How to fix dark pictures (Page 2): I really don't think the park Ranger will like me to disturb the wildlife. Also owls and the use of a flash do not go together.

Gabyto

joer wrote:

Don't waste your time trying to fix images like the one you posted. Regardless of software it will never become and strong image.

When there is insufficient light you need to add light. An on camera flash with Better Beamer is the best option in situations light this. Ask any professional bird photographer.

I really don't think the park Ranger will like me to disturb the wildlife. Also owls and the use of a flash do not go together.

Gabyto

Strodav wrote:

Your choice, but as a fellow birder, please don't use a flash on a wild owl. You'll just scare the hell out of it.

Gabyto

fredpnm wrote:

I think Curmudgeon gave you the answer to your question...Photoshop/Lightroom and Topaz DeNoise AI. I would add Topaz Sharpen AI to that list.

Gabyto

Don, the 2nd son wrote:

They look up hunting for the storm clouds! Still could temp blind and owl at night so a no-no at duck/night.

Gabyto

Strodav wrote:

So Curmudgeon showed the shadows were not blown out and saved the image. In order to get a better pic straight out of the camera you might want to spot meter near the owl’s eye so the owl is properly exposed and single point focus on the eye. The sky might come out on the bright side, but you can bring down the highlights a bit in post.

The birds select the hardest locations to stand. I was in a very inclined hill. Good tip to keep in mind.

Drip Dry McFleye

Not trying be a smart aleck, but have you looked for the owl earlier when there is better light or even in full day light? There is a great horned owl that inhabits a park in my area and I have been able to spot him in mid afternoon with a spotting scope. He is usually in the same general area when I look for him.

FotoHog Loc: on Cloud 9

Strodav wrote:

Your choice, but as a fellow birder, please don't use a flash on a wild owl. You'll just scare the hell out of it.

Owls are the most tolerant of all raptors when it comes to the presence of people. A flash has not frightened a barred owl in my experience.
I also agree with Drip Dry McFleye regarding owls often hanging out in a general area for longer periods of time during daytime.

Gabyto

Drip Dry McFleye wrote:

Not trying be a smart aleck, but have you looked for the owl earlier when there is better light or even in full day light? There is a great horned owl that inhabits a park in my area and I have been able to spot him in mid afternoon with a spotting scope. He is usually in the same general area when I look for him.

I live in the city, but I am lucky to have a regional park closed by. This owl is almost impossible to find trust me I already tried many times. I usually give up after 3 miles of hiking 😅. I had gotten lucky a few times as you can see from this picture.

(Download)

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Gabyto wrote:

Hello UHH members,

I can not seem to get a better picture of this owl at night. I increase the exposure to the max, but It did not work. My gera is Canon 5Div, Canon lens 100-400ii+1.4 extender III. Any help will be greatly appreciate. Thank you

Gabyto

You have great gear. I hope you are shooting in raw which gives you far greater leeway in post processing especially when extracting detail from deep shadow areas. If you have a raw version, could you share it with us online using something like DropBox? if available you might be surprised by the amount of deep shadow detail that can be recovered.

WDCash Loc: Milford, Delaware, USA

Very nice shot

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Gabyto wrote:

Hello UHH members,

I can not seem to get a better picture of this owl at night. I increase the exposure to the max, but It did not work. My gera is Canon 5Div, Canon lens 100-400ii+1.4 extender III. Any help will be greatly appreciate. Thank you

Gabyto

I don’t understand the question. You say you increased the exposure to the max, but you didn’t. You could have added tons more exposure. It is basically a massively under exposed file. Once you increase the exposure enough to bring out the owl, the sky will most likely be blown out. You deal with that in post if you can, and if that doesn’t work it is just a shot not meant to be. If you’re shooting an owl you have to expose for the owl, which you haven’t done.
...Cam

WILLARD98407 Loc: TACOMA, WA.

Gabyto wrote:

Hello UHH members,

I can not seem to get a better picture of this owl at night. I increase the exposure to the max, but It did not work. My gera is Canon 5Div, Canon lens 100-400ii+1.4 extender III. Any help will be greatly appreciate. Thank you

Gabyto

This is my take after 5 min. in PSE. maybe I need something like Topaz to clean up the rest of the noise.
If you ARE shooting these at night, you may wish to try a shutter speed considerably less than 1/1000.

(Download)

williejoha

Owls usually sit pretty still most of the time. In my experience a sturdy tripod and .5 sec. exposure at f:5.6 or 8 would give you a good base. I always use a cable release and shoot lots shots to pick from.
WJH

Gabyto

WILLARD98407 wrote:

This is my take after 5 min. in PSE. maybe I need something like Topaz to clean up the rest of the noise.
If you ARE shooting these at night, you may wish to try a shutter speed considerably less than 1/1000.

This is a good tip PS and Topaz. Another member told me the same thing about getting these 2 programs. I am thinking about getting these 2 softwares. I just have to read on Topaz since I really don't know how it works. Thank you for the advice.

Gabyto

williejoha wrote:

Owls usually sit pretty still most of the time. In my experience a sturdy tripod and .5 sec. exposure at f:5.6 or 8 would give you a good base. I always use a cable release and shoot lots shots to pick from.
WJH

Which cable release do you recommend?. I am not familiar with them. Thank you for the advice.