SonyA700~Sony70-400G@330mm~ISO500~F9~1/1600 sec~manual exposure~9-12-2009~overcast~Brays Bayou, Houston,Texas~CS4
Overcast skies with low contrast light reduced image detail more than I would have liked. Comments and critique welcomed. regards~Bill
Lovely bird caught in a lovely pose; like the composition but would crop the whole image a bit tighter.
You could push the image to get more color and impact. I played with it a bit in ACR CS4: adjusted white and black points, increased clarity and vibrance, in curves I increased the darks just a tad, in HSL I saturated the blue and decreased the blue luminance (There is actually quite a bit of blue in the sky if you push it), and then sharpened a bit more (I wonder if the bird is a bit soft?). Always a matter of personal choice as to how much pp is appropriate.
Cheers
Gail
Bill, nice high-key image on my MacBook it does look soft (was this a large crop) and a little washed against the background. Low image detail hurt you this time, I love the pose and this is a beautiful Egret. The white against the green is a nice touch and the composition is great, wonderful wing spread. Maybe not the best light for you that day. Some call it flat light but image texture and detail as you noted is not up to par. Your exposure techs are solid, made open up a stop.
Gail, I might suggest if you make several-adjustments please post the work. Otherwise it is hard to see the effect your work had on the original image? Maybe we can learn a thing or two but need some evidence - thanks.
Last edited by Jeff Cashdollar; 10-31-2009 at 07:09 PM.
Thanks Gail, great suggestions! Sometimes I remember(or think I do) what the scene was like when I captured the image, and stop PP when it resembles what I saw. However, as you have pointed out, there is really no reason I shouldn't increase impact, etc. Indeed, the bird is a bit soft, and after taking many many images of egrets, and other white birds, under various lighting conditions, I have come to the conclusion that soft low contrast lighting has a definite negative effect on image sharpness. Since the small shadows that define texture are absent, and color that defines texture as well is absent in white birds, it is a difficult proposition. regards~Bill
Thanks Jeff. Indeed the light was a problem. There is a big difference between light and dark overcast. This was the later. My flash unit broke, and I haven't come up with a good reason to have it repaired, until this image. Addition of a good dose of high contrast light would have been quite helpful. Nonetheless, I could increase the contrast to make it look less washed out, and maybe a bit of burning some more detail into the bird. regards~Bill
Hi Gail agree with Jeff After all that work do post the image !! Love seeing different renditions !!!
William you have a strong point with the light, at times you will not be able to make a sharper image ... a little contrast is needed, but for this one I have no problems as presented since its all about the mood and goes along with it !!!
One thing I would do is go over the dark pupil and burn a bit !!! Excellent image !!
Love the outstretched wings, composition is good and the green grass at the bottom certainly adds some contrast.
Would have liked the head area to be a little sharper - maybe some work on the eye would give the impression that it is sharper.
I like this very much Bill,
I like the spread wings with the delicate details...the techs. and good advise given...its well seen...looking forward to your next one Bill...:):cool:
Your repost do look sharper but I like the mood of the original more.
Love the wing and tail spread, the raise head position, and the green glass is a nice touch for landing spot. Good point about the light.
Hi William - I deleted the original edit I did on your image, and then did again this afternoon. My second version looks very similar to your own re-post. Whether we got there the same way, we both ended up with pretty much the same image. It felt like a very "touchy" image to work on - one of those that could go overboard very quickly. I think your re-post is a nice improvement. I'll post mine just for completeness sake.
Cheers
Gail
Great Egret Landing
Posting Permissions
