Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Meerkat (Suricate) kicking up dust

  1. #1
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    14,858
    Threads
    1,235
    Thank You Posts

    Default Meerkat (Suricate) kicking up dust

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    I got through my entire Kgalagadi folder at last during this week, and came across this shot of a meerkat (suricate) which had entertained us by the roadside.

    The sun coming from behind him inspired me to do a pseudo-HDR here from one RAW file, and I quite like the result!

    All comments, critiques and lambasting welcome! :)

    Techs:
    Canon 40D with 100-400mm L IS USM @ 190mm
    f5.6 @ 1/2000 SS @ ISO-400
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


  2. #2
    BPN Viewer Tom Graham's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Southern California, Orange County
    Posts
    1,116
    Threads
    33
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Kicking up dust? where?? ahh, finally found it :). Here is the image to clone IN (not out) dust spots for a change :)
    Big rock in front. Move it in back as kicked dust??
    Want to see eye. Overall color, WB???
    lambasting off, you're welcome :)
    Tom

  3. #3
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    14,858
    Threads
    1,235
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    thanks Tom...

    1. dust - quite obvious, suggest you wipe the dust from your glasses maybe? if you don't wear, go see an optometrist ;)
    (I should probably have said "kicking up SAND", but you get the point)
    2. rock in front - scene as shot, I prefer not to clone rocks, twigs and blades of grass these days...
    3. eye - the bright part in the dark patch on the face, refer to #1...
    4. colour - go to the Kalahari and see...the rich colours of the sand and the inherent colours of the meerkat's fur was enhanced by my processing (which I mentioned)...the whole point of this image was to do something DIFFERENT with it :)

    ;)
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


  4. #4
    BPN Viewer Tom Graham's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Southern California, Orange County
    Posts
    1,116
    Threads
    33
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks Morkel for your gentle(manly) reply to my lambasting :)
    I do indeed wear glasses, so I cleaned them off, as you kindly suggested, but now I see even less dust being kicked up!!!! :) . To get the dust to have that flowing, cloudy look to it, maybe you could expose like they do for rivers/streams. That is, for like 1/2 second? (Not 1/2000 like you used). Do you think the meerkat would pose still for that long? :)
    Tom

  5. #5
    BPN Viewer
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Auranagabad ( MS ) India
    Posts
    12,833
    Threads
    766
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    lovely pose and I am loving those Kalahari colors here
    TFS

  6. #6
    BPN Viewer Steve Canuel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    5,444
    Threads
    444
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice capture. I like the flying sand and the placement of the branches in the BG. Pose on the meerkat goes well with the lay of the little hill he's running down. Your processing works well for this shot for me, my only "problem" being the dark spot in the BG above the head.

  7. #7
    Wildlife Moderator Steve Kaluski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Somewhere in the world
    Posts
    20,551
    Threads
    1,285
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Morkel, yep dust visible, likwise eye too, even from here, no worries, the dust just adds to the image.

    The rock in the foreground I can live with, but would like to see, as Steve has mentioned, the black spot removed. Is this a crop? Just asked as the body isn't as crisp even at 1/2000?

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

  8. #8
    Ken Watkins
    Guest

    Default

    I can see the dust!

    Difficult lighting conditions here, the colours are OK by me wait till you see my Mongoose shots at Mokola they are really red.

    I might take a little off the bottom to lessen the impact of the lowest rock. If the black spot was anywhere other than near the head it would have far less impact.

  9. #9
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    14,858
    Threads
    1,235
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    thanks for the comments Steve, Ken, Steve & Harshad...

    here is a version with the black removed...don't like that much doing it these days but this is already an animal HDR I figured I can remove the black patch as well ;):o

    Steve this isn't much of a crop, probably 80% of the original image...?
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


  10. #10
    Ákos Lumnitzer
    Guest

    Default

    Well done Morkel, great comp and while I would prefer lighting from a different angle, it still works. Cool! :)

  11. #11
    BPN Viewer Steve Canuel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    5,444
    Threads
    444
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Repost looks good Morkel. Removal of the black BG spot makes the dark face stand out.

  12. #12
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    14,858
    Threads
    1,235
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    appreciate your comments Akos & Steve...
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics