Very difficult lighting conditions Mike. I quite like the overall effect. I would prefer a bit more detail in the shadow side of face though that could be the works monitor. Is this a captive animal (ear nick looks like its been notched)?
No, it's a wild animal in the Lea Valley Regional Park.
Lighting was very harsh - at the time I had recently taken up wildlife photography, and just took the camera out come rain or shine. This was taken on a very bright day in June at 11.05 am.
I now tend to go out early or late, but still like this picture despite all that because it reminds me that I was 25 feet from this animal. Sometimes it's just the "being there" that is enjoyable. Pics are a bonus.
I just had a quick tweak of this image using shadows and highlights in PS and it really does make a difference to the detail obtained form the lighting conditions. As a starting block I adjusted each to about 30-35%. I think if you have another tweak with this it will make for a great portrait of a shy and illusive deer species.
The composition is excellent. The face appearing from the shadow into the bright sunshine is beautifully captured. Highlights in the surrounding foliage make a super frame. The difficult lighting conditions have been used to great effect.
I have to agree with this I'm afraid.. Whilst it might have increased the detail from the shadows it doesn't look as it did on my screen when I processed this small jpeg. The atmospheric lighting of the shadow was still retained, but has been lost somewhat in your 2nd posting. The 30-35% was only a starting block and not a literal translation of what needed to be done. You might need to go back to the RAW and work on it a little more but at least now you know it is possible to bring up the detail in shadows etc.. As I said, there is a nice image in there just waiting to be gleaned from a little post processing.. Good luck and look forward to more.
Posting on this forum seems to highlight more my lack of knowledge of Photo-manipulation packages than it does my photographic skills.
I have tried this with just 25% in the shadows and 0% highlights. As you pointed out Brett, the detail is there (especially in large format), but manipulation is required to show it at its best.
Nice to be treated to this no doubt. I used to get very frustarted knowing that my image was good, but I was not getting the most out of it during post processing. There are some good articles around showing various ways of image processing......... google away
"...to highlight more my lack of knowledge of Photo-manipulation packages than it does my photographic skills."
Personally I think it is important to get the balance right. Knowing how to get the best out of the image through post processing is an important skill to master but it is equally, or more, important to get the best you can when taking the shot.
In these circumstances I would look to balance out the lighting with just a small burst of fill flash. With harsh directional lighting this can often be the only way of getting enough detail in the shadow areas.
Discussion
13 repliesNikon D300 with Nikon 80-400 mm/F4-5.6 at F5.7. 1/250 sec, ISO 400, EV -0.67. Cropped from LS to Portrait.
Robert
No, it's a wild animal in the Lea Valley Regional Park.
Lighting was very harsh - at the time I had recently taken up wildlife photography, and just took the camera out come rain or shine. This was taken on a very bright day in June at 11.05 am.
I now tend to go out early or late, but still like this picture despite all that because it reminds me that I was 25 feet from this animal. Sometimes it's just the "being there" that is enjoyable. Pics are a bonus.
Thanks for the comment.
I just had a quick tweak of this image using shadows and highlights in PS and it really does make a difference to the detail obtained form the lighting conditions. As a starting block I adjusted each to about 30-35%. I think if you have another tweak with this it will make for a great portrait of a shy and illusive deer species.
Brett
First class
I had never used Shadows and Highlights before, and hadn't even realised it was there.
Great improvement.
Thanks
David
Brett
I have tried this with just 25% in the shadows and 0% highlights. As you pointed out Brett, the detail is there (especially in large format), but manipulation is required to show it at its best.
Thanks for the continued advice fellas.
JohnR
Personally I think it is important to get the balance right. Knowing how to get the best out of the image through post processing is an important skill to master but it is equally, or more, important to get the best you can when taking the shot.
In these circumstances I would look to balance out the lighting with just a small burst of fill flash. With harsh directional lighting this can often be the only way of getting enough detail in the shadow areas.