Dang!!!! I blew it!!!

[Harryb]

Hi you'll,

That was my initial reaction when I viewed this shot on my PC (I actually didn't say dang but the actual word had the same number of letters in it).

http://behret.smugmug.com/photos/35504111-L.jpg

I really liked the shot but the blown out area on the left leg was way too much for me. I was about to send it to the cull pile but held off. My basic approach to my post work normally is that if I need PS to save a shot then the shot ain't worth saving. This time I held off on hitting delete and instead used the clone tool and the healing brush to do a feather graft on the osprey and ended up with this

http://behret.smugmug.com/photos/35504112-L.jpg

I was much happier with the second and while I wouldn't sell it or enter it into a competition it was still a usable shot.

[jwear]

lets get him off of Bens tree and see some bifs :huh :rofl great shots:thumb Harry sharp and great color these are going to make mine look bad :cry

[gus]

Great shot harry...look at those talons !!! :huh

[bfjr]

Gee ain't that a pretty tree :rofl :lol4
Great shot Harry, and not to shabby on the post work either, I'd be hard pressed to tell ya did anything even you hadn't spilled the beans :D :thumb

[gluwater]

Nice work Harry, you're like a surgeon with that healing brush. I love the pose. http://dgrin.com/images/smilies/thumb.gif

[Seamus]

you're too critical Harry :): , I would be over the moon with the first one, a little blown highlight :dunno , when it is so sharp I wouldn't worry about that and you did a great job with the healing brush to fix it :thumb .

[Harryb]

lets get him off of Bens tree and see some bifs :huh :rofl great shots:thumb Harry sharp and great color these are going to make mine look bad :cry
Thanks Jeff. I ain't getting to many BIFs these days. I'm still learning the 500 and the new tripod setup. I may have to get another 300mm lens for bifs.

[windoze]

if i just saw the 2nd pic, id never know it was cloned / repaired / "feathered" or whatever the technique is called. Id be so dang happy to get a shot like that....

its great :clap


troy

[Bird Man Photographer]

**rubs eyes still trying to notice what's the difference in the pics**. So you did something to the second shot? I think maybe I need new eyes. :dunno Both very nice captures , Harry. :thumb :thumb :thumb I'm assuming you brought out some more feather detail/shadows in the highlights on the 2nd one? Boy.....detail in white is so very hard to see.:uhoh I'll have to figure out (and try) your healing brush technique. :scratch I usually try and burn in some lost detail on blown highlights. It doesn't usually work very well. :cry

BMP

[Harryb]

Great shot harry...look at those talons !!! http://dgrin.com/images/smilies/eek7.gifThanks Gus. Those talons come in very handy when the osprey is fishing

http://behret.smugmug.com/photos/26322941-L.jpg

[GREAPER]

Geat Job Harry.

I would not hesitate to enter the touched up shot in a contest, but to each his own.

[Harryb]

Gee ain't that a pretty tree :rofl :lol4
Great shot Harry, and not to shabby on the post work either, I'd be hard pressed to tell ya did anything even you hadn't spilled the beans :D :thumb
I bet you would like a tree like that. :D

I was happy with the results of the post work. It was one of the few times that PS "saved" a shot.

[Harryb]

Nice work Harry, you're like a surgeon with that healing brush. I love the pose. http://dgrin.com/images/smilies/thumb.gif
Thank you Nick. I loved the pose too that's why I didn't cull the shot.

[Harryb]

you're too critical Harry :): , I would be over the moon with the first one, a little blown highlight :dunno , when it is so sharp I wouldn't worry about that and you did a great job with the healing brush to fix it :thumb .
Thanks Sean. Its just irritating to work so hard to get the detail and then to blow out a good portion of the body. :cry I didn't mind the blow-out on the head too much but the body was just icky.

[Harryb]

if i just saw the 2nd pic, id never know it was cloned / repaired / "feathered" or whatever the technique is called. Id be so dang happy to get a shot like that....

its great :clap


troy
Thanks Troy. I was kind of happy with the shot myself at the end.

[ginger_55]

Nice shot,Harry, love the last one. I even like the first one, I didn't notice the blown spot, guess they don't bother me.

However, those toenails, they remind me of the nails on my little dog. I am going to have to find the clippers, she sure isn't catching any fish. At least the bird doesn't have to walk.

I envy you birds. I haven't looked for them in a week or so, but if I did, they would not be that close to me.

ginger

[Harryb]

**rubs eyes still trying to notice what's the difference in the pics**. So you did something to the second shot? I think maybe I need new eyes. :dunno Both very nice captures , Harry. :thumb :thumb :thumb I'm assuming you brought out some more feather detail/shadows in the highlights on the 2nd one? Boy.....detail in white is so very hard to see.:uhoh I'll have to figure out (and try) your healing brush technique. :scratch I usually try and burn in some lost detail on blown highlights. It doesn't usually work very well. :cry

BMP
Hey Mike,

If you look at the first shot especially at the left leg yoiu will see a large blown area on the osprey. I had to use the clone tool and the healing brush because once you blow out an area all the detail that was there is lost.

[Harryb]

Geat Job Harry.

I would not hesitate to enter the touched up shot in a contest, but to each his own.
Hey Brian,

Thanks. I just feel that once I've added something that wasn't there to start with sort of takes it off the market.

[jwear]

Thanks Jeff. I ain't getting to many BIFs these days. I'm still learning the 500 and the new tripod setup. I may have to get another 300mm lens for bifs.i tried with a long lens from Ron made my soft shot look mushy :D do you think the tripod and swivel will help with the bifs :scratch

[Harryb]

Nice shot,Harry, love the last one. I even like the first one, I didn't notice the blown spot, guess they don't bother me.

However, those toenails, they remind me of the nails on my little dog. I am going to have to find the clippers, she sure isn't catching any fish. At least the bird doesn't have to walk.

I envy you birds. I haven't looked for them in a week or so, but if I did, they would not be that close to me.

ginger
Hey Ginger,

Glad you liked the shot. I hate blown out areas. I'm trying to capture all the detail I can.

He wasn't all that close but the 500mm lens does bring them in.

[Harryb]

i tried with a long lens from Ron made my soft shot look mushy :D do you think the tripod and swivel will help with the bifs :scratch
Its all a matter of getting use to the new lens. and tripod. The Wimberly head is great for getting flight shots I just have to get used to the lens. Most of my BIFs were caught shooting handheld which is not that easy with the 500mm. Also it gets me in a lot closer so when the bird takes off I have to reacquire him.

[Ric Grupe]

...but IMO you went too far with the clone tool. Done it many times myself. Again, IMO, knowing where the light is coming from ain't a bad thing. When one area is changed in regards to showing the reflectance angle, it throws the whole frame off. :scratch

I like the original, it's a fine shot! :D

[Harryb]

...but IMO you went too far with the clone tool. Done it many times myself. Again, IMO, knowing where the light is coming from ain't a bad thing. When one area is changed in regards to showing the reflectance angle, it throws the whole frame off. :scratch

I like the original, it's a fine shot! :D
There's always one. :rofl

I have to disagree with you Ric about the first one. I caught a good pose but I blew way to much of the osprey's underside for the shot to be a good shot. 95% of the recovery was done with the healing brush so I using and blending in the adjacent non-blown areas so the additions blended in fairly well, IMHO. I tried working on the crest of the osprey's head but didn't like the rsults so I left it blown out.