Siberian Chipmunk with a nut

[Gerald Kelberg]

Hi Guys,

Long time no posts from me - time and opportunity limited. So to get back into the swing of things I am posting an image from last spring that I had neglected to process.
There is a small population of Siberian Chipmunks in part of the forest on the outskirts of Brussels - the descendants of some introduced pets from many decades ago. They are very approachable and will do almost anything for a hazel nut!

Canon EOS1DX, EF 200-400 @ 420mm
1/320 sec @ f5.6, ISO 1600
DPP 4 and PS 5

Since I haven't been posting, my PP skills have been getting rusty - I PP'd one frame and shared it with Andreas who kindly showed me how it should be done! I haven't been able to match his skill level, but I think this is good for me!

Thanks for your your comments and suggestions.

Gerald

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Gerald, for me, I think you have nailed the pose, the curving tail is great, plus the classic component - 'holding the nut', killer backdrop, but the scruffy post is not ideal, but it's what it is.

Gerald I am currently away and using my MB Pro so some of my thoughts could be off slightly

*Looking at the techs your SS is way too low, you could have easily gone straight to ISO 3200 no problem, as the image does appear slightly soft, however that might be down to being a little conservative on the sharpening perhaps? The image looks well exposed, but backing off on Contrast & Clarity I think may help bring back some finer detail. The background looks far enough away from the subject, so instead of shooting wide open, you could have considered say f/7.1, perhaps 8 as it would not have brought any more detail out from the BKG.

*Andreas if you still have any of the RAWs it would be good to know how sharp it is, but also is it front focusing?

Gerald, not sure if this is an improvement, and not ideal on the MB Pro, but just tweaking the colour to the BKG and to the tail then backing off on the C & C may help, WDYT???

Lets see more.

TFS
Steve

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Gerald as i have already seen this .... i will say i like it .Classy pose and the BG is stunning , i agree with Steve regarding the post , but better this one than none .
I do also agree on Steve´s thoughts regarding the techs .
Gerald as posted i personally think you got better overall brightness than the one you posted to me . But in general think i miss some depth in the 3/4 and dark tones , they do a look a bit flat to me.Could be personal pref .
As comparison i post the version i send to you , done in less than 5 minutes in DPP and PS CC .IN PS i only used two adjustment layers and downsized the image .
I have chosen a different WB ... folks .Not sure if it is well enough

Steve the raw is not ideally sharp .....

Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Andreas, having the raw is the only way to go and your posting is where the image needed to be, very nice.

Steve the raw is not ideally sharp .....

Gerald I suggest when you have time/opportunity shoot at a higher SS and you don't need to 'machine gun' the subject, then check the raw for sharpness and perhaps fire a few back to Andreas. If the techs are better, but the raw is still soft then I would get Canon to calibrate the body & lens.

[Gerald Kelberg]

Hi Steve and Andreas,

Many thanks for your comments and the time taken to review and examine the shot. Very much appreciated.

Good points regarding the shutter speed and aperture. I have been reluctant to pump up the ISO when the light is 'good' and typically only do that when it seems essential - maybe by then it is already too late! I will get back to the woods and try for a re-shoot when the sunshine returns.

With respect to the processing, I understand where I can reduce the contrast but I don't use a "Clarity" slider (as in Lightroom) so I'm a bit unsure where to take that. I use a TK action for the sharpening and thought it was a bit crunchy, so eased back on it by 50%. Perhaps I ought not to have done that.

Andreas - what were the two adjustment layers? I see that you seem to have achieved a much 'softer' look to the fur, especially under the lower stripe. I was also trying to achieve that, but...

Anyhow, thanks for giving me a hand up to get back into processing.

Best wishes,

Gerald

[Gerald Kelberg]

Here is a revised version of the image, made a few small tweaks - warmed the colours a little, multiplied a 3/4 tone and applied a 20% opacity, then applied the TK sharpening action at full strength. The result is noticeable, but subtle. Am I heading in the right direction?

Thanks, Gerald

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Gerald, my advice would be shoot Manual, keep your SS high enough (no need to go overboard) and worry about any noise later in PP and use Rear Focus AF. The 1DX is brilliant and IMHO you cannot compare it to previous bodies, but many lost images simply comes down to - too slow a shutter speed!!!!!

Taken from a recent interview with a Canon Ambassador I thought might help:

“A good habit to learn is to always set your camera and lens up for action photography when you go out, because a great opportunity may come your way at any time and you won’t have time to start fiddling with your gear. Set focus to AI Servo and choose the right shutter speed to freeze even fast movement; select the right lens for your subjects and leave it to your camera, instead of keeping it in your camera bag. If you stumble upon a calm and slow situation, then you’ll have plenty of time to change your settings and optics, but should it be a fast situation – you’d better be ready!”

I use a TK action for the sharpening and thought it was a bit crunchy, so eased back on it by 50%. Perhaps I ought not to have done that.

No idea on that workflow, I just use sharpening via LR when Exporting.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Gerald - Nice to see you posting and you've gotten good advice above from both Steve and Andreas. I still think Andreas' version is the best. Your last post looks like it has a bit too much contrast and sharpening. Sometimes it's good to set aside an image for a couple of days and approach it again with fresh eyes.

TFS,
Rachel

[haseeb badar]

Hi Gerald -- Really liked the pose , and thanks for the post as it has some very good discussion and RP's , liked Andreas RP the best . Would love to see some more of your posts and I am pretty sure you will get back to your best pretty soon .

TFS !

[keith mitchell]

Hi Gerald,don't think you could improve on the pose and the bg on this shot,I'm ok with the knocked about post,followed the discussions on the fur with interest and still can't make up my mind.

Keith.

[Gerald Kelberg]

Hi Steve,

... I would get Canon to calibrate the body & lens.

Thanks for the thought - are you distinguishing between 'calibration' and 'micro-adjustment' - or are they in fact the same?

Best regards, Gerald

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Gerald i think your RP is a bit better , i miss some depth in the darker tones , some nice undulations as yours still look somehow flat to me . I hope you get what i mean .
If you have used the 3/4 tone mask of TK and multiplied through it , you will not get those nice undulations as the mask is also rather flat .From my POV you have two options , you either blur the mask and paint in the effect .Or you used the soft light blend mode and experiment with it a bit . Multiply blend mode is better for the HL ; 1/4 and 1/2 tones .
As a side note i personally do not like the TK approach for web sharpening , all else works like charm for me .
I would google for " Andreas Resch " , an austrian landscape photographer , on his website you find a script for web sharpening that works quite well , with many options to alter the sharpening .
Just have a look .
Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Thanks for the thought - are you distinguishing between 'calibration' and 'micro-adjustment' - or are they in fact the same?

Gerald, to my understanding they are different and that Canon's process works differently and is more 'computer' based. All of my gear has gone to Canon over the years for calibration from the MKII, MKIII, IV and the 1DX's, although I know Artie does micro-adjust so that might be a starting point if you feel comfortable in doing so. A few of us have found that with the 1DX MKII the 'magnification', albeit far better than MKI, can at times, be slightly misleading as to how sharp the actual RAW capture is - as the real test is viewing on a monitor, but then it might be too late, as you can't tow a 24" monitor out in the field with you .