Happy Fulmar

Gerald Kelberg · Oct 25, 2023

Travelling by boat in the waters around Svalbard, we were constantly being accompanied by Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis). Many hours can be spent watching them gliding past catching the wind and the lift off the waves. It seemed to me this one has a smile on his face - obviously having fun!

This shot taken with the Sony A9II and FE200-600 at 600mm. Shutter speed at 1/1250 sec at f/6.3 and ISO 500. Image is full frame width, shot with a 16x9 aspect ratio.

In Lr using Adobe Color profile (for slightly richer water colour) I have opened the shadows and added to the whites. Background decreased the whites and highlights. Resized in PS and sharpened for output.

For me, cool memories of Svalbard! I hope you enjoy and look forward to your comments.

Gerald

Steve Kaluski · Oct 25, 2023

Hi Gerald, a very nice shot of this bird with super detail.

In Lr using Adobe Color profile (for slightly richer water colour)

It's just pants Gerald, use Standard or even Landscape, but AC just rips the guts out of a file, what it puts in just kills any fine detail. Because of this for me, everything is just masked by this cloud of 'Black/AC' profile, but when you peel it away (as best you can from a 256 colour file) you then get to see the real beauty and what a cool capture this is, with life in the subject and a cracking backdrop. The hefty shadow part in the bottom RHC is just a bit aggressive I feel in tone.

Gerald it's a super image and love the slight wing tilt, just my take.

TFS
Steve

Gerald Kelberg · Oct 25, 2023

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your suggestions and guidance. I've gone back to the original ARW and reworked it from Adobe Standard. Probably taken a little more care with the masking etc and softened the shadow in the bottom right.

Gerald

Steve Kaluski · Oct 26, 2023

Hi Gerald, just for the record, when Lr did a massive update, I guess 6 years ago, they gave filters and Adobe Colour just increased too. I think Adobe were trying to capture more folk as it almost became a few clicks and WOW doesn't it look great, yes, but with the ramping up of both Blacks & Contrast it reduces the mid tones and where is Detail kept.... in the mid tones. Therefore, for anyone who 'processes', knows the damage it does, this is why software like Dave uses Dark Table or even RT which are free are so good in rendering to a point, but to really understand the programme you need the brain of Alan Turing to really understand the works, but its not a stand alone, you need Ps.

Adobe Standard is more kinder to an image, with less Blacks & Contrast, but again it still adds in behind the scenes. You might find Adobe Landscape sits better on the PB landscape, agreed a bit 'blue', but you can dress that in the overall WB, but both are a bit more amenable to subtle changes and Luminosity adj because the image isn't so Contrasty in its make-up, not look if you get what I mean. Just be mindful of certainly adding black, contrast to a point, but clarity, contrast, levels etc are all basic forms of Contrast sharpening, so a light hand and everything looks/appears so much better.

Apologies for the rambling reply, but hopefully you can understand why I really do say avoid using AC at ALL costs.

Cheers
Steve

Dorian Anderson · Oct 26, 2023

Very nice image, Gerald. I do a lot of pelagic birding and am familiar with the chunky petrel. The focus on the head is super, and the contrast against the water really allows the bird to stand out. I don't see much -- if any -- difference between the color profiles, but I do think raising the shadows on the wave as Steve suggested was a good move. My only wish would be for more pronounced banking to raise that front wing and show more of the underside. Both that's pretty wishful thinking; the image is really nice as captured.