Sandhill Cranes

[StevieJSmall]

Looking for feedback on how to improve this photo, whether in the field or in post processing. First photo is edited photo and second photo is original unedited. Thanks in advance!

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[NorthernFocus]

Nice composition with your crop in the edited version. Looks like you might have pulled the white point a little too high. Those birds are way too bright. At least compared to how they look when they're in these parts.

 

[StevieJSmall]

Thanks NorthernFocus, appreciate the feedback. Looking at the edit, indeed I pulled the whitepoint pretty far. Good insight and will take that back to reprocess as they should not be that bright for sure. Thanks again!

 

[BAL Land]

Unfortunately they are too bright, but the biggest problem is the image quality. The crop is too large(you were too far away, I do know that we can’t always control this), which leads to a noisy file, which is what we have here. Background separation isn’t great either, but that’s also because of the distance to the birds. Lighting is very nice.

 

[StevieJSmall]

Unfortunately they are too bright, but the biggest problem is the image quality. The crop is too large(you were too far away, I do know that we can’t always control this), which leads to a noisy file, which is what we have here. Background separation isn’t great either, but that’s also because of the distance to the birds. Lighting is very nice.

Thank you BAL Land! Really appreciate the feedback, very helpful! So because I engaged DX crop mode, my FOV became 600mm but because I was still too far away, the resulting crop further degraded the image quality, makes total sense. I'm wondering if I had a 1.4x TC and engaged DX crop mode, if the 840mm would have been significantly more frame filling and thus better image quality? Don't know how much more reach it would have provided but would love to go back and test out.

Thank you again for your comments!

 

[Calson]

DX mode does not result in a larger image size, only a teleconverter can provide that.

With a scene such as yours I do a Levels adjustment first so the dynamic range is compressed. This shows me what I have to work with at the first step in the processing of an image file.

There are also ways to get closer to wildlife without spooking it and there is a lot of information on the Web on ways to do this. Even the various cameo coverings for a photographer and their tripod mounted lens look less threatening to wildlife in general as with the Lenscoat Lenshide and similar products.

I have found great blinds and camo coverings from sources in the UK where they seem to favor this approach more than we do in the states.

 

[StevieJSmall]

DX mode does not result in a larger image size, only a teleconverter can provide that.

With a scene such as yours I do a Levels adjustment first so the dynamic range is compressed. This shows me what I have to work with at the first step in the processing of an image file.

There are also ways to get closer to wildlife without spooking it and there is a lot of information on the Web on ways to do this. Even the various cameo coverings for a photographer and their tripod mounted lens look less threatening to wildlife in general as with the Lenscoat Lenshide and similar products.

I have found great blinds and camo coverings from sources in the UK where they seem to favor this approach more than we do in the states.

Thanks Calson, appreciate the feedback and tips on post processing with levels. As to the in-field methods, appreciate the added guidance there as well!

Just for my education, not sure what you mean about the image isn’t larger when you go into DX mode? Not sure I said that?

I know when in DX mode, you’re working with the APS-C crop which means a 400mm lens gives you an equivalent FOV of a 600mm? So not larger image but certainly closer to the birds than what I’d get with the 400mm in FX mode?

I do have the 1.4x and 2.0x TC but didn’t have those with me, lesson learned for next time.

Realize it would have been better to be at 560mm in FX with the 1.4x TC than 600mm equivalent FOV in DX…plus if I needed more reach, could have put the 560mm into DX for 840mm equivalent FOV which would also have been better than cropping the 600mm equivalent FOV DX image further in post.

I do understand I lose the resolution of the 45MP and drop to 19.7MP when going to DX on the Z 9. Then cropping a DX image in post to the extent I did is not going to be great which is why it’s better to get “closer” to the the birds in FX with TC’s or feet if able to versus resorting to switching to DX if you’re able to avoid that, plus can always crop to APS-C size in post if needed?

Certainly let me know if I’m misunderstanding or misstating anything?

Thanks again!