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Thread: The watcher in the snow-Ural owl (Stryx uralensis) in heavy snowfall

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    Default The watcher in the snow-Ural owl (Stryx uralensis) in heavy snowfall

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    Hy, this is a shot of an Ural owl taken in December last year. It was an intense experience, the light wasn't great to begin with when it appeared and then it started to snow, heavily. The sky was like lead, the viewfinder kept fogging up every few seconds and the camera sometimes just wouldn't focus because the snow was falling harder and harder. And all the while I was trying to approach the owl without scaring it. Taken with 1Dx mk I +100-400 mk. II, 1/320, f6.6 ISO 800. Tried to ETTR, used +5 exp comp but still in DPP 4.12 I had to raise the exp by +1.25. Increased color saturation by 1 and lifted the shadows by 1. Transfered to CS 6 and used NI noise reduction, it looks pretty much like the scene I saw. I cropped a bit from the LHS and the top, I wanted to give the impression of the harsh conditions in which it has to survive. Comments and critiques are more than welcome.

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Hi Dan, pretty cool shot, great atmosphere with the falling snow, the owl with a dusting and the natural perch laden. Personally I wouldn't go beyond 5.6 as things get swallowed up, others may disagree, just what I found with my own timings in the rain & snow.

    Tried to ETTR, used +5 exp comp but still in DPP 4.12 I had to raise the exp by +1.25.
    Dan, push that histogram as far right as you can without clipping the whites, have you got Highlights enabled? Shooting in the snow is where you must trust that histogram and NOT what you see on the LCD screen, then if required you can reduce the Exposure, but you will be pulling in truck loads of detail, remember my Polar bears...

    The 100-400 MKII is a great lens, pin sharp, and great for this, obviously the owl was very happy with your approach, Nic fieldcraft.

    My only thought would be that the 'darks & midtones' could go darker to add/create 'contrast & more depth', but NOT via Contrast because it will kill your fine detail, so limited unless you use Curves but I know you are very limited to your PP skills, hopefully we can boost that over the coming months. I might have a thought, can you create Layers and masks, if so then we may have a quick fix, please let me know, if not drop me a line with your email and I will try and create a step process for you.

    Nice one Dan.

    TFS
    Steve
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    BPN Member William Dickson's Avatar
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    Very well captured Dan...I love the scene and your chosen crop. Nice detail on the bird and probably represents what you captured at the time, but agree with Steve that a little contrast would give it some punch.

    Will

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    Avian Moderator Brian Sump's Avatar
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    Dan, I think this is a super frame man! Great subject and the snow adds a layer of interest for sure.

    Normally the super tall crop would not fit my interests but here I think it works ok. Maybe try one for yourself with a bit off the top and see what you think.

    TFS!

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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    I really like the snow ON the Owl, best part of image.
    Very cool find....
    Dan Kearl

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    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    Beautiful scene Dan, excellent fieldcraft. Just on a break at work so using my laptop so may not be the best, but with a curves boost, and a bit or work on the snow I think the shot could be improved even further. This is just an idea for starters

    Name:  Dan RP copy.jpg
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Size:  403.2 KB

    Mike

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    BPN Member William Dickson's Avatar
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    Nice RP Mike...looking good.

    Will

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    I would go even further Mike, but Dan is very limited as I mentioned in his PP, so you can achieve similar by avoiding Curves & Layers. Good to see you adding in a RP.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    Love that snow. Makes me feel cool on this hot summer day. The setting and framing are nice.

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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    This is lovely!
    With the 1Dx you can go to ISO 1600 without even blinking an eye. I was often at ISO 2000. And now, with Topaz Denoise AI I shoot at 3200 with no worries (as long as I shoot ETTR).
    I have never seen this owl in real life. Does he have a reddish hue to the feathers?
    Love the snow, but I would still take a bit off the top for my taste.
    Gail

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    @Steve-Thank you for the input. I do know about layers and masks, been reading Artie's guide(for ex, you place the subject on a layer, the bg on another when applying NR or when you want to adjust only the subject), but for the moment theory is one thing, practice is another:). What did you mean by "then if required you can reduce the Exposure, but you will be pulling in truck loads of detail, remember my Polar bears..."?
    @Mike- I like your repost, the owl has more punch, but it seems to be a bit crunchier than mine, around the head and between the eyes, did you sharpen it? Could you tell me what did you do?

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    Lifetime Member Mike Poole's Avatar
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    Cheers Dan,

    I just kept things simple, created an 'S' curve to add a little more pop to the bird, then went to 'selective colour' and took some black out of the whites panel, then dodged the face a little to brighten it.

    I did add an extra round of sharpening, it looked ok on the MacBook screen, but looks overdone once I looked at it on my home screen, so looking back I got that bit wrong

    Mike

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    @Steve-Thank you for the input. I do know about layers and masks, been reading Artie's guide(for ex, you place the subject on a layer, the bg on another when applying NR or when you want to adjust only the subject), but for the moment theory is one thing, practice is another:).
    Hi Dan, in basic terms yes, but even at this stage you cn make dramatic changes by a click of a button, but if you want to give layers & masks a quick whirl, let me know, we can do a very simple step by step to get you moving. Get the basics right and it will push your level up a lot, even with CS6, but with the kit you have, you do need to make that jump to PSCC as things have come along way since that was launched, better, more refined and what you already know can be applied. In LR/ACR some names have been replaced by others, however they do the same job basically.
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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    I'd give layers and masks a go, so If you would take yor time I'd be interested in a step by step:)

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    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
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    Dan, I will do a very simple one, can you PM your email address please.

    What version of PS are you using, have you upgraded to PSCC 2020?
    Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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