Look in filters. Gaussian blur.

Thats some fine geology.

I have been following this discussion with interest. Lots of feedback you are getting. Above all, I would trust your instincts. I have great faith in you as a photographer. Three years ago I becoming involve in bird photography, primarily egrets. After a while I knew I needed a longer lens. I was just about to order the 200-500, and decided to have another look at the 80-400, knowing I would be using it to replace my 70-200. I made the last minute change and got the 80-400. It generally fails to capture fast action but has served me well in most situations. I have seen really good results on the 850 and d500 I am sure due to the focusing processor they have. To this day I only have the 24-70 and the 80-400 that I use on my 810. I didn't give much consideration to weight, but in retrospect, I am very happy I made the choice I did. At almost two pounds lighter I can use it hand held for a minute or so, whereas I know anything heavier would just wear me out and cripple my ability to hold something more than briefly. That and having the full range from 24-400 work for me. I realize this is not particularly helpful since you already got the heavier lens. I do hope you give the landscapes the attention they deserve, and which you are so good at. With that 850 you will enjoy a substantial increase difference over your 810 when cropping later.

This is a wonderful portrait. I have very little skill with color manipulations, and I think Mr. Shapiro has done that quite well. However I would like to see the eyes a little more intense, so I took his version and altered some with that in mind. A precious portrait no matter how its processed.

Real nice!

you have been away, and I'm sure many noticed. Don't have safari experience but have done quite a lot of reading here, folks going. You sound equipped. Do have a safe and fun trip.

Real nice shot!

You must have a look at what our Toby Marshall has done, if you haven't already. I think of him as a connoisseur of bokeh.

https://toby-marshall.com/galleries/bokeh-tales/bokeh-variations-on-a-theme/#

Always been fascinated with this aspect of lenses. This spring, yearning for something new and different to do, I borrowed the 85 f1.8 and went out in search of subject material to shoot with only bokeh. Nothing in focus. It was harder than I expected to find both color and light that I was after. I spent time in playgrounds where the swings and climbing apparatus were in bright colors, and at a florist, where there was a really good variety to shoot. Glass ware and flowers, but also just shapes and forms. Normally when I borrow this lens with the full intension to get some nice bokeh, I revert to high f stops and greater DOF. This year I decided to stick with it. The first of these is sooc and the rest with greater degrees of post manipulation.

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Another link or two, more in depth.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/salton-sea-history

https://www.saltonseamuseum.com/salton_sea_history.html

I wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to photograph these Gar. I agree that it was likely fishermen whose efforts were to rid their fishing place of these fish. In Texas they toss big carp up on the bank to die. They had diminished the Catfish population to an alarming degree. That was almost 50 years ago so I don't know how it is now. Its a carefully crafted composition you have here. Its a very good image. I put this link in an earlier post. Easy to miss. Its a story and a half that has been unfolding for over a century.
https://www.california.com/what-happened-salton-sea/

The documentation of its existence was the driving force behind persisting to take pictures. In general I think of photography as a process of documentation. If possible, with artistic considerations.

You have been there. I will not forget the resolve I had to muster, to wander about until I had a couple compositions I was satisfied with.

I looked through the folder from the Salton Sea and picked a couple more. The fish at my feet had seen better days and the neighborhood intersection as well.

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Real good considering how far away he must have been, and an unusual and dramatic pose. Nicely processed I am sure. Doubt it looked anything like this sooc.

When I get the occasional shot that I might print, and edit to that end, I also know that I will, at some later time likely see things I would do differently. After all, a photo can be edited in hundreds of ways, and to think that we might have nailed it the first time around is, to me, premature. I also investigate the possibilities for a B/W conversion of many shots, so now I already have several different B/W conversions that are the best I can come up with at the time, and perhaps different color versions that may get me closer to the B/W that I am striving for. Learning new and different editing methods along the way, can completely alter the approach you take to editing, so its very likely that returning to an older photo for reediting will produce an enlightened edit. Always save your RAW for your starting place.