WorkFlow
LRII (small crop and small curves)----CS4 interface--> (change WB/daylight, change levels to auto, minor selective color adjustments, Topaz and smart sharpen - clone out branch). Memo, I chose to publish this action picture with the eye micturating membranes displayed for the viewer to get a sense for the event. Afternoon sun was at my back but top of subject's head was a tad hot, so it goes, I want to focus more on habitat and action shots. Comments always welcome my friends, I want to improve and enjoy talking with everyone.
ps,..
My Histogram was balanced with a slight clip on both ends. I should have dialed in -1/3 to protect the whites and give up some detail in the darks. When ever a bird has bright highlights one must over-compensate with EV to protect highlights (see APB), I did not dial in enough -EV. The result is small clips on both ends of the dynamic tonal ranges and a minor hot spot on the head.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 06-10-2009 at 09:50 PM.
Hi! Nice catch of the action! There are poblems, and primarily the high contrast. High contrast, or also called harsh light, occurs whenever the sunlight is unfiltered by clouds. The time of day, 6:30 PM, does not make your image immune. I thought I'd mention that the eye membrane often closes when the bird is swallowing , attacking prey, or any situation where damage to the eye is possible.
The bottom line, I wish it wasn't so, is that harsh high-contrast light will make it impossible to not clip either the highs or lows. The shadows are generally very dark and there is no way to coax detail out of them. They are also quite distracting, and even though your positioning the camera was correct under these conditions, they not much else you could do.
A fill-flash is a solution, yet not a perfect one. You could very well fill in the shadows, at least partially, yet still clip the whites.
The idea of a negative exposure compensation is not a good idea, unless it is a completely white bird, or at least a lighter colored one. This bird is primarily dark, and if anything a positive exposure compensation is needed. Lightening underexposed parts of a bird post processing will not improve detail significantly and will also radically increase noise. I'd go ahead a blow out the whites, and since they are a relatively small area, try to deal with them using multiply in PS, or even better if you use CS4, in ACR you could tryt he local adjustment brush. Pretty unlikely you'll be successful, but you'd be dealing with the lesser of two evils.
The blurred foregound, and the blocking of the feet, are also something to avoid. If there is something blocking the view, and you can't change your position around it, we want to see it, and it is more likely to be accepted! Blurred foregrounds can look like mistakes. Not always, but often enough.
Don't worry, you find another YCNH eating a crawfish under much better lighting conditions, and in soft light you'll find proper exposure is so much easier! You might even get him right before he closes the eye membrane.
regards~Bill
Last edited by WIlliam Maroldo; 06-10-2009 at 11:12 PM.
Hi Jeff - love the action - agree with many of williams points.
The harsh light and the OOF foregroound objects blocking the legs are unfortunate.
Keep em coming.
Hi Jeff Good points by William with the exception of exposure compensation. If the image is already hot on top of the head with a 1/3 you actually need more? I understand the bird will be darker (no good also) but the white part of head will be a total wash.
Fill flash will work if the light will get to the bird and at 1250 is marginal (worth a try on full manual) I think solution is William's first suggestions of softer light.... only way to go ... pray for clouds !!!!
Membrane wise I see what you are trying to do and after the explanation makes sense. I would only present like that for an article that would have the explanation etc. For a stand alone image I don't think many would figure it out !!! btw crop wise I would like seeing a little less form the top and more form the right Just personal preference !!!
Negative compensation is often used to protect highlights, read exposure theory - APB. I do however, agree with comments regarding the foreground. Funny, it did not seem that distracting until the post?
As stated the techs,...I opted to include the membrane in the image to illustrate what actually happens during these survival occurrences. Some of my photographs are of the garden variety and some are reproductions of little seen survival events, this is the later. That's my photo voice.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 06-11-2009 at 01:32 PM.
Some very nice behavior captured here, Jeff. Techs have already been well covered. When I'm dealing with harsh light, I will use negative compensation to protect the highlights because in my experience clipped highlights tend to be more obvious then clipped shadows. However, there's really no substitute for soft light.
Thanks Chris, that's what I thought. APB states to use neg comp to protect highlights. In this case the evening light was too harsh and so were the shadows, so it goes. When I saw the Heron gulping the crayfish I had to try and get the shot regardless of the light.
Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron
