More neglected otters

[NorthernFocus]

Found a couple more interesting otters hiding in forgotten files. I'm building LR catalogs so going through a lot of files. As I do so using LR to process some that I skipped over previously. Some things beyond my LR skills so far. Like the really bright spot in middle upper frame of first image. That bright spot is likely also the thing that left this one in the unprocessed files this long. It also has some weird reflections going on in the right side of frame.



WB still looks off on this one. How LR handles WB during import is still a mystery to me. I've read that it doesn't read WB from NEF files but it sure seems to be doing so. Maybe in prior versions it didn't? I'm using 5.3.



This is really rare. Got close enough to this guy up on a rock to get a shot. Then she slowly slithered down into the water. I'm a sucker for any shots with this yellow seaweed in there. Sometime I spend a lot of time trying to force a shot just because it has the color in it. Notice I tried out the clone/healing tool on the second shot.

[Digital]

Dan, nice photographs.


Bruce

[deetheturk]

Superb images Dan,thanks for sharing,as for the bright spot, have you tried using the adjustment brush in lightroom to do some burning?

[chauncey]

Ya don't seem to have any problem maintaining eye contact with them...nice shots.

[IzzieK]

Are they friendly, Dan? Or they do tend to run away when spotted? They all looked like they like to pose for you. Wonderful shots...!!

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for looking and commenting, folks.

David, I did fool with the adjustment brush a bit but couldn't make it look natural because the adjustment had to be so radical to tone down the bright spot. I have to work some more with the tools to get a sense of the feathering etc.

Are they friendly, Dan? Or they do tend to run away when spotted?...

Izzie maybe one out of five or so will hold tight enough for a decent shot. After you study them for a while you can tell pretty much as soon as you spot them whether they will put up with you. There is one particular area where we go every spring on our boat where they are fairly abundant so the odds for some shots are good as long as the weather cooperates. Most marinas/moorages in AK have one or two resident otter. The good news is that you can get really close to them. But they are so habituated to people that getting eye contact is near impossible. On the other hand the "wild" ones like these won't take there eyes off you.

Every different type of wildlife has its nuances to get a really good shot. For otters, it's all about the water and getting good and sharp focus to show off the whiskers. The reason I originally passed over this one shot is due to the water. This is an odd one because I shot this right as they were swimming into a patch of ripples on the water. So the foreground water is lovely but the BG isn't so great. I already had several frames of this pair in the smooth water so this shot sat in the files till now. I tweaked the WB on the one in the OP. As originally posted on top.

[FrankMi]

A lovely set of images, Dan. I wouldn't be too concerned about the bright spot as it doesn't detract from the composition and expressions that tell the story.

[tbob]

Honestly Dan, the problems you see in these images are not even registering on my consciousness. I am more focused on the otters which are really well portrayed.

[Shadowman]

Very nice, they look so cute but ....

[Brownbear]

As always, thank you for sharing. Truly precious. My favourite is the first image, that is just the way the light fell and it's gorgeous.

I always have challenges with the way the water looks in my images, and I've learned not to apply any sharpening or clarity or anything to the water. I recall one of Joe's edits on a water photo, cloning a spot that was magical but I can't do it myself.

Lightroom seems to import my WB as shot (shows as shot in the menu)

I also adore 3 and 4, and all the rest.

Aside. I use Elements to heal my dust spots because I find the healing brush tool works better for me in Elements but that could just be my skill level.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for commenting, Frank and Trevor.

Honestly Dan, the problems you see in these images are not even registering on my consciousness. I am more focused on the otters which are really well portrayed.

I hear what you're saying, Trevor, but this is in the context of perfecting one's craft. If I were taking vacation photos of a one time trip to Alaska, I'd be thrilled with anything I could get. But I have access and opportunity therefore should seek continuous improvement. I do agree that casual viewers don't notice a lot of the things that we as photographers get so picky about. But then again, given two similar images to compare, they will invariably choose the one that is technically better executed, cleaner BG, smoother bokeh, etc.

Compare these images taken of the same otter pair over the course of five minutes. The first image is in near perfect water, glassy smooth with color reflected of green foliage in the distance. In the next two images, they moved a hundred meters or so such that the colors reflected on the water were different and a breeze just barely rippled the water. Which image do you prefer of the three?

By the way, these images were captured with the much maligned Nikon D7000.

[NorthernFocus]

As always, thank you for sharing. Truly precious. My favourite is the first image, that is just the way the light fell and it's gorgeous.

I always have challenges with the way the water looks in my images, and I've learned not to apply any sharpening or clarity or anything to the water. I recall one of Joe's edits on a water photo, cloning a spot that was magical but I can't do it myself.

Lightroom seems to import my WB as shot (shows as shot in the menu)

I also adore 3 and 4, and all the rest.

Aside. I use Elements to heal my dust spots because I find the healing brush tool works better for me in Elements but that could just be my skill level.

Thanks, Christina. Regarding the water, different water requires different processing depending on what you are trying to achieve. One thing I've already discovered with LR is how versatile the clarity slider can be (whatever "clarity" is ) If you are trying to make your water look smooth/well blended, try applying negative clarity and or reducing contrast. If you consider that on a two dimensional image, texture basically shows up as contrasting light, then reducing that contrast reduces the perceived texture. Give it a try.

Yes, the healing tool in LR is not nearly as useful as the one in PSE. Unfortunately in PSE the healing tool doesn't work on a 16 bit image. So one needs to complete as much lighting adjustment as possible in LR then pass it out to PSE as an 8 bit file for final touch up.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Dan. I've never tried that before and will do!

Yes, I forgot about that, completely. It likely doesn't matter for dust spots but for everything else, yes.

Thank you.

Thanks, Christina. Regarding the water, different water requires different processing depending on what you are trying to achieve. One thing I've already discovered with LR is how versatile the clarity slider can be (whatever "clarity" is ) If you are trying to make your water look smooth/well blended, try applying negative clarity and or reducing contrast. If you consider that on a two dimensional image, texture basically shows up as contrasting light, then reducing that contrast reduces the perceived texture. Give it a try.

Yes, the healing tool in LR is not nearly as useful as the one in PSE. Unfortunately in PSE the healing tool doesn't work on a 16 bit image. So one needs to complete as much lighting adjustment as possible in LR then pass it out to PSE as an 8 bit file for final touch up.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Dan, please work on your thread titles. At first I was concerned you were going to do a piece portraying mistreated otters that were being rescued Nice shots. I know EXACTLY what you are talking about as far as high standards, perfecting things, improving, etc. People always tell me I am too critical of my work. Hmmm.

[Downrigger]

I do agree that casual viewers don't notice a lot of the things that we as photographers get so picky about. But then again, given two similar images to compare, they will invariably choose the one that is technically better executed, cleaner BG, smoother bokeh, etc.

Compare these images taken of the same otter pair over the course of five minutes. The first image is in near perfect water, glassy smooth with color reflected of green foliage in the distance. In the next two images, they moved a hundred meters or so such that the colors reflected on the water were different and a breeze just barely rippled the water. Which image do you prefer of the three?

Otters are a rare and special sight for me and I like these all. But, well yeah, the first. I get it now.

Fortunately we get to "mark as helpful" on posts, but unfortunately there's not the option to "mark as unusually helpful" Thanks for your shots, and your generous efforts to explain yourself.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, folks. Glad you enjoyed the photos and discussion.

Dan, please work on your thread titles. At first I was concerned you were going to do a piece portraying mistreated otters that were being rescued....

I see your point, Matt. Funny how different things can look depending on one's context. But, hey, it got your attention

Otters are a rare and special sight for me and I like these all. But, well yeah, the first. I get it now....

One thing I didn't mention, Mark, is how frustrating it is with wildlife to try and get all elements to come together in a shot. In the three example that I posted, the water is optimum in the first shot but I like the position of the animals in the third shot

One final thing I didn't mention either. Sea otters are one of the few animals that photograph well when they are moving away from you. They swim backwards so when they are moving away they are facing the camera

[FrankMi]

Which image do you prefer of the three?

I like them all Dan, but if I could, I'd choose the Otter's detail from the first, the water color and reflection from the second, and the pose from the third. If I had to choose just one, it would be the third because of the facial expressions.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, Frank.