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Lifetime Member
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Wildlife Moderator
Hi Rachel your PP as I have said recently, is now looking really good and you have mastered that hurdle.
Regarding the image, once again, the whites look blown on the fur, although perhaps you can recover them in RAW, around and just below the ear, always check your histogram or look for the flashing 'blinkies'. However, I fully appreciate this was in 2009 and your photographic skills have come on in leaps & bounds since then, so really looking forward to what this years trips will provide.
The stems/branches in the BKG are not ideal and can be easily removed for esthetic purposes, but it's how you feel. There also seems to be a slight halo/jagged outline just off set, running from just above the left ear as viewed down to the eyebrow?
Although personally not a lover of square crops, if you have a little more room below, a tighter crop might offer another possibility and would avoid the branches in the BGK too.
TFS
Steve
Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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Lifetime Member
Thanks Steve, I couldn't recover those spots anymore without it looking weird. I see the jagged area you pointed out. Just sloppy masking on my part
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Thanks,
Rachel
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BPN Viewer
A bit of blown white does not bother me. What does bother me is that the face/head is the important part of the image and it is not well lit. The neck is well lit but it's the face I want.
Tom
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Envious of your dog sightings Rachel, and this is a pleasing portrait although I understand where Tom is coming from with the lighting. I do think that you have made the best of it and if it weren't for the blown highlights, the lack of direct light on the face wouldn't be an issue at all.
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Lifetime Member
Thanks Tom and Hilary, much appreciated.
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Hi Rachel,
I love the texture of the fur.
VPN
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BPN Member
Good points raised already, Rachel.
How do you create your luminosity masks? The edge that Steve pointed out shouldn't exist if you created a lumo mask based on highlights/tonal selection? Except if you applied a very stark difference at a high opacity setting?
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Lifetime Member
Thanks VPN and Morkel. Morkel - it's not from the luminosity mask which I do according to Robert's directions. It's from selective application of a levels or curves adjustment to the wd only. Just did it to quickly.
Thanks again,
Rachel
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BPN Member
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Lifetime Member
Thanks Morkel. Good tip that I often forget about.
Rachel
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Hi Rachel, to be honest I have to agree with Tom on face not being well lit. I know that they aren't the easiest subject to photograph and getting the perfect shot isn't that easy TFS
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Lifetime Member
No problem Vivaldo, thanks.
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BPN Member
I like the look Rachel, and at iso200 And a small crop, you should able to correct the lighting fairly easily without losing much IQ.
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BPN Viewer
Blown whites didn't really jump out at me, just wished for a little more light on the face. I kind of like the shadowy twigs in the BG, less so the ones under the chin. I'll have to go to the zoo to try my luck with these guys until I can see the real deal.
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Post a Thank You. - 1 Thanks