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Thread: Polentswa Sunrise

  1. #1
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Default Polentswa Sunrise

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    Good evening friends,

    I just could not help it but process another lion frame

    Image taken at 07:20 am in a magic place called Polenstwa, situated on the Botswana side of the Kalahari.

    This is a 50% crop. LR and PSCC adjustments as usual. Let me know what you think, comments and critique much appreciated as always.


    Nikon D4
    Nikon 300 F2.8
    ISO 1000
    F7.1
    1/2000s
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Gabriela - Yes, we were posting at the same time and then I had to run an errand. Beautiful warm light and I like the stare. Comp works well and the IQ does not seem to have suffered too much by the large crop. I do feel it's a bit too orange (though it may be consistent with what you saw). I reduced the orange and yellow but still tried to keep the brightness and warmth of the lit face with a slight curves adjustment after the reduction of the colors. WDYT? The change is subtle, perhaps too subtle to matter.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Hello Rachel! Of course I like it, thank you But hard for me to say which one is more consistent with reality. Especially since I tend to like things on the warmer side, LOL. I sent you a little video clip of a little leopard in a bush, it was taken with my cellphone at about the same time I captured this lion, just the previous morning. Look at the light, to me it looks pink. Or so I see it. Some of my friends wrote back and commented saying it was orange, others said it was red. So a matter of interpretation?

    Regarding IQ, I personally feel the image has suffered a bit. I had no choice but to crop hard, something got in the way of my lens and it shows on the RHS. Could be my camera support as I was shooting back from the vehicle window. I rescued this frame somehow, for the sake of the lion. It was also quite overexposed in places but I managed to correct that.

    Thank you so much Rachel, I really appreciate your input Will see what else lies in those folders of mine and share:)

    Time for me to go to the feathers now, hope you have a lovely evening,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Gabriela, techs look good and I much prefer this capture to the previous 'head down' image. The image has depth and colour, but I think you can use more of the directional light to enhance the image. Nice to see you getting texture and form into the face which gives it structure, appears the D4 is delivering more than the D5...

    TFS
    Steve

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Good morning Steve:)

    Unfortunately I did not use the D4 that much during this trip, once again I found myself stuck to the D5/500F4 combo. Hardly touched the D850 or D810.

    And I only realised how poor that "head down" image was after posting it. Cannot bring myself to reprocess right now, maybe at a later stage.

    Thank you very much for your help and inspiration as always,

    Warmest regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hardly touched the D850
    Shame on you...

    If you have time, then just look at that funnel of light, it changes everything I think and illustrates the potential in the image...

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Ha ha, true. I have been using the D850 with the 200-400 around here before the trip, needs calibration I think. Planning to send the whole lot back to Nikon for "after trip service and calibration".

    Your funnel of light is magic, Steve. I just did not want to "steal" your idea but if I have your permission I will implement it


    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Kaluski View Post
    Shame on you...

    If you have time, then just look at that funnel of light, it changes everything I think and illustrates the potential in the image...
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Your funnel of light is magic, Steve. I just did not want to "steal" your idea but if I have your permission I will implement it
    Not stealing, just implementing a suggestion, as to whether it's right or wrong who knows.

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    I think it's magic! Steve Magic

    Here is my try, yours looked better

    Thank you so much!
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    It's certainly (IMHO) moving in the right direction, but you could push it a bit more, I just love that light and the way it lights the face.

    Remember all of these tweaks on posts are just based on extracting stuff from the original and as I have said many, many times before, the work is all in the original capture that YOU or others have done, as all the hard work had been done in capturing, the next step is understanding how to develop the file and not just do the same PP to each image.

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    I gather it's not "there" yet. Not giving up, I'll process again until I get it right.

    And I am with you, Steve - it's not about adding or removing stuff but seeing and using what there is and enhancing that for maximum effect. I am beginning to have fun and experiment again


    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Kaluski View Post
    It's certainly (IMHO) moving in the right direction, but you could push it a bit more, I just love that light and the way it lights the face.

    Remember all of these tweaks on posts are just based on extracting stuff from the original and as I have said many, many times before, the work is all in the original capture that YOU or others have done, as all the hard work had been done in capturing, the next step is understanding how to develop the file and not just do the same PP to each image.
    Gabriela Plesea

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    This is great. Very nice portrait in some awesome light. Im not sure what version i like the best. They all look really sweet.

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    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    Awesome light, I'd kill for an opportunity lie this - one day! A very intense stare for this magnificent beast. The grass stalks are a minor annoyance but certainly not a deal breaker. I prefer the OP, the latest version looks to have been lifted a little too much - the OP was bang on for me

    Mike

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Many thanks John and Mike for your kind words, appreciated

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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    Like your other recent lion posts, this one has great visual appeal to me Gabriela. As in the others, I really, really like the background and the grass stems in the foreground. I can't see any IQ issues with this. As for colour, Rachel's changes are quite subtle and I'd be happy to go with either version. As for the later repost with more enhanced vignette, I thought the original worked very well in that regard as there is a natural vignette (I assume). I'd personally go with the original as I don't see anything wrong with a bit of subtlety.

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    warm light, beautiful subject, good techs, what more can you ask? Colors are personal taste. I like the OP actually, the last repost the BG seems to be a bit bright and competing for my attention. Well done. Loi

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    Hi Gabriela - -Very late on this , but a magical frame IMO, because of that fantastic light on the face and the BKG. I liked the last RP of yours and it doesn't seem that the IQ is affected inspite of the large crop. A fantastic frame and a very handsome looking Lion . TFS !

    And keep the Lion images rolling .

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    Spectacular image, worth putting up on the wall proudly Gabriela. The light and the stare really are top notch! Well seen and photographed.

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Thank you so much dear Glenn, Loi, Haseeb and Sanjeev
    Gabriela Plesea

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