Adaptation at its best

[sury]

This bird (Can anyone identify?) took the food (a morsel of some snack) dropped by the guide and dipped
it in the water to entice fish to take a nibble and have fish for food. Quite impressive how they adapted to the
situation. Too bad we couldn't stay long enough to see it catch a fish.

Sury

[bakubo]

This bird (Can anyone identify?) took the food (a morsel of some snack) dropped by the guide and dipped
it in the water to entice fish to take a nibble and have fish for food. Quite impressive how they adapted to the
situation. Too bad we couldn't stay long enough to see it catch a fish.

That is very interesting. Smart bird.

By the way, these photos are very good but, IMO, you could do a bit of PP to make them much better, if you felt like it.

[sury]

Henry,
Thank you. Any suggestions on improving them?

[bakubo]

Henry,
Thank you. Any suggestions on improving them?

I spent 4-5 minutes on this one in PSE 9. I adjusted levels just a little bit, adjusted the white balance, did a small adjustment to the highlights using the shadows/highlights control, added a very small amount of saturation, and then did the slightest local contrast enhancement. I don't know whether you will like it or not. Just let me know and I will be happy to delete it from this thread.

sury_2.jpg

(247.68 KiB) Downloaded 1886 times

[sury]

Henry,
I certainly like it. Please do not delete it. I am all for a different perspective
and want to thank you for taking time to do it.

Sury

[Birma]

A fascinating bird, Sury , and you captured some nice images. I think Henry chose my favourite to edit

Nice enhancement, Henry

[sury]

Henry,
May I ask what is that you saw in that image that made you think it can be improved?
I want to know what triggered you so that I can see an image in more than
one way. I see the improvement and want to know how I could have perceived
what you did. I know it depends on individual, never the less, I thought I will ask.

Sury

[mikehawthorne]

Sury they are great images do you have a main interest in bird photography, you have taken impressive images.

mike hawthorne

[bakubo]

Sury, the first things I immediately noticed were:

1. Yellow color cast
2. A bit overexposed looking. I am not saying that it was overexposed, just that it has that look. Meters will tend to give you more exposure when you have lots of dark tones, been that way forever with meters. As long as you don't blow highlights that can be okay, but then you need to adjust in pp.
3. The bird's leg was too bright and lacking in detail.
4. Saturation a little low.

Your larger question though about how I noticed those things and knew what to do is harder to answer. I would say the best way to get your eyes accustomed to noticing things is to do pp on your photos, even if it is just to practice. After awhile you will be familiar with what the different controls can do, often with just a touch of them, and how they change the look of an image. Then little by little you can look at a photo, often a straight ooc jpeg, and see things that can be done that will make it "better". Having said all of that though, it is still up to you to decide what looks better.

[sury]

Henry,
Thank you for your reply. Once I started "looking" things you mentioned, it became obvious to me.
The reason I asked was to add to things to look for, before PPing an image. I have come a long way
thanks to the insight and expertise of the forum members who were not only generous with their knowledge,
they took time to share it. One of the ways I try to improve my skills is by asking.

I received quite a bit of input on my Grand Canyon photos which went into this trip. I feel I got a better crop with
fewer shots on this trip, thanks to the feedback I received. This is a continuation of that life long journey of learning.

Let me apply the criteria you mentioned to other shots and see how they turn out.

With best regards,
Sury

[sury]

Henry, Andy et. al,
What do you think of this one? I found a pattern of color cast after Henry pointed out and went about
addressing that and other points that Henry mentioned in addition to my own interpretation of the shot
as I saw it in my mind. I acknowledge these are subjective and I want to keep my mind open to different
interpretations. Makes it that much more enjoyable for me.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/pEze5K]

[Cogito]

Sury, an excellent modification to you 1st image but... as a suggestion you needed to enhance the bird only. When I process an image I'll play with all the sliders before reverting to the original and then applying mods. Using Lightroom I can apply modification to isolated parts of the image.

[sury]

Thank you Tony and let me ask an obvious question. How does one goes about
applying mods only to parts of the image? I know how to do the luminance/hue/sat
adjustments by clicking on the left side circle and moving cursor up/down to change
only the colors underneath the sweep. Masking?

Sury

[Cogito]

Sury, I use Lightroom and in the top right corner when editing an image, there's an "Adjustment Brush" which allow one to 'paint' over parts of an image.

[sury]

Thank you. I am reading upon it.

Sury