Tri-Colored Heron on Next original and Processed: First post in this section and am hoping for some help, but a bit nervous, but here goes. Brazos Bend State Park 8/28/18 Nikon D7200...

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

First post in this section and am hoping for some help, but a bit nervous, but here goes.
Brazos Bend State Park 8/28/18
Nikon D7200, Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 G2, ISO 160, 350mm, f7.1, 1/800 sec, handheld but supported on a guard rail

Could the original exposure been better? Could the cropping be better? Is the exposure compensation correct? Blacks lightened enough? Too much or not enough sharpening and saturation?

(Download)

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Nicely done.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

Strodav wrote:

First post in this section and am hoping for some help, but a bit nervous, but here goes.
Brazos Bend State Park 8/28/18
Nikon D7200, Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 G2, ISO 160, 350mm, f7.1, 1/800 sec, handheld but supported on a guard rail

Could the original exposure been better? Could the cropping be better? Is the exposure compensation correct? Blacks lightened enough? Too much or not enough sharpening and saturation?

I like your composition much better in processed version. However, in attempting to lighten the bird, I think your background now overwhelms the photo and all that green algae has become the subject. Maybe dial back the green and the saturation a bit. Btw, the bird looks great in PP. Just my opinion.

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

Strodav wrote:

First post in this section and am hoping for some help, but a bit nervous, but here goes.
Brazos Bend State Park 8/28/18
Nikon D7200, Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 G2, ISO 160, 350mm, f7.1, 1/800 sec, handheld but supported on a guard rail

Could the original exposure been better? Could the cropping be better? Is the exposure compensation correct? Blacks lightened enough? Too much or not enough sharpening and saturation?

No need to be nervous. I am not an expert so this is just an opinion. The head is in front of a blue part of the background. It would stand out more if you had angled the camera to get it in front of the green part. Less depth of field would also help so the background was less distracting. In PP - maybe too much saturation. I almost never touch saturation - just vibrance. Anyway - here is my version for what it's worth. I increased exposure, lightened the shadows, did a vertical crop, and did some dodging and just a touch of sharpening.

(Download)

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

For a distant shot in harsh mid-day light and messy surroundings, well done! You've brightened and sharpened your subject very nicely, but I agree about the background and sticks/nest colors now being too distinctive. If your editor has ability to de-saturate individual colors, you will probably find this is more a yellow issue than a green one. Also, if you can do selective edits, try to keep your background a little less bright than the bird. That could be trickier and require several different adjustments.

You asked about exposure; I would not have taken a lighter exposure either. I would find it easier to work with slightly dark, as you did. Also consider time of day; if you have the opportunity to shoot early in morning or towards evening, the light can be a great asset and mood setter.

An edit was posted while I was typing. As you can see, there are many large and small tweaks that can be made. It's your vision and satisfaction that counts, as well as how much you actual enjoy processing

Happy journey!

Pixelpixie88 Loc: Northern Minnesota

I think you did pretty good in getting the shot. My thoughts are that all it really needed was a better exposure. I raised up the shadows and blacks...color on the original is good. Also brightened it with the exposure slider and a slight radial filter. Do you "spot focus" for the eyes?

(Download)

agillot

somewhere between pic number 1 and 2 would have been it , num 1 somewhat flat , num 2 a little overdone ????

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

mikeroetex wrote:

I like your composition much better in processed version. However, in attempting to lighten the bird, I think your background now overwhelms the photo and all that green algae has become the subject. Maybe dial back the green and the saturation a bit. Btw, the bird looks great in PP. Just my opinion.

Thank you. Excellent comment.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

rplain1 wrote:

No need to be nervous. I am not an expert so this ... (show quote)

Thank you. Good comments. I like your final image better than mine.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Pixelpixie88 wrote:

I think you did pretty good in getting the shot. My thoughts are that all it really needed was a better exposure. I raised up the shadows and blacks...color on the original is good. Also brightened it with the exposure slider and a slight radial filter. Do you "spot focus" for the eyes?

Thanks for the comments. Yes, I spot focus and go for the eyes. If I can't see the eye clearly, I don't take the shot.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Linda From Maine wrote:

For a distant shot in harsh mid-day light and mess... (show quote)

Thanks. Good comments. I use Lightroom Classic CC and can go to Photoshop, so have a lot of flexibility, just need better vision in using these tools. Like the idea of getting out there early or staying late. The park closes at 10pm.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Pixlepixie88's rework is the best so far in my opinion. Harsh light and distance seem to be what you were fighting. Also, I always try to leave space in the direction the subject is facing. This can also be done when cropping. Don't be shy, learning is fun. And with digital, you can afford to cull to your heart's content. Keep posting.

Geegee Loc: Peterborough, Ont.

Why did you choose 350mm when you had 600 available? You will get sharper pictures if you crop less. And for exposure, you could dodge the bird to get the right amount of detail and burn the background so that it would be less distracting.

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

Geegee wrote:

Why did you choose 350mm when you had 600 available? You will get sharper pictures if you crop less. And for exposure, you could dodge the bird to get the right amount of detail and burn the background so that it would be less distracting.

Humm just what I was going to ask..

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Strodav wrote:

First post in this section and am hoping for some help, but a bit nervous, but here goes.
Brazos Bend State Park 8/28/18
Nikon D7200, Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 G2, ISO 160, 350mm, f7.1, 1/800 sec, handheld but supported on a guard rail

Could the original exposure been better? Could the cropping be better? Is the exposure compensation correct? Blacks lightened enough? Too much or not enough sharpening and saturation?

Yes, -the main subject is underexposed ( needs+ compensation) with harsh, overhead lighting - because of this, PP is a challenge.

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