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Challenge for Pictures in a Series: Motif or Concept CALL TO EDIT AN EAGLE PICTURE! : Download the RAW FILES from we transfer.com link below

Jim Olson

Well-known member
I was really lucky yesterday, because I wanted to get some shots of an eagle with my new Canon 100-400mm & I found one. But I'm not sure about the editing.
I like them darker but Will says I should lighten them up more.
This first one is just the JPG from my camera.
IMG_6187.JPG



The next one is almost half way for the exposure and cropped.
IMG_6187 E6 C8 S16 crop.jpg


This one is full lightening on the exposure and cropped.
IMG_6187 E16 C8 S16 crop.jpg


I like having more blue in the sky, but it is a little dark.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jim,

Superb.

What a grand bird!

Do you have the RAW file? It would be great if folk could each edit it their own way and then post their creative take and how they did it!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jim,

Just finding an Eagle for me would be a success!

The challenge is go get fine detail and clean color in the feathers.

Here your 50 D is struggling. I wonder if most of this isn’t noise at high ISO?

Looking at the EXIF file you shot this at 1/500 Sec, f8.0 and 1600 ISO.

Since the bird was hardly moving, one could, perhaps use 1/125 Sec at ISO 400 or even 1/60 at ISO 200.

But focus may not yet be optimal.

I would keep taking shots to grab one in the sharpest focus!

I wish Will Thompson could join you with a 1DXIII! That would nail the focus as sharp as a tack!

Ashe
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jim,

Thanks so much for the pleasure of working with a genuine American Eagle! To me it’s a real treat! I have already worked out how long it would take to drive to join you as this bird fascinates me!

Processing from RAW is a challenge because of the noise on the 50D at ISO 1600!

Photoshop CC 2020 with either its own noise suppression or using Topaz or Nik filters were failures in my hands. To get rid of noise, detail was lost too readily although of the three Nik behaved the best by far.
However, Capture One 2020 left the others in the dust. I still returned to my home territory of Photoshop for adjusting dynamic range, but that’s only that I have not kept up with the advances in Phase One’s interfacevin Calture One.

Having said that, I’d sell off my kids pet dogs to get a Canon 7D to put better focus and pixels on the fabulous bird.

363AA5B2-5BCA-4248-8877-F68DD161D7A9.jpeg
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
The other factor might be that with a 15MP camera and the bird being just about 1/20 of that field, there are about 0.75MP devoted to detailing the bird.

Capturing a more detailed shot is tough with a 50 D!

This task would benefit from more pixels and a longer lens at ISO 400. For birds where the feathers provide the color, texture and interest, one needs to allocate more pixels, I would guess at least double what we have here. That means a 20MP finer focussing 7DII, used for < $600 ......get a little closer!

Just the same I am thrilled to have processed your picture and just love that bird. You did very well despite the challenges!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jim,

My wife nudged me this morning as I sent her your eagle picture, that I processed:


E922EC7F-A38B-4C26-B033-E73CBA817723.jpeg


“Why can’t you take shots like that? That Eagle is simply amazing!”

She knows nothing about “noise” .........

..... except when I accidentally disturb her “Zoom” meetings for work!

She is so right! Also she knows nothing about “pixel peeping” either. The fact is you shot a fabulous picture!

Asher
 

Jim Olson

Well-known member
Jim,

My wife nudged me this morning as I sent her your eagle picture, that I processed:




“Why can’t you take shots like that? That Eagle is simply amazing!”

She knows nothing about “noise” .........

..... except when I accidentally disturb her “Zoom” meetings for work!

She is so right! Also she knows nothing about “pixel peeping” either. The fact is you shot a fabulous picture!

Asher
She sounds like an amazing person.
And you did a great job on editing my eagle shot...
Thank you,
Jim
 

Jim Olson

Well-known member
Jim,

Just finding an Eagle for me would be a success!

The challenge is go get fine detail and clean color in the feathers.

Here your 50 D is struggling. I wonder if most of this isn’t noise at high ISO?

Looking at the EXIF file you shot this at 1/500 Sec, f8.0 and 1600 ISO.

Since the bird was hardly moving, one could, perhaps use 1/125 Sec at ISO 400 or even 1/60 at ISO 200.

But focus may not yet be optimal.

I would keep taking shots to grab one in the sharpest focus!

I wish Will Thompson could join you with a 1DXIII! That would nail the focus as sharp as a tack!

Ashe
The trees and the eagle was moving because it was very windy and raining. I had to shoot from inside my SUV.
 

Jim Olson

Well-known member
Side note. I did have two eagles fly over my house while I was out walking my kitten but didn't have my 50D, just my cellphone
PXL_20201118_180613962.jpg

Not the greatest shot but you can see they are eagles.

Then I did get a few shots from very far away of some eagles after taking pictures of my favorite Lighthouse. And the sunlight had changed by that time.

IMG_6611 E16 C4 S16 crop STR -1.7.jpg

IMG_6599 E16 C4 S16 crop STR -1.7.jpg


IMG_6362 E16 C4 S16 crop STR -1.5.jpg
 

Jim Olson

Well-known member
I got lucky today & got up close with a couple of eagles
IMG_7218 E16 C9 S16 Bri crop.jpg

IMG_7231 E16 C9 S16 Bri crop.jpg

IMG_7238 E16 C9 S16 Bri crop.jpg

IMG_7246 E16 C9 S16 Bri crop.jpg

IMG_7251 E16 C9 S16 crop.jpg

It was looking at me like "Who are you and why are you taking my picture?"
IMG_7252 E16 C9 S16 crop.jpg
 
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