Yes, the repost is better. It is just not possible to balance out the exposure in post processing when the subject is so strongly back lit. You might try selectively lightening the eye a bit, but its hard to change the limitations of dynamic range in our cameras.
The Rookery can be a challenge, because of the limited shooting angles, you can't always control your position relative to the birds. Thats why 1st thing in AM is usually best there. I love the pose here, just a bit more room to the left would be nice. On a very soft light day, you would be better able to handle the dynamic range. Don't give up on a foggy or cloudy day, you can often make something quite nice in post processing, when you are working with a reduced dynamic range.
Fill flash def. would have reduced the problem, narrowed the dynamic range for you.
This one is better than the first but I think you can still bring it up a notch with some more lightening of the shadows and a little selective sharpening
I ran it through Viveza and then did a selective sharpening of the bird on a seperate layer
Last edited by john crookes; 11-10-2009 at 08:30 AM.
Very nice job John. The eye is much better, and the overall balance is better as well.
I can't tell on my monitor if you are starting to get artifacts from the processing, but it is a big improvement.
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