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Thread: Lesser Scaup hen, morning light

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Default Lesser Scaup hen, morning light

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    Chincoteague several weeks ago. Shortly after sunrise the reeds catching the morning light were casting golden reflections on the water. Wish I could have gotten a little lower, but too much lower might have compromised the golden ripples. C&C appreciated.

    D90 | 500VR | ISO 500 | 1/1600s @ f/7.1 | -1.7 EV | monopod

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Bill:

    Very nice match of birds color and reflections,nice angle in frame, love the two drops on end of primaries.

    I might try a version about 1/4 stop brighter, just to compare.

    With this much -EC, did you have to bring it up much in post?

    Cheers

    Randy

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Thanks Randy. Here's a repost with just slightly added brightness. It is better; maybe I could have gone even more. Actually, I dropped the exposure down -0.15 in RAW transfer to eliminate blown whites in her lores. I probably would have been better advised to make it brighter in RAW (or in-camera exp. comp.) and deal with the hot spot locally. Thanks for looking.

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    Perfect, Bill; the repost is a work of art.

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    The repost is lovely with those golden-brown tones of the duck and the water nearly matching! Beautfiul feather detail.

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Bill:
    The repost really opens up the image, takes better advantage of the lovely light.
    I would be tempted to run a selection on the lores, and either a multiply or linear burn blend mode adjustment.

    Cheers
    Randy

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    BPN Member Don Lacy's Avatar
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    Hi Bill, Wonderful light and colors just tone down the lores a bit and it will be perfect.
    Don Lacy
    You don't take a photograph, you make it - Ansel Adams
    There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs - Ansel Adams
    http://www.witnessnature.net/
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    I generally feel that the image is too dark but surely recognize the challenge re the few whites. I don't have a solution but a more balanced exposure and lower angle might have helped. JR

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Bill, your angle works just fine, and the repost does look better. I always shoot with a + EC, as it mostly brings out the shadow areas, and darker detail.

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Thank you all for your helpful comments. I've generally felt that if I exposed to eliminate most of the blinkies in the camera, I would be in the ballpark. That's what I did here. But I guess that given the nature of this subject, and the fact that the light was relatively strong even if only minutes after sunrise, I would have been better off exposing for the body of the bird and using a multiply blending layer, or even merge a second exposure compensation from RAW, to deal with the lores. I appreciate the help.

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