Bald Eagle w/Snow Goose

[JoeB]

Nikon D500 w/Nikon 500 mm f4 G lens, hand held. f4.0, 1/800 sec, ISO 500.
I took this photo 2 years ago on a cold and cloudy morning. I use Lightroom 6 for editing and I have tweaked this photo many times and this is the best I am able to edit it. I still feel that it doesn't have the POP I would like but given the conditions that day, maybe this is as good as it gets.
What do you think?

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[MorganP]

I think the face gives it the pop.

 

[JoeB]

Thanks for the feedback. Maybe I just need to embrace it for what it is,

 

[Replytoken]

I think the face gives it the pop.

I agree.

--Ken

 

[MorganP]

When it comes down to to your the only person that maters. I you love it roll with it.

 

[JoeB]

Thanks Replytoken and MorganP. It is good to have the feedback.

 

[markymark]

It’s a great shot though, the fact you’ve nailed focus on the Bald Eagles face & he’s clasping the head of his last victim which is very well poisoned facing out, I think it’s great, the only problem is the sky, it just blows the whole thing out.
I’m not a big fan of BIF against a bare sky especially if it’s a white one, which is a shame.

 

[Yellowboard]

I agree with Markymark re the sky. Have you tried a grad filter with a mask on the subject in LR to bring up the sky a bit?

 

[JoeB]

I haven't but will take a look and see if I can figure it out. Not an expert with LR but I can usually figure it out. Thanks again.

 

[Replytoken]

I haven't but will take a look and see if I can figure it out. Not an expert with LR but I can usually figure it out. Thanks again.

Try some highlight recovery for starters. This is a relatively easy adjustment and can give you an idea of what is there that can be recovered.

--Ken

 

[JoeB]

Thanks Ken. Will do.
Joe

 

[Replytoken]

Thanks Ken. Will do.
Joe

One of my favorite tools in LR. It often brings back small details without impacting shadows or mid-tones.

--Ken

 

[JoeB]

Ken, I finally got around to taking your advice and playing with the Highlight control. I ended up with it set to -100. To me, there seems to be a little more blue sky showing through the clouds. What do you think?

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[Replytoken]

From what I am seeing, there does not seem to be a lot of recovered highlights. Two questions, when you adjusted the slider, did you see any recovery in the Develop module? And, did you turn on the highlight warning in the histogram? This should at least let you know if the sky is completely blown out (by turning red). If that is the case, then there is nothing to recover.

--Ken

 

[JoeB]

Ken, your response got me looking into HSL adjustments and I was able to adjust the blue to recover the sky background. I'm a lot happier with the photo now. Thanks
for your help. I learned something.

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[Replytoken]

Ken, your response got me looking into HSL adjustments and I was able to adjust the blue to recover the sky background. I'm a lot happier with the photo now. Thanks
for your help. I learned something.


View attachment 14553

That brought a lot of blue into the sky! I think that it improves the image, and I like the mix of the colors and the softness of the background.

--Ken

 

[JoeB]

Thanks again for the follow-up and advice. I should probably take a Lightroom class instead of relying on a training manual.

Joe

 

[Replytoken]

Thanks again for the follow-up and advice. I should probably take a Lightroom class instead of relying on a training manual.

Joe

There are a ton of good, free videos on using specific tools in LR. You can start with Julieanne Kost's videos. She is an Adobe trainer, and does a great job IMHO. I have been using LR since 1.x and still have a lot to learn.

--Ken

 

[JoeB]

I'll take a look at the video.

Thanks, Joe

 

[jeffnles1]

I like the image the way you presented it.