas. I would have preferred being at hoof level. There does seem to be a better balance to the image with a little more room on the bottom.
I think I will be going back to a simpler system, I hope. I am also going to go more with what is pleasing to my eye to get me back on a baseline and then adjust after a break or two as suggested. My eye are sensitive to bright light and colors. I wear polarized prescription sunglasses even on heavily cloudy days. I am certain this affects my memory of the scene. With a little help from the forum I think I will be able to re-calibrate my mind and sight to get a more balanced light level.
John,this is a lovely tender moment you have captured, I really like the mare facing away the the foal towards us,it's a lovely angle you caught. Reading through your thread has been illuminating for me,the guys are so kind with their reposts I find them incredibly helpful. He he often my images are taken with me lying down so I appreciate the point on pov such a shame they had to be on a road,but that is wildlife.
Thanks for sharing this it's going to be a joy watching your future images emerge