Raven II

Gallery: AvianPosted October 29, 2015106 views7 comments

As long as I'm on a raven kick, I decided to try processing some from a Yellowstone trip in June of 2014. I posted another from this same sequence taken on our way out on the last day in the park but I never was satisfied with the way the blacks looked.

7D, 300mm f4 ISL + 1.4TC, hand held, f/5.6, 1/200, iso 640, aperture priority, pattern metering, +2/3 stop compensation. Processed in LR5 & CS6. Cropped to 12.2 MP. Taken on June 23rd, 2014 at 6:42 am.

I appreciate all the comments on my last Raven post and look forward to your input onthis one.

Thanks,

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on October 29, 2015 at 11:03 PM

Nice head turn on this one Dennis. It's not easy to properly expose blacks with such a light BG and what looks like overcast skies. So I think you did a decent job with it. I do think the raven itself is still a little under though and maybe another +1/3 of a stop on your EC would have helped. However, my guess is you didn't want to sacrifice anymore SS and DOF since you were already at 1/200 and f/5.6. I also know with the 7D (first edition) anything over ISO 640 is creating a lot more noise. I do think the image suffered though on the DOF. Overall, good job working with what you were given.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on October 30, 2015 at 12:22 AM

Sure looks like a sassy bird! I like the detail in the ravens feathers and the catchlight in the eye. A good pose and I like how it is framed by the branches. I like this one best. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on October 30, 2015 at 2:18 PM

I've looked at this on 2 different screens and it looks better on my iPad retina display. Richer color but less detail than my laptop.
I like the framing with the spruce and the BG is real nice. Good head turn.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on October 30, 2015 at 5:10 PM

I also like how the Raven is framed by the tree branches. The detail in the bird seems just a little soft to my eyes. I don't know if more sharpening will help, but I would try. It's a very cool shot Dennis.

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hansen on October 30, 2015 at 7:19 PM

Dennis, I agree with most of what has already been said. Plumage still seems a bit dark, but good job given the light you had. Overall, I like the composition; very iconic raven-like pose, nicely framed by the conifer branches.

Registered on May 5, 2011, 161 Posts, 908 Comments

Comment posted by Hans Overduin on October 31, 2015 at 10:16 AM

What I like Dennis, is the pose and overal composition - quite a natural image. On my screen the darks are a little too dark and the image seems a little soft, especially the head and eye. Maybe an extra round of sharpening could fix it ? Cheers, Hans

Registered on August 31, 2011, 491 Posts, 3807 Comments

Comment posted by David Rowe on October 31, 2015 at 11:48 AM

The composition is really good, Dennis, but I would echo some of my comment that I made on Raven 1. I feel that there needs to be more detail in the darkest regions of the bird. My wife maintains that I’m colour blind in my differentiating very dark blue from true black but to me there appears to be a strange purplish sheen on some of the upper regions. David

Registered on December 20, 2013, 133 Posts, 286 Comments