Am. Kestral - a missed opportunity and a question

[Bill Dix]

I was standing next to an abandoned barn last night, hoping a Short-eared Owl would come across the nearby field. The sun had long since set, and I was about to pack it in when I noticed this Kestral heading for the barn. He perched just for a few seconds on the window, then disappeared into the interior for the night. I know this is a busted play given the low SS for the long focal length, but my question is: is there any way to deal with motion blur after the fact in PP? I tried the relevant settings in PSE 7.0 and Topaz DeNoise, with little success. I like the pose and comp, but I suspect there is no way to salvage it. But any suggestions would be appreciated. (All I could think of was to try and convert it to a Wyeth-esque watercolor -- see next frame -- but I'm afraid this doesn't make the blur disappear).

D90 | 500f4 + 1.4x | ISO 800 | 1/50s @ f/5.6 | -0.7 EV

[Bill Dix]

Here's the attempted watercolor; but I'm afraid this just turns a sow's ear into another sow's ear. Comments welcome.

[Bill Stubbs]

Bill, the bad news is, that this image may not be salvageable. The good new is, that if that's his roost, his hunting territory is likely nearby, and you might get another shot at him in better light. Look on nearby open branches, fence posts, and utility wires. These birds will usually perch where they can look over a fairly wide open area.

[Bill Dix]

Bill, the bad news is, that this image may not be salvageable. The good new is, that if that's his roost, his hunting territory is likely nearby, and you might get another shot at him in better light. Look on nearby open branches, fence posts, and utility wires. These birds will usually perch where they can look over a fairly wide open area.

Thanks Bill. You're right; this is his hunting territory, and his favorite perches are high over the open fields - a favorite telephone pole and a dead tree in particular - both difficult to get close shots of without spooking him. And this isn't the first time I've seen him go into that barn window as the light is fading. So I'm sure I'll get another chance.

[John Chardine]

Bill- There is a motion blur option in Smart sharpen in Photoshop. You can set the normal sharpening parameters but also the direction of the blur. Having said all this, I have yet to see it actually work on any image. It would be instructive to hear from someone and see an example of where it does work.

I like the repost because it completely hides the problem. This may be the only way to salvage the image.

[Bill Dix]

Bill- There is a motion blur option in Smart sharpen in Photoshop. You can set the normal sharpening parameters but also the direction of the blur. Having said all this, I have yet to see it actually work on any image. It would be instructive to hear from someone and see an example of where it does work.

I like the repost because it completely hides the problem. This may be the only way to salvage the image.

Thanks John. There is also a motion blur removal option in PSE, and I agree I haven't seen much improvement from it. Here is the only other frame I got of the Kestral the other night. This one had a little less motion blur in the RAW file, and after carefully fiddling with the blur angle in PSE I was able to detect perhaps the slightest improvement. Most of the modest improvement was in the RAW image and not the result of the blur tool. Still not razor sharp (I also think I oversharpened a bit, and there's some noise from the 800 ISO). I'll catch him again.

[Bill Stubbs]

Bill, is there any chance you can get close enough to that utility pole or the tree in a vehicle? That might be your best chance at not spooking him. The other option would be to get near one of his perches before dawn, with some camo cloth that roughly matches the ground over you, and wait for him. If you're still enough, break up your outline, and ease the camera into position very slowly, you might get a shot that way; movement is the main thing that will spook him.

[Myer Bornstein]

Bill, Topaz has an in focus plug-in for Photoshop. You can download a trial copy at http://www.topazlabs.com/infocus/ and try it out. I hope this helps you. By the way I really like the picture

[Bill Dix]

Bill, is there any chance you can get close enough to that utility pole or the tree in a vehicle? That might be your best chance at not spooking him. The other option would be to get near one of his perches before dawn, with some camo cloth that roughly matches the ground over you, and wait for him. If you're still enough, break up your outline, and ease the camera into position very slowly, you might get a shot that way; movement is the main thing that will spook him.

Thanks Bill. That's good advice. Unfortunately, his favorite pole is very tall and he likes to perch on the very top, so it is a steep capture angle. The dead tree is very photogenic, but to get the best angle one would have to go into a field that is off-limits to foot traffic because of ground birds like Short-eared Owls and Meadowlarks (even though they're not breeding here). Anyway, I'll keep trying.

[Bill Dix]

Bill, Topaz has an in focus plug-in for Photoshop. You can download a trial copy at http://www.topazlabs.com/infocus/ and try it out. I hope this helps you. By the way I really like the picture

Very interesting, Myer. I'll give it a try. Maybe it will work better than PSE. (And of course, a good tripod would also be an asset.):)

[Gus Hallgren]

Hi Bill;

If you were looking for a painting, here is one done using free Fotosketcher after preparing with CS5 and full power black brush & using QM to make perch.

FWIW

Gus

[Gus Hallgren]

Here is preparation using CS5

[Bill Dix]

Thanks Gus. I like it.

[Desmond Chan]

I like the original with the window frames (perhaps without the little part of the blue wall on the right). They make the image different, more interesting and stronger, IMO.