Some Ospreys NJ

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168wildlife

168wildlife

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These were shot In NJ
D5 600mm F4.
This year I have been playing with capturing them Up close and focusing on the tight action, thought it gives a different look to these guys.
Osprey MV 6-52 copy.jpg
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Osprey MV 6-44 copy.jpg
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These are great shots. I really like the intimate, close crop which emphasizes the intensity of the ospreys actions, stare, concentration, and makes good composition. One suggestion might be to crop down at the top just enough to eliminate the bit of wing in the upper right corner of the second one because it leads my eye out of the frame. Beautiful photos of spectacular birds.
 
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JSD said:
These are great shots. I really like the intimate, close crop which emphasizes the intensity of the ospreys actions, stare, concentration, and makes good composition. One suggestion might to to crop down at the top just enough to eliminate the bit of wing in the upper right corner of the second one because it leads my eye out of the frame. Beautiful photos of spectacular birds.
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Thanks I do see what you are saying great point and thanks for the feedback
 
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JSD said:
Its great to exchange ideas here, not many other photographers in my tiny little town to share with in person.
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I agree I just started here I follow Steve for the last few years and I rarely share my thoughts and ideas but this forum seems like a good spot to bounce ideas off others and it’s also nice that you meet new people outside the normal ones at the hot spots lol
 
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No secret I like my ospreys! Great shots, I also like close ups. What are you using for post processing? The first shot seems plenty sharp at the tip of the beak but DOF fades away fast. I've found when they are close, ie, filling the frame, I need to stop down to f8 as the DOF with the 600 and a close subject is very narrow. I would try Topaz Sharpen AI on both, you'd be surprized what it can do. If you'd like, I can try to download your posted pics, run them thru and re-post so you can see what they would look like. Lastly, and this is my personal taste, I'd open up the shadows a little. Expanding on the sharpness/focus, have you done any sort of AF fine tune on your gear? Out of the box, my 600 EFL has a noticable front focus on all my bodies. 7-10 units of backfocus seems to get me where I need to be. Helps with the DOF, too!
 
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Warren D said:
No secret I like my ospreys! Great shots, I also like close ups. What are you using for post processing? The first shot seems plenty sharp at the tip of the beak but DOF fades away fast. I've found when they are close, ie, filling the frame, I need to stop down to f8 as the DOF with the 600 and a close subject is very narrow. I would try Topaz Sharpen AI on both, you'd be surprized what it can do. If you'd like, I can try to download your posted pics, run them thru and re-post so you can see what they would look like. Lastly, and this is my personal taste, I'd open up the shadows a little. Expanding on the sharpness/focus, have you done any sort of AF fine tune on your gear? Out of the box, my 600 EFL has a noticable front focus on all my bodies. 7-10 units of backfocus seems to get me where I need to be. Helps with the DOF, too!
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thanks and I have got to try that The Topaz stuff is great I barley do anything at all just lightroom for cropping and maybe a bump in contrast or shadows then lum if I need it I am a pretty out of the camera guy lol But yes I need to see what that AI is all about it could be a game changer.
 
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168wildlife said:
thanks and I have got to try that The Topaz stuff is great I barley do anything at all just lightroom for cropping and maybe a bump in contrast or shadows then lum if I need it I am a pretty out of the camera guy lol But yes I need to see what that AI is all about it could be a game changer.
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It's certainly a game changer. I recently discovered that it is quite good for those just slightly fuzzy shots due to heat waves. Was on a river cruise to see swallows land at dusk and was shooting osprey and eagles. Most were a fair distance and the usual atmospherics softened the shots. I ran them thru Sharpen AI and was very happy with the result. It's not going to save every shot but it's one more trick in the bag.
 
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Here's what I did, pulled up the shadows a tad and applied Topaz Sharpen AI followed with a little unsharp mask.
Osprey MV 6-44 copy 1.jpg
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I think the first photo is cropped much too tightly. The shot is dramatic but I belief by removing the wings also removes some of the drama. The second photo has a reason for the crop - the look on the ospreys face, that's where the highpoint of the photo is.
 
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