Results 1 to 26 of 26

Thread: Angry Tigress

  1. #1
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default Angry Tigress

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Encouraged by the comments on my previous post, I am pleased to share this image which is special to me.

    This is tigress ladli (meaning darling). She had made a kill early that morning. So she was just resting under a tree. And every half and hour or so, she would get up, walk to the water hole nearby to cool down a bit and drink some water. News about tiger sightings spread fast. So paparazzi were present in droves. Ladli, like most adult tigers and tigresses, is quite used to this scene and was not alarmed or bothered because she knew these are just her admirers and present no threat. For this scene, Ladli decides that the shortest way for her to get where she wanted to rest was between the two jeeps. That jeep happened to be the one in which I was in the front seat next to the driver. So now she is barely 5 feet away. This is my third day of safari, and luckily I have had a few close sightings so I am not worried. However, suddenly Ladli turns towards our jeep, bares our teeth, before passing through. I dont recall what I felt at the moment. But our driver, who is well trained, instinctively tried to pull back. And our guide shouted him to stay put..It was all over in a few seconds. But I think I will remember this moment for a long time to come. It was a stark reminder, we were in her territory, on her terms and we needed to behave, respect their presence and be our guard all the time.

    Nikon D500, Nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8
    1/500s, f/8, ISO 720.

  2. #2
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,688
    Threads
    1,296
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Jay, I don't think she was angry, just letting you know who was boss.

    With such close proximity I think you did well and not run out of DoF. Personally I would have liked a bit more SS, she was on the move and you could have had movement in the vehicle. Framing appears OK, as I like the fact you kept the leg partially in frame with the head turn. Although on the laptop, the colours don't look ideal and I would remove the blue cast. The image to me has the look of being 'lifted (lightened and so some noise is appearing at ISO720) and slightly over sharpened. I would try to get some more depth of tone back in the face so you have some 'sculpting' of light on the face ie lights, darks, shadows so you have some form, hope that makes sense? I like the slightly wet fur and muddy whiskers, glad you didn't clip them in the framing.

    TFS
    Steve

  3. #3
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Hi Jay - You did well to maintain your composure and get the shot. I took the image into ACR and adjusted the WB with the eye dropper which got rid of most of the blue cast and then I reduced the blues and cyans a bit further. The image is a bit contrasty for my taste and crunchy. It would be best to go back to the raw to bring out more detail and tone and to back off on the sharpening.

    Good to see you commenting on other wildlife images.

    TFS,
    Rachel

  4. #4
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Steve, Thanks for your detailed comments. The raw image is pretty sharp - so did not have to do much sharpening. Also, the image was shot at noon and with +1 EV (residual value from previous position as I was not expecting this shot). So did not lighten the image. In fact you can see some blown out HLs on the brow. I think only one way to explain poor quality of the image is harsh light. Technically, there is much to be desired -- I am shooting down, harsh light giving a washed out and crunchy look to the image. Yet this shot is precious to me for the moment it represents and raw energy. I am sure this will make sense to you.

  5. #5
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Rachel,

    Many thanks for taking the trouble to post image without color cast. I can readily now see it, but did not see it before posting ! My only excuse is -- I am working on a small Macbook pro..I have submitted requisition for 27" iMac, but boss (=wife) is yet to approve it ! On a serious note, I checked. Raw image did not have color cast. So it got introduced in PP. But I do white balance and color cast removal using curves ( Opt + Auto and then select "find and dark colors". For this image, I also used "Auto color", yet I am surprised color cast remained. I dont trust myself to be able to pick the right grey spot to use WB picker in RAW. That is why I use automatic methods I described. But it does not seem to always work. Are you aware of a "fool proof" method to deal with color cast as I often seem to miss this.

    Please see my response to Steve below on the overall image quality. Many thanks again for your comments.

  6. #6
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Lincolnshire UK.
    Posts
    4,951
    Threads
    187
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Jay I do like the angry look this big cat is giving you and the fine detail you have got,on the downside do think the fur looks a bit crunchy ,personal thing sharpness which I have just been discussing with a friend of mine trying to keep the texture of the fur and the sharpness right ,hope I have explained my thoughts.It's an image that I would love to get and bet your proud of it know I would be.

    Keith.

  7. Thanks Jay Shah thanked for this post
  8. #7
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi again Jay - The best tool against color casts is to have a calibrated monitor and to regularly (at least monthly) recalibrate it. I always use the eye dropper as part of my workflow in ACR and very rarely have issues with color casts. If I still see a cast then I remove it either in the raw conversion or if introduced in PS then in an hue/saturation layer or a selective color layer.

    I hope this helps,
    Rachel

  9. Thanks Jay Shah thanked for this post
  10. #8
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,688
    Threads
    1,296
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Also, the image was shot at noon and with +1 EV (residual value from previous position as I was not expecting this shot). So did not lighten the image. In fact you can see some blown out HLs on the brow.
    Not sure if the EV is the same as Nikon, but if you have 'Highlight alert' or equivalent then I would enable this as it will show you any blown highlights.

    I think only one way to explain poor quality of the image is harsh light.
    If the image only has a few elements blown then to a degree you can carefully recover things within reason.

    harsh light giving a washed out and crunchy look to the image.
    Again, without seeing the saw it's hard to say, but I still think more can be restored and avoid the harsh look.

    But I do white balance and color cast removal using curves ( Opt + Auto and then select "find and dark colors". For this image, I also used "Auto color", yet I am surprised color cast remained.
    Hi Jay, firstly have you calibrated your MBpro with a Third Party calibration or used the Mac's own calibration (personally I don't rate it). Laptops tend to drift every few weeks, plus the angle of screen will vary and this also can throw you. I haven't any idea on your skill knowledge re PP, but I would persevere with the Picker, it's really your best tool as I assume you are running PS?

  11. Thanks Jay Shah thanked for this post
  12. #9
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Steve, thanks again for helpful comments. One key action comes out from your Rachel comments is -- calibrating the MPro screen. I will be happy to send you raw file if you will be kind enough to look at it. Beacuse then you could be specific and I would be able to spot the gaps in my PP readily.

  13. #10
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks again Rachel. Steve sent me some video links. I also need to calibrate my MPro. And then I will have no more excuse for posting images with color cast !

  14. #11
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks Keith. Yes I did get your point. I will be taking a closer look.

  15. #12
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Canberra, Australia
    Posts
    1,667
    Threads
    150
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Jay, I think the critiques and repost have covered this for me. This is a lovely capture but with the cast and contrast/crunchiness the only negatives from my perspective. Hope to see more.

  16. Thanks Jay Shah thanked for this post
  17. #13
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,688
    Threads
    1,296
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    I will be happy to send you raw file if you will be kind enough to look at it. Beacuse then you could be specific and I would be able to spot the gaps in my PP readily.
    Hi Jay, yes I will gladly look at the Raw for you, but so long as you are not in a hurry, as I won't be back until next Tuesday. A few weeks ago I had to completely flatten and rebuild my current MacBook Pro due to an Adobe issue so I am limited currently to what I have installed, although I urgently need to get on top of this and have just ordered another MBP too. I can't be specific in terms of looking at the set-up you have with the camera from the Exif data unlike Canon, but hopefully give you some pointers. Can you drop me a line with what you currently use for Raw conversion and the PS edition you are currently working with ie CS6, PS CC 2018...

    As the majority of calibration 'kit' is produced by the same company it just comes to personal choice. Gabriela has just got a new iMac and so I would talk to her later to find out what the internal calibration is like. I personally prefer a standalone monitor not from Apple because of the 'options I have' to calibrate. I would also suggest you keep your screen not facing any bright light or window and try to keep it at eye level if possible.

  18. Thanks Jay Shah thanked for this post
  19. #14
    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Cheshire UK
    Posts
    17,278
    Threads
    2,650
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    She looks a little cheesed off with all the attention I presume, the moment was well caught. The image looks a little punchy and a bit too contrasting for me, easy for me to say, I can appreciate you have tricky lighting to deal with.

  20. Thanks Jay Shah thanked for this post
  21. #15
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Nagpur, India
    Posts
    3,837
    Threads
    245
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Jay -- By the look of things I feel you have some lovely collection from your trip to share with us , looking forward to that. Wont be repeating what is already said above , a re-look at the raw might be helpful.

    TFS !

  22. #16
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Name:  Ladli-Angry_Final_500_6547---Copy.jpg
Views: 59
Size:  495.1 KB

    Hello all, I removed the color cast. I do not know why, but there was lot of noise in the image. I did not have to reduce shadow and ISO was low. Yet somehow noise was upto 35 unit in Neat Image. I have reduced the noise now. I also paid attention and did not do any sharpening accept upon image reduction and that too by minimal amount(Andreas Resch Web sharpener). I included more of tiger body and added some canvas on the left and straightened the image a bit. What do you think of the final result? Please let me know. Most appreciate helpful comments by all and special thanks to Steve & Rachel.
    Last edited by Jay Shah; 05-17-2018 at 12:16 PM.

  23. #17
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,688
    Threads
    1,296
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Jay, it looks better, albeit on the laptop and I think I prefer the full size rather than cropped. If you wanted a portrait shot your best bet is to shoot in the format you want to display the image in, in that way you retain the IQ, however sometimes the situation doesn't allow this and you just respond accordingly. If you crop then you are just throwing away all that lovely data. I also think on the OP using NIK did not help, but again I reserve that comment.

    If you still want to send the RAW file please do so.

    cheers
    Steve

  24. #18
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Jay - Steve beat me to it but the op is a large crop and that is going to affect IQ and probably accounts for some of the crunchiness. It's one of the reasons that we ask people to let us know whether an image is cropped and how significantly when posting. I also like the full frame image better but still think the face is a bit too contrasty. Also some of the blacks are choked. My recommendation would be to put the image down for a couple of days and then start over. It's definitely worth it.

    Rachel

  25. #19
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Steve, I have sent you raw file by dropbox. I was too close to capture full body at 160 mm on D500. So cropping is minimal. It will be interesting to see how you are able to get more juice out of this image and whether you find as much noise as I did. Looking forward to your observations.

  26. #20
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Rachel, good suggestion to re-visit this after a few days and it is rather late in Singapore. I have already responded that crop was minimal. More later. Thanks for comments.

  27. #21
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Jay - I was referring to the crop of the op which is quite significant and affected the IQ.

  28. #22
    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    7,830
    Threads
    461
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Dear Jay,

    Apologies for coming in so late, and many thanks for sharing this image of beautiful Darling You captured a great pose from this tigress, her facial features are amazing and I love those wrinkles and whiskers:)
    Having read your intro I can tell you are passionate about the species and certain we will see many more images from you. I must say I enjoyed reading everyone's comments and suggestions and happy with your repost which addresses some of the issues mentioned above

    Looking forward to see Steve's version ( with more juice), as well as wishing you a lovely week-end,

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

  29. Thanks Jay Shah thanked for this post
  30. #23
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thank you Gabriela and Rachel.

  31. #24
    Lifetime Member Ákos Lumnitzer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    1,561
    Threads
    71
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    THe final image works the best for me Jay, not as crunchy as mentioned previously.
    What a cranky cat! LOL
    Good work on all accounts with the repost.
    Well done and TFS

  32. #25
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,688
    Threads
    1,296
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Hi folks, Jay very kindly just sent the RAW through and this is what I have sent back to him. Colour is personal, plus the whites were very hot so not a huge amount you could do. More SS would also have helped, but again I appreciate this was shot 'on the fly'. This is FF with nothing 'edited'.

    Hope this helps and my note back to you Jay.

    Cheers
    Steve

  33. #26
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    361
    Threads
    61
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Steve,

    Many thanks for this edit. I agree colour is personal, but looking at your edit, now I feel my image is too saturated. If I were to redo, I would now prefer colour between your and my edit. I like face details and eyes. I have sent you a more detailed response with more questions. Cheers.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics