National Grasslands Prairie Chicken

[kevin Hice]

I know your all getting tired of Prairie Chickens. Just going through old files. Grouse on a lek can get very addicting. This file is from 2021. I had a very hard time processing this file. The original file had very little noise.
Originally used Topaz and all was fine time I finished processing I had introduced some artifacts of noise. Topaz did nothing on the second round to remove any of the noise. Photoshop did clean it up. Originally the file I thought had a strong color cast of Magentas and blues.
I used Tim Greys recipe for removing color cast and it did nothing. I did tone down the magenta especially on the grass. Now looking at it I wished I had left a little more color in the grass. I think it was just the early morning sun. Thanks for looking and appreciate the comments and criticism
Processed with Dpp 4,Topaz and Photoshop
Canon 1DX111
500 f/4 L
700 mm
M 5.6
1/1000
ISO 8000

[Dorian Anderson]

Love the low angle. There's just enough grass to make it interesting but no so much to block the subject and wreck the shot. Exposure and detail for great.

I think the color on the air sack and eye comb is too intense. Also, did you lift some shadows, particularly on the ruff surrounding the air sack and on the primaries?
There appears to be some noise/artifacts in those areas. Look particularly at the lowest primary.

And, yes, I received your PM. Thanks so much for getting back to me. I'm currently submitting the latest draft of my book to my publisher. After that it's off to Hawaii
for 10 days to lead another birding tour. Once I'm back from that, I pet-sit my way from Nashville > Kansas City > Omaha > Denver > Salt Lake. So, if it's OK with
you, I'll probably reach our from Kansas City as anything you tell me will get lost in the shuffle between then and now. I'm really looking forward to NB as it one of
the few states where I haven't birded. Cheers!

https://ebird.org/profile/NTUxNzE3/US

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Kevin , i am not getting tired of your Chickens .
Pose is cool and nothing is in the way for a clear view in combo with the low POV , well done to get this shot .
Seems like you had some warm light hitting the scene .... if so I would expect the same warmish color intensity in the grass as it is on the bird .
Love the colorful sack and the lovely patterns in the plumage .
Personally I am not really a fan of your chosen WB and color grading .... specially the cyans are are too strong for my taste , but color is subjective .
If you choose the correct WB in DPP you should have no strong cast that you have to use Tim Grey´s method .... whatever that method is .

Sorry I have to giggle ... the use of Topaz seems to be not so easy even if it is intelligent . But at least you see the bad traces it is leaving behind ... at times or better said on every image .

TFS Andreas

[kevin Hice]

Thanks Dorian and I did lift the shadows on the primary but not on the ruff. I agree on the air sack and eye comb and actually took those areas down. It can be hard to get right. I remember one year in Nebraska mid February and my falcon had killed one and I was amazed at the brightness and intensity of the eye comb.
Especially it being so early in the breeding season. When ever is good reach out.

[kevin Hice]

Thanks Andreas and I agree I tried every WB and nothing seemed to work along with picture style and every combo. As I said this one threw all kinds of curves. I agree on Topaz I have been in pretty good shape and really don't need much adjustment for noise.
What I have found with Topaz need to be very careful and cut back from AI as it seems to be too much.

[dankearl]

kevin3 3.jpg
Kevin, took this into Capture One and got what I think is nice WB.
I think its an Excellent Image, as nice a chicken as I see.
Colors are intense but fine I think.
I haver no idea what the Topaz comment was about, the processing is nice. The noise that Dorian talks about is
acceptable for me on a compressed jpeg.

[kevin Hice]

Thanks so much Dan. I think it is more like it should be. Cyans are tamed compared to mine. Excellent on the air sack and brows. Look so much better than mine. Over all the grouses body is better shows some of the early morning light. I was trying to remove too much of that color.
Your rendition is so good on the body. Thanks again.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Thanks Andreas and I agree I tried every WB and nothing seemed to work along with picture style and every combo. As I said this one threw all kinds of curves. I agree on Topaz I have been in pretty good shape and really don't need much adjustment for noise.
What I have found with Topaz need to be very careful and cut back from AI as it seems to be too much.

I can only talk seriously about the latest Photo AI ... so no idea about the latest Denoise AI .
I have tried to use it as plugin in PS and as Plugin for C1 .... with similar funky results .
I was never satisfied with the automated choice of NR or sharpening ... so I tried to reduce it via the sliders , the noise was still completely wiped out at a setting of 1 .... and leaving funky artifacts behind .
The sharpening module ... created pixel shifts in the plumage of my KF images ... just when I changed the clarity .
Could be just me ....

Cheers Andreas

[William Dickson]

Apart from the intense colours around the head and neck areas I prefer the original....Great POV, detail and HA...I would try reducing the blues in the BG....Well captured Kevin.

Will

[arash_hazeghi]

nice frame Kevin, like the pose and the environment, I am with Dorian the colors look off to me. the original is too saturated and BG is starting to show color banding. the repost tone mapping seems to be a bit off with the situation strong but brightness lower. have you recently calibrated your monitor with a sensor?

TFS