Look Into My Eyes

[kdog]

http://www.jacara.com/cpg144/albums/death_valley/IMG_4673.jpg

[aj986s]

Cooool picture! What a great expression!

Great pic but a couple of things caught my eye: 1) consider cloning out the tiny white debris under the leftside eye, 2) recover some of the highlight on the nose, and 3) crop out some of the right side to eliminate the gap in the upper right corner.

[Eia]

This is beautiful!!!

On my monitor the left side is really bright white... and along the left side of her nose. and yes, the speck under her left eye can be cloned?

[kdog]

Thanks Tony and Eia! Your comments are of course valid and good. The lighting was extremely harsh, and this particular frame was overexposed. I think I pushed the recovery as far as I can go. I rationalize the exposure in my mind by thinking that the severe lighting adds drama to the shot, in an almost high-key sort of way. Wishful thinking I suppose. Just try to go a day without a rationalization. :D

The speck under the eye, well of course it can be cloned out. I chose to leave it in because it's a truer representation of the beast at that moment. But now you guys are making me reconsider. :scratch

Glad you liked the shot.

-joel

[rwells]

Looks like you weren't really holding a camera...more like a dinner bell :huh

Yes, the pic has a couple of minor nits, but what a great "rare, if ever" opportunity to shoot a fine example of nature. Those kind of shots are usually (for me) fast and furious, & your not really giving the camera all the normal (make sure ISO is good, AF One-Shot...naw AIServo, etc.) tender care you normally would.

All that being said, I think this is a very nice photo :thumb

[kdog]

Looks like you weren't really holding a camera...more like a dinner bell :huh

Yes, the pic has a couple of minor nits, but what a great "rare, if ever" opportunity to shoot a fine example of nature. Those kind of shots are usually (for me) fast and furious, & your not really giving the camera all the normal (make sure ISO is good, AF One-Shot...naw AIServo, etc.) tender care you normally would.

All that being said, I think this is a very nice photo :thumb
Hey Randy, thanks a bunch. I feel a little better now.

If we had Nikolai along on this one, we might have been able to set up some lighting. :rofl But barring that, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. :deal

Cheers,
-joel

[Azzaro]

Hi KDOG.....That is a great picture of my most favorite critter.... IMO, the shot at the moment, out weighs the technical difficulties of shooting in bright sun light.. :thumb:thumb azzaro

[Jack'll do]

Awesome! What a fortunate opportunity for you.
I wouldn't worry too much about the minor nits. The face and eyes so captured my attention I didn't even notice them (other than the eye detritus). The coyotes and coy dogs in these parts are so wary they'd be hi-tailing it into the next county by the time you got the lens cap off.

[Tango]

wow, now thats some shooting!

your 100mm - 400 IS?

[kdog]

Hi KDOG.....That is a great picture of my most favorite critter.... IMO, the shot at the moment, out weighs the technical difficulties of shooting in bright sun light.. :thumb:thumb azzaro

Thanks Azzaro, it's one of my most favorite critters as well. :thumb

-joel

[kdog]

Awesome! What a fortunate opportunity for you.
I wouldn't worry too much about the minor nits. The face and eyes so captured my attention I didn't even notice them (other than the eye detritus). The coyotes and coy dogs in these parts are so wary they'd be hi-tailing it into the next county by the time you got the lens cap off.

Thanks, Jack. The animals in national parks tend to pick up bad habits like this. I have plenty of them in my neighborhood, but can never get near them either.

Cheers,
-joel

[kdog]

wow, now thats some shooting!

your 100mm - 400 IS?

Thank you, sir! Yup, this was with my favorite lens, the 100-400.

-joel

[kdog]

I started over with completely different processing. Please let me know what you think.

http://www.jacara.com/cpg144/albums/death_valley/IMG_9614_neutral_high3_2_1__8.jpg

Thanks!
-joel

[Jack'll do]

Oh this is a tough call joel. I put each in a separate window on my monitor and kept walking around the room glancing at them. There are areas where each is better than the other. For example:
1. The eyes in #1 are much brighter possibly due in part to the sockets being a blacker black, but the gold/yellow is brighter as well. In #2 the eyes are dull and don't grab me.

2. The area above and between the eyes is better in #2... more detail

3. The area below camera left eye above his whiskers has some multicolored speckles that are more obvious (and detracting) in #2

4. The roundish area on his snout (camera left) is disturbing in #2. It does not seem to go with the rest of his coloring (seems too dark, too tan). In #1 even though the left side of the snout is a bit overexposed, the basic color seems the same as that area on the other side of his snout.

5. The nose is better in #2 in that you've recovered some detail in the shadow and bright spot.

6. The whole area below (from neck to chest) is better in # 2 ... more detail

The bottom line is this. When I look at #1 I am immediately drawn to his eyes and then his mouth. When I look at #2 I am immediatelt drawn to the big brown spot on his snout.

Just my $.02 others may not see it this way.

[Azzaro]

Hi KDOG......... I think that the first one is the best of the two. I would remove the white speck under the right eye. Jacks comment about the brown hair on the side of the nose is the same thing I thought when I first looked at the picture...... I really like the first one.....Whats wrong with high key?????

azzaro

[kdog]

Hey Jack and Azzaro -- THANK-YOU!!! I really appreciate the feedback. :clap

When you stare at these things long enough, you start to lose all objectivity. That bright spot on the snout is troubling in #2 for sure. I was hoping it was just me, but I guess not. Not only the are the eyes better in #1, but the teeth are whiter too. Even the tongue seemed to have better saturation.

In case you're wondering, #2 is actually a series of three different exposure tiffs which I exported from ACR at 1 stop increments, and then merged and tonemapped in Photomatix. (Yes, I know that defies the laws of physics, but laws are made to be broken.) Those multi-colored pixels in the blown-out area on the snout gave me fits. I actually had to mask around that area so it wouldn't be sharpened, because that made it much worse.

Well, it was a valiant effort. :giggle Number 1 it is.

Like Azzaro says, "what's wrong with High Key?".

Thanks again, guys!
-joel

[Tango]

i prefer that last posted image.

and i dont mind the bright spot at all.

just my .1 cent

[kdog]

i prefer that last posted image.

and i dont mind the bright spot at all.

just my .1 cent
Well, my wife strongly preferred the second one as well, so you're in good company. :thumb

Sorry Jack and Azzaro. #2 it is!! :rofl

Of course, the great thing about digital, is that you can keep 'em both. :D

Thanks, Aaron.

-joel

[Tango]

:hide

[RogersDA]

I started over with completely different processing. Please let me know what you think.
Thanks!
-joel :thumb:thumb

[kdog]

:thumb:thumb
Cool! #2 advances solidly into the lead! :clap

Thanks, David!!!




(Psst, Aaron Nelson can come out of hiding now. :giggle)

-joel

[Eia]

I love the second one!!!:clap

[Panther]

Howdy Joel,

What a stunning image, I love the closeness of the details, the look in the eyes, really a very nice capture.

I also like the other image presented, each has a different feel to them, but both very pleasing to the eye.

Very nicely done.

Kindest Regards,

Craig

[kdog]

I love the second one!!!:clap

Thank you, Eia!!! :thumb

-jeol

[kdog]

Howdy Joel,

What a stunning image, I love the closeness of the details, the look in the eyes, really a very nice capture.

I also like the other image presented, each has a different feel to them, but both very pleasing to the eye.

Very nicely done.

Kindest Regards,

Craig

Thanks so much, Craig! I can live with that. :barb

Cheers,
-joel

[redleash]

I like 'em both also. Why don't you do a collage in PS, with the second one behind and faded and transformed in some way (larger, diff angle, etc).

Better yet, hang 'em both--a color shot and a sepia shot of each and make a nice quad display.

OK, I'm just thinking out loud and probably not helping. I just think they are both superb shots!

Lauren

PS: where and how did you shoot these?

[Shootin1st]

Both are nice, but prefer #2.

:thumb

[kdog]

I like 'em both also. Why don't you do a collage in PS, with the second one behind and faded and transformed in some way (larger, diff angle, etc).

Better yet, hang 'em both--a color shot and a sepia shot of each and make a nice quad display.

OK, I'm just thinking out loud and probably not helping. I just think they are both superb shots!

Lauren

PS: where and how did you shoot these?
Thanks so much, Lauren! Actually, a collage isn't a bad idea. I've got a few more of this beast I could use on it.

Story and more pictures here: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=117986

Thanks again and regards,
-joel

[kdog]

Both are nice, but prefer #2.

:thumb

Excellent. Thank you, Shooin1st!! :thumb

-joel