Rockhopper pair


Posted by Cliff Beittel on Mon Dec 20, 2004 8:56 pm

All times are UTC-05:00

Reply to topic  
 First unread post  | 21 posts | 
Image
© 2004 Cliff Beittel, all rights reserved
For discussion only; may not be archived, downloaded, or used for any purpose without written permission

Don't think I've posted this one before. It's from New Year's Eve two years ago. Although the owners of the island were waiting to greet us, we had to wait for a Falklands customs official to came aboard at 8 a.m. to stamp our passports; then after finally going ashore it was a long hike to the colony--our only Rockhopper Penguin colony of the trip. Took me even longer to find this pair down a steep gully. Must have been 10:30 or 11 o'clock, the sun a lot higher than I prefer. New Island, Falkland Islands, 12-31-2002, EOS-3, 400 f4 DO, 1/125, f11, fill at -1 2/3 (CF 14.1), Provia F unpushed, Wimberley head on Gitzo 410, full frame, contrast mask, cloned texture in the whites (these day's I do it with curves in the scan), and eyes brightened in Photoshop.
[b]Cliff Beittel[/b]
[url]http://www.agpix.com/cliffbeittel[/url]

Posted by:
Cliff Beittel
Forum Contributor
Posts: 3210
Joined: 3 Sep 2003

   

by Alan Murphy on Mon Dec 20, 2004 9:10 pm
User avatar
Alan Murphy
Lifetime Member
Posts: 27330
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Location: Houston, Texas
Member #:00014
Cliff, a wonderful intimate shot with some great behavior. Is the green that's coming through on the back feathers supposed to be there?

And, that's how I'd like to spend New Years Eve.
Alan Murphy
NSN 0014
www.alanmurphyphotography.com
 

by Cliff Beittel on Mon Dec 20, 2004 9:20 pm
Cliff Beittel
Forum Contributor
Posts: 3210
Joined: 3 Sep 2003
Alan Murphy wrote:Is the green that's coming through on the back feathers supposed to be there?
Probably not. While I think penguins do sometimes have a blue/black sheen, on a somewhat similar frame (this one is out of the office), the feather centers are whiter, though maybe with a hint of blue. The green in the background between the two birds should also be grayer. Looks like I need to rescan it when it comes back--I've just recently learned how to use the Curves tool in NikonScan to keep the whites from getting as hot as they do without adjustment.
[b]Cliff Beittel[/b]
[url]http://www.agpix.com/cliffbeittel[/url]


Last edited by Cliff Beittel on Mon Dec 20, 2004 9:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 

by Fabs Forns on Mon Dec 20, 2004 9:21 pm
User avatar
Fabs Forns
Lifetime Member
Posts: 17752
Joined: 22 Jun 2004
Location: Coral Gables, Fl
Member #:00393
Great shot Cliff, thanks ofr sharing it. I've been reading reviews about the lens, and it sounds good :D
 

by Paul Fusco on Mon Dec 20, 2004 9:45 pm
Paul Fusco
Forum Contributor
Posts: 4504
Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Location: CT
Nice behavior, Cliff. The composition is well framed and the angle to the birds is just right for the best use of DOF. Well done.

- Paul
[b]Paul J. Fusco
NSN 0120[/b]

NSN Portfolio
http://www.naturescapes.net/portfolios/portfolio.php?cat=10317
 

by whf4 on Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:17 pm
whf4
Forum Contributor
Posts: 4297
Joined: 11 Mar 2004
Location: OH
Cliff,

as others have said, the behavior is fantastic, and the composition is great. the browns on their faces are a little too uniform to look natural, and that may be parrt of the photoshopping.

Great image!
4 down, 2 to go.
 

by Sidamo on Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:26 pm
User avatar
Sidamo
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2080
Joined: 3 Mar 2004
Location: CA
I like the behavior of the birds. I don't really understand what causes the things I see, but I feel relief I don't have to scan slides any longer.
 

by BrianS on Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:29 pm
BrianS
Lifetime Member
Posts: 3462
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
Location: Ashburn, VA
Member #:00196
Just to have the opportunity for a shot like this is awesome. Nice interaction.
[b]Brian Spangler[/b]
[url=http://brianspangler.naturescapes.net][b][u]http://brianspangler.naturescapes.net[/u][/b][/url]
[url=http://www.naturescapes.net/membership.htm][b][u]NSN 0196[/u][/b][/url]
 

by moose henderson on Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:56 pm
User avatar
moose henderson
Lifetime Member
Posts: 4715
Joined: 24 Oct 2003
Member #:00193
love the behavior, cliff
moose henderson
Wildlife and Nature Photography
Website: http://www.moosehenderson.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/moosehendersonphoto/
 

by Juan E. Bahamon on Tue Dec 21, 2004 2:11 am
User avatar
Juan E. Bahamon
Lifetime Member
Posts: 5688
Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Member #:00080
Cliff:

Very nice interactive behavior, I feel your pains with the scanning process, in that way digital if for anything will increase your longevity since may frustrate less with the post processing shores. :wink:
Juan E. Bahamon
www.birdsofcorpuschristi.com
www.juanbahamonhummingbirds.com
 

by KK Hui on Tue Dec 21, 2004 3:09 am
User avatar
KK Hui
Moderator
Posts: 42681
Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Location: Hong Kong, China
Member #:00536
Great interaction/behavior shot, Cliff! :roll:
Love the comp too ...
KK Hui  FRPS
Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society
Personal Website | Portfolio @ Flickr

Lifetime Member NSN 0536
 

by Neil Fitzgerald on Tue Dec 21, 2004 3:48 am
User avatar
Neil Fitzgerald
Regional Moderator
Posts: 9238
Joined: 24 Aug 2003
Location: New Zealand
Member #:00240
Great interaction. I think the contrast mask is a bit strong making the blacks go a bit muddy. How'd you do the masking? I've only recently started using contrast masks and find it very easy to over do.
Cheers,
 

by LHays on Tue Dec 21, 2004 5:28 am
User avatar
LHays
Lifetime Member
Posts: 12363
Joined: 17 Aug 2003
Location: Northern Kentucky
Member #:00040
Cliff
I have always loved your penguin images. This one is no exception. The behavior in this one is what it's all about. What an incredible way to bring in the New Year!!!
Lana Hays
NSN 0040
[url]http://www.lanahays.com/[/url]
 

by Cliff Beittel on Tue Dec 21, 2004 7:21 am
Cliff Beittel
Forum Contributor
Posts: 3210
Joined: 3 Sep 2003
Neil Fitzgerald wrote:Great interaction. I think the contrast mask is a bit strong making the blacks go a bit muddy. How'd you do the masking? I've only recently started using contrast masks and find it very easy to over do.
Yes, easy to do over, though I've since moved to Curves and Color Selections instead of masking to keep the whites more like they are on the slide. This mask was the technique John Shaw shows on his excellent Photoshop Field Guide CD--creating a duplicate layer, desaturating it, inverting it, and then converting the layer to Soft Light.
Juan E. Bahamon wrote:. . . digital . . . will increase your longevity since may frustrate less with the post processing shores . . .
Not for me, at least not anytime soon. Apart from lack of acceptance among many clients (still!), not having a firm record of the light would be very frustrating to me. Without a slide, how would I have answered Alan's question? Penguins do sometimes show a blue/black sheen. I only know it's exaggerated in this JPEG because I can look at a slide. Does the slide have some bias? Sure, but it's far more objective than anyone's memory.
[b]Cliff Beittel[/b]
[url]http://www.agpix.com/cliffbeittel[/url]
 

by Steve Metildi on Tue Dec 21, 2004 10:52 am
Steve Metildi
Lifetime Member
Posts: 10
Joined: 3 Mar 2004
Location: Orange County, CA
Member #:00266
Great interaction shot Cliff between these two, the framing and preening makes this. I'm not sure I've ever a Penguin interaction shot before. What a drag to have to wait for Customs when you gone to such time & expense to get to the Falklands--.

Steve
 

by Mike Danzenbaker on Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:35 pm
Mike Danzenbaker
Lifetime Member
Posts: 3683
Joined: 1 Sep 2003
Member #:00559
Hey Cliff,

You did pretty well considering on the trip you took your only opportunity to shoot this species doesn't occur early or late in the day (and to make it worse you had additional bureaucratic problems), plus isolating a pair with a pleasing background is challenging. The behavior is great. Of all the birds on that itinerary, my Rockhopper shots are the weakest.
"Animal instinct is more amazing than human ingenuity."

Mike
http://www.avesphoto.com
 

by Bruce DiVaccaro on Tue Dec 21, 2004 3:37 pm
User avatar
Bruce DiVaccaro
Forum Contributor
Posts: 18925
Joined: 27 Aug 2003
Location: Sheffield Village, Ohio
Cliff,

Great shot and very well composed. The interaction is wonderful.
Bruce DiVaccaro
Sheffield Village, Ohio
NSN 135
 

by Carol Clarke on Tue Dec 21, 2004 5:19 pm
User avatar
Carol Clarke
Chief Forum Administrator
Posts: 73286
Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Location: Lincolnshire, UK. In tune with Nature.
Member #:00067
Alan Murphy wrote: And, that's how I'd like to spend New Years Eve.
:shock: What!!! - having your head kissed by a Penguin??????? :wink:

Wonderful image Cliff! a beautiful and intimate moment. I have only been able to photograph these beautiful birds in captivity. :) 8) 8) 8) 8)
Carol Clarke
Chief Forum Administrator.


"When the power of love is greater than the love of power,
the world will know peace"....Jimi Hendrix.

NSN0067
 

by Bob Ettinger on Tue Dec 21, 2004 6:39 pm
Bob Ettinger
Regional Moderator
Posts: 3111
Joined: 19 Aug 2003
Member #:00148
Cliff,

Good behavior. Well done.
Bob Ettinger
 

by Ken Newcombe on Tue Dec 21, 2004 6:59 pm
User avatar
Ken Newcombe
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1394
Joined: 14 Sep 2003
Location: Dundas, Ontario, Canada
Great interaction Cliff!
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by:  
21 posts | 

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group