Red-naped Ibis mating

[Sidharth Kodikal]

• Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 16.0.1 (Macintosh)

Water levels have receded in this lake, and the peripheral lake bed is green and accessible on foot.
The scene was just amazing; water birds everywhere. Many kinds of Storks and Ibises.
Super lucky to have this pair mating.

I evicted a couple other ibises to give these 2 some privacy.

I'm on the fence on the distant blobs. I appreciate most people will think they pull the eye away. To me it evoked a memory of the place with those distant Painted Storks, thus left it in.


Canon R5, 600 F4
HH, Manual
1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 800

I wish the male's HA was slightly better, but this is the best HA/wing combo of the series.

All feedback and reposts welcomed

 

[Jonathan Ashton]

This makes me think perhaps Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary?
I like the interaction, the OOF storks don't trouble me either. The colours seem perhaps to be a little on the magenta side to me, head angles look fine also....no point wishing for someting it wasn't!:bg3:

 

[Colin Driscoll]

I tried removing the OOF birds but it then looked a bit sterile, so now they have grown on me. Nice capture. Light looks OK, very slight touch of magenta.

 

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Thanks Jon & Colin. Uggh I keep messing up with the magenta :bugeyed:

This is in a different state, but incidentally this place is called mini Bharatpur. We get almost all of the Bharatpur species here except for the cranes. A lot less touristy.

 

[Steve Kaluski]

• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 13.1 (Macintosh)

Hi Sid, I'm wondering if you were flat to the ground and at eye level with the female, would have it been better?

Yes colour does appear a bit off, plus it looks a bit dull/flat to me. If you address the various colour casts and then look for a mid grey in the wings ie 50/50/50 in the RGB the WB looks better, however I did also bring back some of the blue too which I think is inherent?

Where you take it there after Sid is all yours, I added a couple of Curve adj, the grass isn't right but you get the gist. The OOF blogs have to go, too distracting, but again, your call. As for the strip at the top, now it hasn't the colony casts isn't so defined, so again it could be addressed?

TFS
Steve

 

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Hey Steve, thanks for the RP.
I like the direction you've taken. Will reprocess accordingly.
Yes, there's a significant beautiful iridescent blue in the wings that needs to be brought back.

Eye level might've been nice, but this happened too fast, and the BG at eye level was more 3 tone white, grey, and blue.

Hope you're having a great holiday season. Thank you.

 

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Sid, like with ALL RPs there is a limit to what can be achieved, as you are ‘doctoring’ an image that has already been ‘processed’, but it’s all good ‘food for thought’.

Enjoy any of the festivities, stay safe and see you in ‘24. :S3:

 

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Sid .. nice action captured and I think you did quite well if this was taken under " time pressure " .
Perfect posing and the raised wings are looking very good .
I would say you have nice overall clean image , albeit the birds in the BG might be a bit distracting for the " perfect perfect " shot ... I can live with them , but might try to make them less visible but not completely removing them .
Details , color and tones are quite good , apart from the ( personal pref ) blues in the darker tones which I do find somehow too strong .

But still a pretty neat shot

TFS Andreas