Judith Lesnaw
November 2024 - Pond Pals
Original
About the Image(s)
Several weeks ago I visited the pond adjacent to our library. On a tiny island stood a heron gazing down at three large turtles. Two of the turtles sunned themselves and seemed oblivious to the heron, but the third turtle appeared to making a dash for the waters. I captured the moment with a hand-held Canon R5 and Canon RF 100-500mm lens at 500mm. The camera was set to Manual, 1/55 sec, f 11, ISO auto (320).
I imported the image into Lightroom Classic, cropped, and made a few general adjustments.
14 comments posted
Nice picturesque nature scene. I like the grouping of the turtles and Great Grey. The horizon looks a bit off to me. I might also slect the bird, turtles and the little island that they are on, and try to bring out more of the colors. Maybe reducing hightlights, opening up the shadows and adding some vibrance. Very nice. Posted: 11/02/2024 19:07:04
Thanks Mike. I will try your suggestions. Posted: 11/02/2024 22:12:08
Here is my attempt to enhance the colors and dull the background. I learned a lot about masking with this exercise. I would appreciate your comments.
Posted: 11/14/2024 00:21:01
Posted: 11/14/2024 00:21:01
I think masking and dodging and burning are two things that improve images the most. In this case, I see what you were going for the the colors look unrealistic to me, too much of a good thing maybe. I played with it making several different selections with the goal gently bringing out the colors in the turtles and reducing the contrast and highlights in the background and the little island. I also added a linear gradient from the lower right corner toward the center adding some clarity. Frankly, I'm not happy with my result but it may convey my idea better than my words. Posted: 11/14/2024 00:46:39
I see now that I did indeed overdo it. Mine has a harsh quality whereas yours is mellow. Back I go to LRC. Many thanks.
Posted: 11/14/2024 02:18:18
Posted: 11/14/2024 02:18:18
A lovely scene with a story to tell with the upturned faces of the turtles and the one making a dash with the Heron looking on. Great sharpness and detail in the turtles and the Heron. I might have blurred the grasses a bit and darkened the background to give more contrast to the Heron & the Turtles. But otherwise a really nice scene. Posted: 11/03/2024 21:58:33
Thanks Ally. I did darken the background a bit. See my reply to Mike. What do you think?
Posted: 11/14/2024 00:24:59
Posted: 11/14/2024 00:24:59
I think you have captured a good nature story. The subjects are all sharp. It looks like you were shooting in bright mid-day light. I am thinking that you could have used a much wider shutter - likely 7.1 or 8.0 and a faster shutter speed so that your background would have been more out of focus and less distracting while retaining the sharpness in the subjects. I think Mike's suggestion about reducing highlights and opening up the shadows is on the right track. Posted: 11/09/2024 21:11:37
Thanks Sharon. I darkened the background and brought out more color on the subjects. Please see my reply to Mike and let me know what you think. I want to try to print this image. Posted: 11/14/2024 00:26:52
Good job. I think your edits have given the image some "pop." Posted: 11/14/2024 13:05:59
To me, it looks like there are two kinds of turtles in your image. The one with the red strip is a red-eared slider and the other two are pond turtles. The red-ear are (in our area) considered invasive. Is the heron a Grey or Great Blue? This is a very interesting nature photograph and you have several story line possibilities. Your steadiness in a handheld is to be commended, everything is very sharp and the heron's eye is, for me, the focal point. I agree with others that recommend darkening the background. Posted: 11/12/2024 18:20:33
Thanks Polly!! I did realize that there were two types of turtles in the pond. AND I was not aware of the invasive species. I am not certain which type of heron it is. I am just beginning my birding. Hopefully some of our members will know. Have a look at the edited version I posted as a reply to Mike. What do you think?
Posted: 11/14/2024 00:31:37
Posted: 11/14/2024 00:31:37
This is a great blue heron. According to my bird book the grey heron is a bird of Asia, Africa and Europe. I agree with Mike that the horizon looks crooked. You have a have a nice grouping of subjects with many stories. I agree with the other comments that have been made and the suggestions so won't repeat what has been said. You got a remarkedly sharp image handheld at 1/55 sec. Posted: 11/17/2024 22:13:09
I thought that it was a Great Blue. Yesterday we saw a first year Great Blue and it had a blue cast to its head and beak. I've seen young birds of prey with bluish beaks but not a heron (more melanin is deposited and the blue goes away in favor of real pigments as they age). Very fun to see it. Posted: 11/17/2024 23:55:19