You're right - it is a bear not a bird! This year-old cub stuck it's head in the sand - determined to find clams up on the dry bit rather than getting wet, I suppose. I like the pose/behavior a lot, but have had some issues with the image.
On the original, the hot spots on the back of the head and the butt were a bit too hot, and there was not really enough contrast/ difference in brightness between the bear and the beach. His coat was very pale.
I have done a Curves adjustment on the bear - lightening the shadows and knocking back the brighter fur. I have added several layer on Multiply at a low opacity and also used Selective Color to add some black to the whites. Then I cloned some fur texture back into the hottest spot at a low opacity. And a little selective sharpening on the fur.
I am really interested to have feedback on the results and any ideas on what alternative or additional PP I might have done to get a better result.
Image wise not sure if you could move around for all sand bg? but do like it as presented Crop wise just a little more room up front.
PS work is excellent, looks natural and not over done !! Might want to increase contrast on the dark tones by the rear leg a bit more. Big Congrats on this one !!!
Very cute and interesting pose you have here. You did very well with PP, look very natural to me. Not sure if you can sharpen the fur a bit more, look a bit soft to me. Some how I like the rip light around the shape of the bear.
Al - getting into a position for a clear sand background would have had me in deep water - literally and figuratively - out of the skiff and face to face with Mama bear. And there wasn't a lot of time anyhow. I have added a little to the RHS to give more space - it needed it!
Harold and Thanaboon - many thanks for your comments - I have at your suggestion given it another pass of sharpening - which still retains the natural look of the fur IMHO.
Jeff - mea culpa - overlooked the details - Image taken with 1D MkIII, EF500 f/4L IS +1.4x for a focal length of 700 mm. I was using manual exposure 1/800 sec at f/5.6 ISO 400.
Ostrich?
