Male Kestrel

Phil-D

Phil-D

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Edit My Images
Yes
Something I've wanted for ages, a kestrel on a decent perch. Last Sunday, right place, right time and I got this, couldn't believe my luck.

Poor light meant higher ISO than I wanted but I might never get a kestrel to sit like this again.

All Comments and crit welcome, thanks for looking :)

Kestrel by Phil D, on Flickr
 
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Lovely looking bird and sitting up well with good eye contact, a great capture ... I would encourage you to check the levels, as an adjustment will make the image 'pop' just that bit more :)
 
gramps said:
Lovely looking bird and sitting up well with good eye contact, a great capture ... I would encourage you to check the levels, as an adjustment will make the image 'pop' just that bit more :)
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Phil - agree with Roger - have a go at reprocessing the image

Have you applied overall noise reduction to the image
 
+1 ^^ I would love get such an opportunity, thanks for sharing.
 
•
This is a very cool capture…
I saw that the DRL needed tweaking and
paid a visit to my pixel editor for the two sticks.
…a dream shot for me!

Male%20Kestrelppp%201.jpg
 
gramps said:
Lovely looking bird and sitting up well with good eye contact, a great capture ... I would encourage you to check the levels, as an adjustment will make the image 'pop' just that bit more :)
Click to expand...

BillN_33 said:
Phil - agree with Roger - have a go at reprocessing the image

Have you applied overall noise reduction to the image
Click to expand...

Box Brownie said:
+1 ^^ I would love get such an opportunity, thanks for sharing.
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Kodiak Qc said:
•
This is a very cool capture…
I saw that the DRL needed tweaking and
paid a visit to my pixel editor for the two sticks.
…a dream shot for me!

Male%20Kestrelppp%201.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies and thanks for the edit Kodiak (y)

I didn't noticed it last night when I posted the image but its the first time I seem to have lost a little IQ when posting an image to the forums from flickr:confused:

When I look at my image on here and Kodiaks edit, I can see a big improvement in the edit,(y) but putting Kodiaks edit side by side to my image on flickr, they look almost identical, possibly a tad more sharpening and just (only just) a tad more colour on Kodiaks edit, I'd be interested to know if anyone else is seeing the same as I am :confused:

It was dull and I'm always unsure just have far to take PP'ing but if there's more to gain from this image I'm keen to know, as I said above, I'll probably never get another chance, I'll have another look at the shot this morning, see if I can improve
thanks :)

Just to add, I'm viewing on a Dell 2412h that has been calibrated but its due for doing again, cheers
 
•
So, did put them side by side on my cinema display and observe the
same differences as you describe them though I never sharpen!

Anyone has an explanation?

I think this absolutely unfair for the posters!
 
most of the time the images look better on Flickr ... sometimes a lot better

I have never been able to figure out why ........ but it is quite a usual comment

even if you post a direct link, still the same problem

I think that a couple of guys stopped posting because of this
 
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wezza13 said:
What a fantastic capture!

Very nice shot.

If it's of any help, it looks exactly the same to me on here and when I click the image through to your flickr (y)
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Thanks Wez, sorry to be a pain :D, how does it compare to Kodiaks edit? I've just been looking at the last pictures I posted in here last week and there seems to be no lost of IQ with them, I'm a bit baffled :confused:

Edit- Wez, I crossed post with the two above, looks like kodiak is seeing the same as me, cheers
 
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Kodiak Qc said:
•
So, did put them side by side on my cinema display and observe the
same differences as you describe them though I never sharpen!

Anyone has an explanation?

I think this absolutely unfair for the posters!
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Thanks kodiak, at least I'm not going mad :D
 
Lovely capture Phil.

For me its seems a little sharper on Flickr looking on my Dell 24 monitor. I think sometimes when you look at Flickr images they seem to pop more due to the black background compared to the expanse of lighter colours on sites like this. Kodiak edit is showing a larger pic now and less expanse and a reason why it looks a better?

I mentioned this on the Mikes Raven thread, I have had a new PC this week and I don't know if its the new DVi connections over the old VGA one I used with this monitor on the old computer, but I'm finding the normal adjustments I do in LR seem to be more now than with the older PC. Not sure if it's the Graphics card or DVi connection but things look worse now than before, in particular Noise. Usually I would up the Noise slider to 25-30 now I'm doubling that and now losing detail.

The above maybe why sometimes we have in-different comments, on some threads in this forum, as we are all using different machines / monitors for our viewing?
 
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BillN_33 said:
Phil - agree with Roger - have a go at reprocessing the image

Have you applied overall noise reduction to the image
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Bill, this is something I need to learn more about. What I did was adjust the raw in basic ACR that came with E11, then I apply as much noise reduction as I think I can get away with without loosing too much IQ.

I have read about specific noise reduction software, some that's free to download, maybe its time I had a good look, cheers
 
Phil-D said:
Bill, this is something I need to learn more about. What I did was adjust the raw in basic ACR that came with E11, then I apply as much noise reduction as I think I can get away with without loosing too much IQ.

I have read about specific noise reduction software, some that's free to download, maybe its time I had a good look, cheers
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I think that the main difference Phil are what could be called "local adjustments" - generally NR can be applied to the background more than the subject ........ if you can isolate the subject as accurately as possible, (but even just generally is better than nothing), then apply NR to the different areas, (sometimes at different times in pp) - probably I would have only applied NR to the bg on the converted RAW ..... and left as much detail as possible in the bird/perch and then "edited" the bird and perch .................................................... but again saying what to do is much much easier than doing it ...... my problem
 
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wave01 said:
good capture
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Thanks

Swanseajack said:
Lovely capture Phil.

For me its seems a little sharper on Flickr looking on my Dell 24 monitor. I think sometimes when you look at Flickr images they seem to pop more due to the black background compared to the expanse of lighter colours on sites like this. Kodiak edit is showing a larger pic now and less expanse and a reason why it looks a better?

I mentioned this on the Mikes Raven thread, I have had a new PC this week and I don't know if its the new DVi connections over the old VGA one I used with this monitor on the old computer, but I'm finding the normal adjustments I do in LR seem to be more now than with the older PC. Not sure if it's the Graphics card or DVi connection but things look worse now than before, in particular Noise. Usually I would up the Noise slider to 25-30 now I'm doubling that and now loosing detail.

The above maybe why sometimes we have in-different comments, on some threads in this forum, as we are all using different machines / monitors for our viewing?
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Thanks Simon. I could well be over due a new computer device (I've been feeling a spend coming on for a while :D) At present I'm using an old lappy connected to the monitor through an HDMI lead, I think?

I've got to admit, its no good me looking at images on the lappy any more, they look totally different, the IQ is far better on the monitor, cheers
 
Nice capture Phil-D.

Here's my take, as it looked a bit underexposed for my taste, and also i enjoy photo editing :)
I used several layers and masks with a different levels boost on each, so as to not blow the nearly white areas on the wings and also to not blow the red channel on the nostril area and feet (which happens really easily with kestrels). I then did a noise reduction pass on the background, using a layer mask to keep the detail in the bird. Then finally a very slight saturation boost on the whole image.

23009210323_d413a41784_o-edit2.jpg
 
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Norfolkbloke said:
Stunning looking bird, a pleasure to look at!!

Matt
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Thanks Matt

den said:
Nice natural shots Phil
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Thanks Den

Werecow said:
Nice capture Phil-D.

Here's my take, as it looked a bit underexposed for my taste, and also i enjoy photo editing :)
I used several layers and masks with a different levels boost on each, so as to not blow the nearly white areas on the wings and also to not blow the red channel on the nostril area and feet (which happens really easily with kestrels). I then did a noise reduction pass on the background, using a layer mask to keep the detail in the bird. Then finally a very slight saturation boost on the whole image.

View attachment 52180
Click to expand...

Thanks for the edit, I'm not at the monitor, but I'll take a good look later. One thing that struck me straight away, the noise looks loads better (y)

Way beyond my PP'ing skills though :)
 
Phil-D said:
Thanks Matt



Thanks Den



Thanks for the edit, I'm not at the monitor, but I'll take a good look later. One thing that struck me straight away, the noise looks loads better (y)

Way beyond my PP'ing skills though :)
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...for now! If you get access to Photoshop anybody can do it. Just takes some learning but there's no magic involved, it's just about learning how to do things such as masks and layers :)

Great capture anyway! I would love to have got that image!
 
htid said:
...for now! If you get access to Photoshop anybody can do it. Just takes some learning but there's no magic involved, it's just about learning how to do things such as masks and layers :)

Great capture anyway! I would love to have got that image!
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Thanks Chris, I do have E11 and I'm always thinking I should learn how to use more of it. It reminds me of being back at school (quite awhile ago now ;)) the amount of times my report read 'has the ability, if only he could be bothered'
shakehead.gif


wallyboy said:
it is a lovely image, the only thing I would have done is pump it slightly and a little RHC,

as a stand alone image it is a corker just for the take,
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Thanks Walter :)

@Werecow I've got my image and your edit sat side by side on the monitor, your edit is very good,thank you (y)...........maybe you've inspired me to learn a little more about PP(y)

Edit- hope you don't mind, I've saved your edit, it'll give me something to work to :)

As I've mentioned above, I was unsure how far to take it in PP'ing, as in brightness, ect. It was dull when I took the shot, I try not to go above 1600 ISO, I can just about get away with 800th hand held and aperture I have no control over, just wide open, so I knew the settings were on the limit to being exposed slightly left. I did feel the image was a tad dark but these were the conditions it was shot in.

Thanks again for the crit on the pp'ing, something I needed :)............and at least Brash @BRASH hasn't been a long yet to post up a better shot of a kestrel :p:D
 
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WTF!!!! I never even commented on the bloody thing:rolleyes::D:D
 
Fantastic capture. I've tried for years and not got near this.
I've done a quick edit just to try and make him pop a bit more. Probably over done but you can take your time and get it spot on. I hope you still have the RAW file as it's a wall hanger when it's edited.

23009210323_75e134da06_cedit.jpg
 
Craig20264 said:
I hope you still have the RAW file as it's a wall hanger when it's edited
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Cheers Craig, yes, I did a re-edit on this and yes, its been printed and hung on the wall since Christmas :)
 
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