Eurasian beaver & kit ( Castor fiber)

Jonathan Ashton · Aug 27, 2024

Jon Ashton
Jon Ashton
Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 16.5 (Windows)

Mother and kit grooming shortly after feeding , image captured as the sun was rising 5.23am, captured hand held as low to water level as possible.

OM-1 150-400TC (1000mm FF equivalent)
ISO 4000, 1/250 sec f5.6

Gabriela Plesea · Aug 27, 2024

Good evening Jon,
This is really special, absolutely love the little one:tinysmile_shy_t: Glad you managed to capture interaction between mom and kit, not something one sees every day.

I quite like the way the subjects are tucked away among vegetation, you must have seen them grooming or perhaps mom feeding the little one, bringing little leaves and twigs, or water lilies, yes?

For me composition works well. Not too bothered by the twig above the beavers, just wish the stump in the FG wasn't so obvious - but I do understand there was nothing you could do about it.

Overall colours looking good, better than in your previous two threads. Those green leaves might benefit from just a tad of vibrance... but you know best, at 5:23 am I suppose things aren't that 'colourful'.

Subjects looking good too. I would try brighten them a bit and up the saturation ever so slightly on those brownish/reddish patches of fur, to make the beavers stand out a bit more.

Thank you so much for sharing, quite a find and I am sure you'll be seeing them again, how lovely!

Warmest regards,

Steve Kaluski · Aug 27, 2024

Hi Jon, much better overall, perhaps just a slight tweak in the Tone Curve, but overall it's a big improvement. No more fiddling!!!:bg3:

I much prefer this, both in terms of content and framing.

TFS
Steve

Gabriela Plesea · Aug 27, 2024

PS. Forgot to mention SS - wondering why you took the risk.. why not go up on ISO, these days one can deal with noise so easily in PP...You were shooting hand held and the gear must be a bit heavy, and surely there was some movement from the beavers?

Jonathan Ashton · Aug 28, 2024

Thanks Gabriela and Steve, at last a bit better, I am beginning to think things are beginning to settle down again. As ususal I had to take time to determine a decent Colour Temperature, there was a tendancey to make a magenta cast on the beavers - which may be there subtly but if not careful it became pronounced and a little unreal. the scene was high contrast, stong light coming from the left, the greens were quite saturated but Olympus files seem to exagerate greens. The overall presentation of the greens - not bad but maybe I could improve a little "Tone Curve" hmmmm maybe have another look for subsequent posts.. I actually got this presentation using Adobe Standard but I got ther having seen the "Olympus Natural" which makes thegreens very intense .
The shutter speed - as usual I used a range of speeds, I thought this particular frame looked sharp enough so I chose this as opposed to higher ISO. As you indicated Gabriela the noise can be controlled especially when fully exposing the image -I do get some pleasnat surprises at times but there is just no point in my pretending or hoping I can get as good a result at high ISO as you can using full frame - no comparision, hence differing ISO used and at 50fps hoping I can get some sharp at the lowest practicable ISO.

Andreas Liedmann · Aug 28, 2024

Hi Jon ... lovely behavior shot , captured for the best possible I guess from the aesthetic POV . A bit busy all around .... but hey we have to take what we can get .
Color and tones reflecting the time of shooting quite well ... so no nit from my side ... apart from some slight color tweaks here and there as a matter of taste . But you kept it natural ... which is fully alright with me .
For me you have gone too far in parts with the NR , I know it is a thin line how much to keep or remove .... but here is in some parts removed to much IMHO . Does look kind of smudgy to me ...

But super cool that you have the option to see and photograph the beavers

TFS Andreas

Steve Kaluski · Aug 28, 2024

Jon, will take another look when back end of next week on proper calibrated and validated monitors. Perhaps a little blue but....

Don't forget, forget how much IS the camera does to steady being HH, and so if you go for low ISO/SS if the subject fractionally moves you are stuffed even at 50fps.

there was a tendancey to make a magenta cast on the beavers - which may be there subtly but if not careful it became pronounced and a little unreal. the scene was high contrast, stong light coming from the left, the greens were quite saturated but Olympus files seem to exagerate greens.

AHHA, as I said I think to you, Canon is more Magenta, Nikon green, so from what you say OM is going along Nikon bias too possibly. Green & magenta sounds like a touch of cross Curves, but...

Personally I would keep your SS as high as possible and a 'comfortable' ISO, knowing the limitations the OM has with noise, as you really don't want to use truck loads of DN.

But it does seem though it's all looking far more 'rosier' on the horizon. :S3:

Just a thought but a dialogue with my old mucker Ákos might be worth a punt, as he shoots OM and his Kes looked good, albeit a bit bright.

Jonathan Ashton · Aug 28, 2024

Thanks Steve, like I said I vary SS and ISO and if I get one I like I am happy, not afraid of elevating ISO but if I can get a decent one at a low ISO it will be better.....once I feel I have one in the bag (but not until) I will if necessay drop SS.

Steve Kaluski · Aug 28, 2024

But it’s not until you review on a proper screen can you tell, you are wasting time if you rely on the back of the screen, it’s only good for composition/distracting elements.

Jonathan Ashton · Aug 29, 2024

Steve Kaluski said:
But it’s not until you review on a proper screen can you tell, you are wasting time if you rely on the back of the screen, it’s only good for composition/distracting elements.

Steve I don't think you get it, I have been taking images for 50 years I know a faster shutter speed is more likely to freeze movement be it of camera or of subject. Given the IS I have and an occasionally static subject and after |I feel I have sharp images I go for a slower speed just to see if I can nail it - I may or I may not - if I do I am happy so not a waste of time in my view, time is not an issue for me.

Steve Kaluski · Aug 29, 2024

Jon, I do, and if we want to be precise, what you are doing is called ‘ratcheting’.

Jonathan Ashton · Aug 30, 2024

Steve Kaluski said:
Jon, I do, and if we want to be precise, what you are doing is called ‘ratcheting’.

Say what? You and your pals have invented the word - it's a colloquialism...... anyway I still think it is worth a try...... don't lose any sleep over it:w3

Eurasian beaver & kit ( Castor fiber)

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