Watercolor Walls

[Brian Sump]

• Brian Sump Photography
• Adobe Photoshop 21.2 (Macintosh)

Another from my time with the amazing Avocets this spring.

R5
600mm
Handheld ('foot'pod)
ISO 1600
1/6400
f7.1

LR and PS. Evicted a couple bubbles on the waterline.

 

[Jonathan Ashton]

Super love the colours on this one - doesn't appear to be so saturated as previous to me.
Composition looks very appealing and good detail in the darks, the water ripples look really calm and peaceful making for a really attractive image.

 

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Brian, I like the HA, perhaps the rear tilted more away from the viewer so it's less in your face, is the catch light added? Blacks are clipped in the plumage, so correcting that would help. Why the excessive SS, reducing 1/6400 would have also brought your iSO down too, but 1600 to 800 not a huge difference. Nothing you could do with the darker, patchy greens, but I might have looked to just reduce it a little more, but...

It can also work I think without the body reflection, but the OP works.

TFS
Steve

 

[kevin Hice]

Another fine image Brian, surprised by the shutter. Probably like me just gets away from you sometimes. Love the colors and surprised about the comment with the blacks clipped, maybe a little confused. Aren't some blacks to be black to give some contrast. This is why I have a hard time in post. TFS

 

[Brian Sump]

Lol I think Steve just goes looking for something to criticize sometimes.... :cheers:

The blacks that show up for me at the bottom are faint in a silhouette. I correct these mid way through but maybe added a touch more late or something. My eyes would never pick up on it if not mentioned. Now if the blacks are super dark and oversaturated, I get that.

AFA the shutter speed, the theme in this forum lately, with newer bodies and good denoise treatment, is that you need to go higher SS and that the R series can handle much more ISO to do achieve this so not sure why ISO 1600 and 1/6400 are of question? Perhaps I just read it wrong.

FWIW, my full light settings are always 1/6400 ISO 1250 and f7.1, unless I need to alter dof for some reason. This was just as the sun was fully cresting and chose to add that bump of ISO. Personally, I never take ISO below 1250 and only ever go up from there, rarely down, right or wrong.

Anyway, always thankful for the comments. Kevin, regarding blacks, yes they do add contrast but you can make some black slider adjustment or a couple other tools to pull them out of the far left of the histogram.

Another fine image Brian, surprised by the shutter. Probably like me just gets away from you sometimes. Love the colors and surprised about the comment with the blacks clipped, maybe a little confused. Aren't some blacks to be black to give some contrast. This is why I have a hard time in post. TFS

 

[Steve Kaluski]

Love the colors and surprised about the comment with the blacks clipped, maybe a little confused.

Kevin, the triangle in the Histogram on the LHS of Lr that indicates 'Black' is coloured white, NOT grey, indicating that there are areas of black that cannot hold any detail, it's highlighted in the image as Blue. Now it's in the plunge where 'technically' it doesn't matter, however, why would you not correct this before output as it's just good ethics. In addition, you need to be aware/mindful if you get prints done, because this helps you as it indicates when colours cannot be achieved or out of range.

done

Lol I think Steve just goes looking for something to criticize sometimes....

No Brian, I just think it's just part of good PP and giving your subject the respect and ultimately to present it to its best. I'm not wanting to find fault, why would I???? I spent almost a whole Saturday and part of a Sunday helping you to progress your Camera set up & PP, highlighting some main/key issues that others have failed to highlight, but have a major impact.

AFA the shutter speed, the theme in this forum lately, with newer bodies and good denoise treatment, is that you need to go higher SS and that the R series can handle much more ISO to do achieve this so not sure why ISO 1600 and 1/6400 are of question? Perhaps I just read it wrong.

I said from day one Brian that with the R5 you need more SS to ensure you don't get any pixel shift, it's not an R3. The subject appears to be static so a SS of 1/2500 would have been sufficient to freeze the action. In doing so the ISO can come down, however this idea of applying NR on images at 1600 or below is to me wrong unless under exposed badly, what advantage do you gain, plus it does have impact on the RAW?

Ironically the current movement in PP is now to APPLY GRAIN because images appear too smooth, and as Artie says 'plastic'.

 

[Brian Sump]

No Brian, I just think it's just part of good PP and giving your subject the respect and ultimately to present it to its best. I'm not wanting to find fault, why would I???? I spent almost a whole Saturday and part of a Sunday helping you to progress your Camera set up & PP, highlighting some main/key issues that others have failed to highlight, but have a major impact.

I said from day one Brian that with the R5 you need more SS to ensure you don't get any pixel shift, it's not an R3. The subject appears to be static so a SS of 1/2500 would have been sufficient to freeze the action. In doing so the ISO can come down, however this idea of applying NR on images at 1600 or below is to me wrong unless under exposed badly, what advantage do you gain, plus it does have impact on the RAW?

Ironically the current movement in PP is now to APPLY GRAIN because images appear too smooth, and as Artie says 'plastic'.

No worries Steve, that's why I :cheers: you above. You had a great eye to notice the blacks for sure.

I appreciated your help on the camera and monitor settings. Was not insinuating you meant harm; as I said, I just chuckled a bit at the SS comment. Also, as mentioned I am always trying to improve and certainly appreciative of the feedback every single posting!

RE your SS comment, my goal was shooting Avocets in flight so kept SS up but yeah, agree with you if shooting static you can adjust many different ways

 

[Steve Kaluski]

Hey Brian, I guess it’s close to what we call banter across the pond. :bg3:

You have come on in leaps & bounds and remember it was me who kept trying to push you and get to understand what you now know and take for granted all those years ago. Now hopefully you have all your Ducks, (or Avocets) in a row, it’s now more of refinement and building that workflow, but don’t get sidetracked as there is a huge amount of BS out there and it can take you down paths you don’t want to go.

You are extremely lucky with your light over there, we should do an exchange and you might understand what Jon & I have to contend with. I trust the light is favourable for Kevin in Iceland, it might take him into uncharted waters with techs, however Artie will be there to guide him.

Keep the coming Brian as they do have a ‘Tuneresque’ (British artist) look about them re BKG.

 

[Brian Sump]

Yes, we're blessed with 300 days of sunshine in Colorado :-D

All good. Appreciate your insights through the years Steve!

One day we'll meet and can stand on neutral ground and toast to progressing as photographers together!

Hey Brian, I guess it’s close to what we call banter across the pond. :bg3:

You have come on in leaps & bounds and remember it was me who kept trying to push you and get to understand what you now know and take for granted all those years ago. Now hopefully you have all your Ducks, (or Avocets) in a row, it’s now more of refinement and building that workflow, but don’t get sidetracked as there is a huge amount of BS out there and it can take you down paths you don’t want to go.

You are extremely lucky with your light over there, we should do an exchange and you might understand what Jon & I have to contend with. I trust the light is favourable for Kevin in Iceland, it might take him into uncharted waters with techs, however Artie will be there to guide him.

Keep the coming Brian as they do have a ‘Tuneresque’ (British artist) look about them re BKG.

 

[Steve Kaluski]

You are on Brian, or if we can get you out to Africa to see the wild side, albeit if Artie comes back to the UK, I might just gate crash for a day and afterwards exchange POV. :bg3:

 

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi Brian ... as nice as previous posting of the Avocet , if not nicer due to the really nice vertical comp with the reflection included .
Pose is great with the perfect head turn .... to get the viewers attention :bg3: , catwalk of the Avocets :5

Nicely processed for the very most part , IMHO , just personally I would try to get the blacks unclipped in the histogram .
The FG and BG with all the various colors looks awesome .... :cheers:

Very nice work amigo and TFS Andreas

 

[William Dickson]

Looks real good here. Beautiful colours throughout and very pleasing to the eye. I like the look back pose and the detail you managed to capture. I can imagine this looking awesome printed large. Well done Brian, another beauty.

Will

 

[Arthur Morris]

Everything including the BLACKs looks great to me. The distance to the subject and the f/7.1 rendered the whole bird sharp. Is this from a horizontal ORIG? The colors are luscious.

As still captain of the head angle police, I have long advised that for over-the-shoulder images perfectly square to the imaging sensor is generally best. I think that it would have worked well here as the lady's bill is foreshortened a bit here.

Good to see you getting out some.

with love, artie

 

[arash_hazeghi]

classic AA in breeding plumage, I like the low angle and the soft colorful BG tones and the blurry reflection, all looks good to me

TFS