My first Play Raw… I’ve not intentionally avoided it, just never got around to posting anything.
This is a shot I took last summer and posted here on PIXLS.US, I think. I’d be interested to see how others approach it. My version certainly isn’t perfect, by any means. It’s a significant crop, taken handheld, at the far end of my 70-300 zoom, under difficult lighting while standing on slippery wet rock. It was in August and I used darktable, so I guess it was 4.0.x (and GIMP).
Thanks for the photo! Nice and sharp.I wasn’t quite happy with the green background so I shifted it a bit with the channel mixer… not really sure if it’s a success or not!
I think that’s all what the “your approach” bit is about. I actually didn’t really push the water toward that green - It’s legit but it’s definitely a matter of preference. I was shooting upstream, under trees and the sun was shining on the trees from the side farther upstream. The sun was out of site, but everything was greenish due to the reflections off the trees. This shot is from the same basic location:
I tend to get into pixel-peeping and never think anything is quite sharp / good / colorful enough. Until I overdo it and then have to pull back…
It’s interesting all the variants. I processed mine obviously influenced by how I remembered the conditions as I was taking the shot. Others are unaware and unencumbered by the actual experience and therefore are more likely (?) to interpret. Yours, like several others, is brighter than mine. It’s not unnatural-looking at all, but obviously I was influenced by the shadow in which I took it.
My Canon EF 70-300 IS USM zoom isn’t “L” quality nor is it at its sharpest at 300mm although it’s not bad (and better at more moderate focal lengths). The bird isn’t quite as sharp as I’d like but I actually think that’s probably more down to shutter speed than to focal length (or optical quality).
The bounce light on the water is quite extreme…you can go with it or desaturate and maybe darken it… it might work in BW actually as the bird isn’t massively colorful…what bird is it…
The bird is some kind of ibis, not sure of the exact model. I kinda like the green color, since it’s (as you implied) about the only color in the shot. I masked and darkened it on my version. I was shooting another angle when he (?) started working his way up toward, and eventually right past, me.
Until I overdo it and then have to pull back…
