Help me, please

[ginger_55]

I got up at 7 after 4 hrs sleep to go take photos of the shrimp, fish man, crab man, etc, birds, at Shem Creek as the shrimp boats unloaded. I had no idea what to expect. It ended up that this photo, and another less dramatic, are the best. I am concerned that this might be soft, but I really don't know.

I was going to sleep, but I have been working on this photo, can only show you one, but I have worked on two since I got home. It is 7:30, that means 12 hrs on this stuff.

So, is this soft? Is it salvageable? This is the more dramatic of the two shots I have for the challenge, but I know I can't enter it as it is. I am having trouble just all around, the saturation, the contrast, the colors, everything.

I am too tired to type this, too. Please whip this while I rest.

ginger (does "whip" mean you are going to whip it up into shape. :rofl , I appreciate it.)
http://gingerSnap.smugmug.com/photos/31142638-L.jpg

[Andy]

it's some fine action, that's for sure, ginger :thumb so now, the whip: i think it's soft, yes. where is the exif? that always helps us whippers, dear.... also maybe a link to the original file so we can see it before post-processing. also what i don't like about it is it's almost clinical in its' closeness... i think this would be a much better shot if there was some more of the scene in context .... wide angle is your friend sometimes! still, it's a fun shot and you certainly grabbed a great moment. keep it up.

[Nir]

ginger crying for help ... 911

ginger i agree with everything andy says (always, its a matter of politics :D ) but i also have another suggestion-

if you don't have enough wide to show how about a crop -

2 minutes in PS; crop, auto levels, elliptical marquee around the eye, 5 px feather, auto-contrast, deselect and usm 300,0.2,0.

[ginger_55]

Thanks, Andy, Nir..............

I was just too tired to put more up............went right to sleep, didn't even take my glasses off, or my hearing aids. I could not do anything except post this.

Nir, I do like your presentation.

No, I do not have more on that shot, as far as wide. I used all my lenses in rotation............as I said, I had no idea what to expect. The fish throwing started, I ran down to catch the action. I had been told to stay away, but I ran down anyway, I happened to have the 300 on, don't know about extender, took it on and off, too. I really do have some good shots.

But this one, and it's mate (fish in mouth tail out), they are the best for the challenge.

Nir I like your crop.

if you read this would you please go look at my challenge thread, the latest, don't know what I called it. Or the one I posted, the OTHER one.

I can't change this now, but I can give you a very wide, doesn't show anything. I would have expected to see birds all around, they aren't. I can see the fish, but no birds to go with it. But you can tell I did change lenses, a lot.

http://gingerSnap.smugmug.com/photos/31150466-M.jpg


This is the original of whip photo, and I will put the Url of the gallery up, originals available along with exif data. Last two/three pages.

http://gingerSnap.smugmug.com/photos/31205116-L.jpg


http://gingerSnap.smugmug.com/gallery/702003/5/31150471


Is that enough? I don't think anything will make it sharper. even w exif??? but there it is, everything. that is as brought up from RAW, I do change things in RAW, I could put it back to "not changed at all". See, I have to put this stuff up tonight or tomorrow morning.

The other shot is sharp, just not getting the attention this one seems to get.

Nir, I do like your crop. What about the color and saturation and stuff. I ran it through neat ninja. that was so I could leave it alone sharpness wise in RAW, except the color noise. But it made a difference sharpness wise to not use the luminosity, so I went with that, did little work, figured I was too tired and was overworking, then I ran it through NN, undid the eyes.........

put it up and gave it to you all. went to sleep. had to.

I have three baptisms this morning, of all things THREE, can't stay here long. Well, can stay til 10:30 EDT, but I have to be getting dressed part of that time.

ginger

[bfjr]

Morning Ginger
Can't add much to what has already been done and don't feel confident enough to mess with your file.
I can say I do very much like Nir's take and would go with that.
The 2nd thing I might suggest is, stop beating yourself up so much just relax and enjoy this. I certainly enjoy all your posts, images and words :thumb

[ginger_55]

Thanks, Ben. That is very helpful.

The relaxing part, hahahaha. My nature? I wish. You know I spent years as a B type, but I knew the A part of my "nature" was just underneath. I was an A student, too. Never got less than over the top grades, once I was an adult.

It can be a bit taxing, but it did get me out of bed yesterday morning for an out of this world photographing experience.

That man did not want me closer, I have a photo of him glaring at me, nice guy he really is, didn't mind if I photographed the birds, but not to interfere with his experience, his sales, or take his photo.

And the whole thing only lasted seconds, the birds appear to be fed in sequence, by "type", different food, over a period of time. I would have missed some shots if I had left after the first feeding, good thing I go for over kill.

Thanks, again,
ben,

from ginger

[wxwax]

Heckuva grab, Ginger! I like Nir's crop, makes the best of what you got. I agree with Andy, a bit of context would help. Still, nice quick reactions there, Ginger!

[GREAPER]

Here is my take on it Ginger. It seems the image is a little over exposed. I played with the contrast, lightness, and saturation. I also used selective color to remove a bit of a blue cast to the image.

I could be way off base, but here is my take.

[GREAPER]

Here is my take on it Ginger. It seems the image is a little over exposed. I played with the contrast, lightness, and saturation. I also used selective color to remove a bit of a blue cast to the image.

I could be way off base, but here is my take.

By the way, I like the header and footer on your page Ginger, Nice job

[ginger_55]

Thanks, Greaper, thanks, Sid.

I have yet to work on it again. I do like the catch, I wish the lighting had been different in this particular shot. It is like over exposed and underexposed. Then that blue on the pelican looks like paint to me. LOL...........

Maybe next time, and I will try to put some context in, too. I think, pretty well know, that that was with the extender on it. Next time, and I hope there is one, if I bother any of these shrimp people too much, they start making up rules where I can't be there anymore. Like I can't go on the docks to get the sunset anymore. I know if I had left 5 minutes before I was going to, that would not have happened.

Anyway, I guess if I have a 400 then, I would have to put the 70-200L on to try to get context. The pelicans were fed first. Funny, the birds seemed to know the sequence. And they showed up in sequence, too. After the last group was fed they all kind of cleared out, that was about 10 AM.

Now I know the drill a bit, but it is not easy photographically. Still, I got some good shots.

Thanks for your help on this one, I am sure I will use all of your suggestions on it. And the context on the next one. I used to have two cameras, the Nikon and a Nikormat (spelling?), I would carry both with different lenses, sure helped.

ginger