Morning walk

[Glenn Pure]

I have been neglecting my photography lately due to other projects but decided I should get out again. Nothing adventurous, just a walk to a reserve a short distance from home early yesterday morning. I had hoped for a monthly theme shot of the roos (animalscape) but that wasn't working so I went for this partly backlit shot of an individual in a much larger mob. I know with shots like this that most people will interpret differently in post. This is where I settled on this one but I would still value views on how you would have handled the adjustments here. Hope you enjoy regardless. This is about 3/4 of the frame area (a bit of the left and top and just a shave off the bottom).

As always, thanks for looking and for any comments you may have.

Technical: Canon 80D with Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm handheld. Manual exposure 1/800, f7.1, ISO 1000. Processed in Canon DPP 4 (digital lens optimiser @ 50, Sharpness = 3, crop, lighting adjustments, reduced luminance NR) then exported 16 bit TIFF to Photoshop Elements. Modest NR using Neat Image plus sharpening in Neat Image to subject and stronger NR to background. Lighting adjustments separately to subject and remainder. Sharpened subject only (sharpness function: remove Gaussian blur) after final size reduction.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Glenn, nice to see a different species, it's been a while since we last saw one of these.

I quite like the framing and the off-set position of the subject, plus the head to camera, you just need I feel a bit more at the foot of the image for the virtual feel/legs. Overall the techs look OK, with limited ISO range I appreciate you can't really push things, personally I would have preferred perhaps 1/1600 to help re HH and or any slight movement.

Overall the colour looks a bit flat and the Roo in a bit more shadow than perhaps required, obviously being backlit. I think some simple exposure tweaks, get some rich warmth back in and the whole image begins to take shape, and the rim light then has more of a presence too I feel. Also by using some simple masks and layers you can build on the 'layering' aspect to give the image more depth.

Overall it has a nice feel and worth a revisit if you have the time.

TFS
Steve

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Glenn - Good to see you getting out and experimenting a bit. I think I actually prefer the colors and tones of the op (sorry Steve). It looks more natural to me. Given that the rim lighting isn't all the way around the roo, I probably would have pp it similar to what you did.

TFS,
Rachel

[haseeb badar]

Hi Glenn -- This is a very nice scene and I really liked what you have achieved here. I would prefer something between your Op and Steve's RP. How differently we see things ! But a nice image , would have loved more of the rim lighting effect , hope to see something in future .

TFS !

[Jonathan Ashton]

I like the original, not that I have been to Australia but that is how I might have imagined one to look. If possible I would try to tame the brightest highlights a little bit, I agree a little more at the base would have been good. The image looks very clean and I like the colours and limited tones in the 'roo and foreground grasses.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Glenn:)

I absolutely love the quizzical look on the subject's face!

Wonderful pose. Nice framing and lots of space around him, although I agree, a tad more at the bottom would be beneficial. Those greens at the back add a nice 3D feel and the golden grasses in the FG also contribute to the image.

Well seen and captured, Glenn, nice techs too. This frame is all about "mood and feel", IMO Steve's version - which introduces a degree of warmth - suits this particular scene

Warmest regards,

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Hi Glenn, good to see a Roo & you did well in the given situation. The look on the face and alert pose are interesting. I'd prefer something in between the OP and Steve's RP. Thanks for sharing.

[Glenn Pure]

Thanks so much Steve, Rachel, Haseeb, John, Gabriela and Sanjeev - and Steve again for your repost. I have reworked it below with a bit more on the bottom (nothing more to take in there now). I've also taken some licence and warmed it up a bit but not quite as much as Steve as I think this adds. Also played around with the lighting a little. Hope this is better. No doubt I would process it differently again if I opened this for the first time tomorrow! This is the part I find most tricky as my view does not stay static. Your insights have helped make that a bit less random I'm sure!

[Jonathan Ashton]

I still prefer the first, not keen on the brighter grass.