Susan Cifaldi  

Jumping for Joy by Susan Cifaldi

November 2024 - Jumping for Joy

November 2024 - Susan Cifaldi

Original

About the Image(s)



GEAR: Nikon Z9 with 500 PF prime and 1.4 extender; f/8 at 1/1250 with ISO at 8000.

THE BIG STORY: It was a gloomy, rainy day at the marsh, but that didn't stop this eagle from jumping for joy. I'm not sure what provoked such exhilaration, but clearly the Missus was having none of it. After a few moments of bouncing around, the Mister took off for to parts unknown, and Missus, after enjoying a few minutes of quiet time, flew away as wel. (I found them both later on, sitting on some nearby mud flats.) The eagles are beginning to pair up, and some are even fixing up the nests a bit.

I'm getting used to the white skies of November here, so I did just a bit of darkening. It's just the way things are out here. I didn't have to do much to the image, other than cropping out the branch on the right side and de-noising. I did play around with some of the sliders to get more feather detail. It looks a little soft to me,but I am happy that I didn't blow our their white-feathered heads.

As always, thank you for your kind comments!

This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted

Michael Weatherford   Michael Weatherford
Beautiful shot. If you would like more feather detail you could try increasing clarity a bit (Lightroom). I like the light gray background, and there's certainly nothing in the image to distract from the perfectly-posed subjects.   Posted: 11/12/2024 14:31:42
Larry Treadwell   Larry Treadwell
Some days Mother NAture just does not help you out. I have a very nice sharp and clear image of an eagle pair. There is no faulting the technical merit in this capture. I just wish for a more interesting sky. You did a fine job with the capture.   Posted: 11/16/2024 20:37:56
Susan Cifaldi   Susan Cifaldi
I have another in this series where Mr. Eagle is smacking Mrs. Eagle in the eye with his wing tip. She protested vigorously! But that one is suitable for an oops page, not this one, because it hides her eye.
  Posted: 11/20/2024 16:41:49
Bud Ralston   Bud Ralston
Cindy, that is a very, very nice eagle picture. My only suggestion would be to use the yellow color in the HSL slider. That would bring out the eyes and talons a bit more. You are really becoming an excellent wildlife photographer. Good for you!   Posted: 11/20/2024 16:24:31
Susan Cifaldi   Susan Cifaldi
I'm so pleased you called me Cindy -- her work is so much better than mine! :-)
  Posted: 11/20/2024 16:35:35
Cindy Marple   Cindy Marple
Susan,
Wow this is a terrific image! Nice action, looks plenty sharp to me. You really nailed it.
I just did a workshop in "high key" photography, which I know isn't everyone's taste but that has me wanting to turn this in to a completely white sky. Here's my version with that done, a slight amount of saturation and clarity, and a bit of crop. I do like David's suggestion of space at the top which I didn't try.
And- aw, shucks! Thanks for the nice words. And glad you are feeling better, we missed you!   Posted: 11/28/2024 00:44:05
Comment Image
Susan Cifaldi   Susan Cifaldi
Thank you, everyone! I'm so thrilled to get such feedback from this honored group!

Im really glad I took the PS course, I learned a lot about using it to improve my photos. One think I learned is that there is an ACR filter -- which simply takes you back to the Adobe Camera Raw part of the PS suite. I will see if the clarity slider can be pushed up a little more. I did try to increase the yellow, but I was timid. . .this time, I will be more daring to see if it improves things.

PS Let me apologize for being MIA last month. There were a few surgical complications that kept me down longer than I thought they would. But, like a bad penny, I'm baaaaack! :-)   Posted: 11/20/2024 16:34:59
David Kepley   David Kepley
Susan, I want to echo the praises of the others in our group! Bravo! The sharpness of the eagles' heads and eyes is stunning! While you have a slight merge problem (tail of the flying eagle is behind the head of the resting eagle), it is clear where one animal leaves off and another begins. You might add a little bit of canvas to the top. The flying eagle's upper wing is almost touching the frame. Ah, the sky! Not much advice here, except if you want to dabble in sky replacement.   Posted: 11/21/2024 22:29:34