Easy Noise Reduction

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I was recently at Australia Zoo checking out the wonderful birds in the rain forest aviary. Being a rain forest environment it was, as expected, quite dark with resultant high ISO requirements.

One of the zoo staff came past with a beautiful Macaw which just need to be photographed.

I was using a D800 with a Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 VR but with a 2x tele converter attached. This meant that my maximum available aperture (wide open) was f/5.6. A reasonable shutter speed for the focal length was around 1/250s. End result - ISO 12800. Some noise was going to be inevitable.

So how to remove the noise from the soft blurred background but leave the detail in the feathers of the Macaw?

There are many ways this could be achieved but I chose a very simple layer method for this image.

I made some basic adjustments in Lightroom (exposure, shadows etc.) and then opened the image in Photoshop CC.

Using the Quick Selection tool I then made a selection of the bird, refined the selection, and then created a new layer from this selection by pressing Command + J.

The layers panel looked like this:

I made a copy of the original layer (Command + J) and then on the copy  I then selected an area around the bird and removed this using Content-aware Fill (Shift + F5) .

The layers panel then looked like this:

I then selected this new background layer and applied noise reduction to this layer only. To soften the background a little more I then applied a soft blur to this layer.

End result a sharp bird (yes there is noise but it is doesn't overpower the image as it is camouflaged by the detail. Soft background with noise eliminated from the area where it was quite obvious.

Here are the before and afters.

Before background adjustments:

Final image:

My next Post-processing Bootcamp is in the Hunter Valley on the weekend of 7-8 May 2016.

Caboolture is on 11-12 June (sorry April booked out) and coming to Melbourne on 22-23 October 2016. Details (Brisbane) are here. 

Wildlife at Home.

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You don't need to trek to the ends of the earth to find amazing wildlife. Many fantastic creatures and photos of same are to be had almost on your doorstep.

Birds in particular are very accessible if you know where to look.

The most accessible are those found near the water. Be it the foreshore and the many waders and migratory birds that will be found there or just your local pond or lake.

The shot below was taken at Northlakes, not far north of Brisbane. You can have a lot of fun at such locations practicing your birds-in-flight techniques or just stalking the waders near the shore.

My mission on this particular occasion was to capture that gorgeous colour that is displayed when the Pacific Black Duck is in flight. So after plenty of 'fails' I managed this one as this guy was taking off. Timing, focus, panning, shutter speed, aperture all played a part in getting the shot.

This was the fifth in this take-off sequence with just a few tell tail drops of water still trailing. earlier shots had spectacular trails of water but the wing positions were not quite right and the colour was not displayed to its best advantage.

So what were the settings?

Nikon D800 Nikkor 400 f/2.8 VR  - 1/200s @ f/4.5 ISO 1000. Continuous AF, High Speed continuous shutter release (around 6 frames per second with the battery grip fitted)

So get out there and shoot your own 'not-so-wild' wildlife near home. You'll love the experience.

5 Wildlife Photography Tips to Improve your Shots

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1. Shoot from the eye level of your subject (or slightly lower). The difference is remarkable when compared to just standing and shooting down on your subject. Try the different angles next time you're out in the field and you will soon notice e the difference.


2. Focus on the eye. Make sure you get those eyes in focus or your image will surely fail. It is just that simple. The eyes must be tack sharp and if they are, you are halfway to a great shot.


3. Blur out your background. Shoot "wide open", i.e. use a large aperture, say, f/2.8 to f/5.6 depending on your lens of course. This will eliminate distractions in the background and allow all of your viewer's attention to be directed to your subject. Nice soft bokeh (background blur) can make or break a good photo. The added advantage to shooting with a wide open aperture is that, automatically, your shutter speed will be faster. Faster shutter speed equals less chance of a blurred image due to movement or camera shake especially when using a longer focal length lens.

4. Watch your composition. Leave space in the direction the animal or bird is facing or leaning towards. Reduce the space at the subject's back.

5. Choose your background carefully when composing your shot. You can't always do this with moving subjects as you may just have to grab the moment, but if you do have time, study your background. Moving a small distance may mean the difference between having a stick growing out of your subject's head or not. It is easy to get carried away with the excitement of the moment but that small change of position could be the difference between a good shot and an award winner.

1/640s @ f/2.8 ISO1100 Eyes sharp, shallow depth of field, soft background blur (bokeh), eye level with subject. 

How to Relax in Style

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We were floating along the Sekonya River, in South West Borneo, relaxing as we watched the jungle pass by.

But we out-relaxed by this Proboscis Monkey. This young fellow was just hanging around, literally, watching us drift by.  Just one of many, many encounters we were privileged to have with these amazing creatures. Their behaviour really was so human it was scary.

Babies clinging to their mothers, teenagers fooling around in the tree tops and big boy territorial disputes. We saw it all but this chill out session was one of my favourites.

Nikon D800 Nikkor 400 f/2.8 VR with 1.4TC (effective 560mm f/4)  1/1000s @f/4   ISO1100

We'll be back there again in May 2015. Find out all about this amazing photographic experience here -> 8 Day Orangutans, Wildlife and Dayaks Photo Expedition presented by Mark Rayner and David Metcalf

Things with Three Legs

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One of the most common questions I am asked is "What tripod should I get?"

The key factors to look for are:

• Weight - light is nice, but not necessarily sturdy.
• Sturdy
• Quick adjustments
• Quick release mounting plate.
• Maximum height
• Easily adjustable head.
• Sturdy
• Durability
• Size (for travelling)
• Price
• Sturdy

Now, did I mention that it needs to be sturdy!!!

If you like shooting landscapes/seascapes like this shot below of the Southern Ocean smashing into the rocks below the cliffs at Kangaroo Island you will need a good solid tripod. In fact when shooting landscape and macro at small apertures your shutter speed will often slow right down and a good tripod is absolutely essential.

Kangaroo Island---- Nikon D800 Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8 ---- 2 seconds @ f/22 ISO 100 ---- Manda TG-284c Tripod with BT-3 ballhead.

Selecting your Tripod - (it needs to be sturdy) The main reason you are going to need a tripod is to stabilise your camera when you are in either, a low light situation, using a long lens (telephoto) or using a macro lens (close-up). It stands to reason then, that if you are shooting in low light with long shutter speeds, or with lenses where any vibration can cause havoc, that you need a stable platform to work from. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get a good tripod and head, but skimp too much and you'll soon be tossing your bargain in the bin and buying something better. I see time and time again where participants arrive for a workshop with a 20 year old flimsy, spindly tripod bought at a garage sale (if this was you, please don't be offended:-) ). A good tripod will last you for life. Good brands such as Manfrotto, Gitso, Really Right Stuff and Three Legged Thing have all manner of spare parts available so if something does needs fixing it can be done so easily. Manda are a good economical alternative for affordable carbon fibre units. So what to buy? If you can afford a carbon fibre unit, terrific. They are light and very strong but, expensive. Manfrotto (and I must point out that I am not affiliated with Manfrotto, Gitso, RRS, Acratech or any other tripod /head manufacturer) offer aluminium and carbon fibre models of the same tripod. For instance the 055CXPRO3 and the 055XPROB are virtually identical to look at (see below) but that's where the similarities end. The carbon fibre 055CXPRO3 weighs only 1.6kg against the aluminium 055XPROB's 2.4kgs. The carbon fibre unit will safely carry an 8kg load whereas the the aluminium 055XPROB can manage only 7kgs.

Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 Manfrotto 055CPROB

Price-wise though, the carbon fibre tripod will cost more than double it's aluminium twin. Move up-market to a Gitso Series 2 Carbon 6X Explorer Tripod - 4 Section G-Lock and you won't get much change from $1000.00 and you still need the head!

Series 2 Carbon 6X Explorer Tripod - 4 Section G-Lock

If you only intend to carry the tripod in the boot of your car and then only short distances to your photo shoot location then you may well be advised to save money on the tripod and put more into a better head because that's where things get even more interesting. Avoid tripods where the centre column cannot either be rotated to a horizontal position or taken out completely and replaced with a stubby shaft. If you can't do either of the above, then your minimum height will be governed by the length of the centre column. You will be stuck when it comes time to get down on the ground to get that perfect angle. Bringing Things to a Head Personally, I prefer a ball-head for ease of use and versatility. The 3-way adjustable heads are fine, but they are cumbersome and can be annoying to adjust. They come as standard on many tripods, but you can specify to buy your tripod with the head of your choice. If you were to choose one of the Manfrotto tripods mentioned above then a perfect tripod head to match would be the Manfrotto 054 Magnesium Ball Head. This head supports camera and lens to 10kgs and has a separate panorama knob adjustment as well as the ball head adjustment.

Manfrotto Mounting Plate Manfrotto 054 Magnesium Ball-head

Personally, I use the RRS (Really Right Stuff) BH-55 PCL: Full-sized ball-head with PCL (panning clamp). These units use the universal "Quick Release" (QR) system designed by Arca Swiss. Very strong, and able to hold a whopping 23kgs, they don't come cheap. If you have some big glass and a pro camera body then chances are you will be getting right up there in the weight stakes. A ball-head like the BH-55 will give you a positive lock that won't creep and give you issues with composing your shot. When travelling (by air) or on a long hike I use a Manda TG-284c and a Three Legged Thing 'Eddie'. 3 Legged Thing 'Eddie'  Another top brand with some beautifully engineered equipment is Acratech. Their GP-s Ballhead is a beauty and much lighter than the RRS ball-heads. They won't carry the same weight though, but they are an excellent product.

Really Right Stuff - BH-55 PCL: Full-sized ballhead with PCL Acratech GP-s Ballhead

You don't need to buy the same brand tripod and head. Do your research and you may find the perfect tripod may be from Gitso and the head may be from Acratech (or any other of many combinations). Most tripod base plates are universally compatible with many different brand heads so you really do have many choices available.

Happy shopping.

Fun with Fungi

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Macro photography is one of my favourite genres and opens up a whole new world of possibilities. There really is a whole new tiny world waiting to discovered through your macro lens.

Occasionally, something very special comes along and one such occasion was during a Trekabout Photography 5 Day Mountain Experience workshop at Lamington National Park. This particular specimen was found in April and, after an amazing day in the misty rainforest, we headed back into the forest at night to enjoy this magnificent sight.

So how do you photograph something that is glowing dimly in the pitch black night. Very carefully!

Seriously though, it's not that hard. You need a sturdy tripod, a cable release, dslr camera and, preferably, a macro lens.

The sturdy tripod is self explanatory but why the cable release? Well, long exposures are necessary and in order to keep the shutter open you must set your camera to B (bulb) and either hold your finger on the shutter for 10 minutes or click and lock the cable release and then unlock after the 10 minutes (or thereabouts)  is up. I'll take the cable release any day, errr, night.

So what were the settings for this shot?

Nikon D3, Nikkor 200 f/4 Micro, 428s @ f/22 ISO 1000

Want to find out more?

Check out the Trekabout Macro Experience

#macro
#fungi
#trekabout
#markraynerphoto

Love Birds?

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The Saddlebilled Stork is very, very big being, on average, 1.4m tall!

They are also somewhat shy. On our African Photography Safari in May, we saw them on a number of occasions but usually they would be flying away from us. We'd move in closer and they would take off and fly a bit further away again.  So I ended up with many photos of their backs.

On this occasion though, with a little patience, we were able to get a few shots with the bird in a better position. This girl was busy foraging in the wetlands for tasty treats showing off her lovely colours.

This image was taking using Nikon  D800 with Nikkor 400 f/2.8 VR and a 1.4x tele-convertor giving an effective focal length of 560mm.

And, it a fair crop so, yes, the big bird was still a long way away. Like I said, very shy :-)

Details: 1/1000s @ f/4.8 ISO360

If you love bird photography or are keen to learn how to photograph birds then why not join Michael and I at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat on Saturday 20th September. We'll show you techniques and tips to maximise your success rate with this rather tricky subject.

You wont see a Saddlebilled Stork but chances are you'll come across, Regent Bowerbirds, Satin Bowerbirds, Eastern Yellow Robins, Eastern Spinebills, Eastern Whipbirds and many more. You might even see a Noisy Pitta :-) For more details click -> HERE

5 quick tips to improve your Landscape photography

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Like many of you, I love getting outdoors and enjoying the open spaces and taking time out to photograph amazing landscapes.

There are few very basic techniques which can really help improve the quality of your images. Check out these tips and give them a try next time you're out on a shoot.

1. Use a tripod - Will stabilise your camera and allow the use of slower shutter speeds.

2. Use a cable release or remote control - helps minimise vibration and therefore contributes to a sharper image. No cable release or remote control - use your self timer instead.

3. Use mirror lockup - Again helps minimise vibration and results in a sharper image. On many cameras Live View works in a similar way so that when you activate the shutter the mirror is already up out of the way and there is just a tiny click of the actual shutter.

4. Compose using the good old 'Rule of Thirds'. 1/3 foreground 2/3 background or vice versa really does work to help create a more balanced image. There will always be exceptions, of course, but more often or not the 'rule' works.

5. Add some foreground interest or use leading lines to lead you into the image.

6. Have fun out there!

The magnificent Bateleur - Terathopius ecaudatus

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When I saw one of these amazing birds for the first time I knew I just had to get a shot. Wow, how does it even fly with such a different shape.  But, the Bateleur Eagle doesn't start life looking quite the same.

Juveniles have much longer tail and wing feathers than their parents. As they become more adept at flight the feathers become shorter with each moult.

When fully grown they are easily distinguished by the short tail and unique shape and  colouring whilst in flight. Their behaviour is somewhat different than other raptors too. They are adept at low altitude soaring and, with very keen eyesight, can find prey from lower heights and quickly swoop in for a quick meal.

As they fly they tip their wings from side to side, almost as if trying to keep their balance, but rest assured they are amazing acrobats and often will swoop in on another eagle and steal their catch in mid air.

Just another amazing creature from Africa :-)

#africa
#botswana
#trekabout
#bateleur
#Terathopiusecaudatus
#markraynerphoto
#eagle

Follow the Leader

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We were cruising slowly along on the Rungan River in Central Kalimantan when we spotted these three orang-utans following along emerging from the gloom of the forest.

These orang-utans reside on an island. They come from displaced groups caused by illegal logging and some have been rescued from a life of captivity as pets. They are on the island undergoing the last stages of rehabilitation before final release into wild untouched forest further north.

As we watched they approached an area of water where the river had encroached inland. The leader appeared somewhat annoyed that he had to cross the shallow water and splashed around for a while before proceeding. Further downstream the rangers were watching them too as they visit every day to record their progress and health and provide supplementary food as the island is not large enough to fully support them. The lead orang-utan may well have been simply trying to attract the attention of the ranger in the hope of receiving a tasty treat :-)

I'll be back there again in November with another photography tour. There are still a few spots remaining so if you'd like to visit an incredible place to photograph these beautiful creatures please check out the details -> here.

#orangutan
#kalimantan
#borneo
#naturephotography

Hamerkop Hunting

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We arrived at the lagoon early on one of our many game drives on our recent "African Safari Adventure Photography Tour and Workshop". There were quite a few birds around but one in particular captivated my small group of intrepid explorers.

The crazy Hamerkop.

This one Hamerkop kept us amused with his antics as he flew around and around back and forth. He would land for a moment and then be off again putting on a fine aerobatic display as he swooped down close to the water, presumably hunting for waterborne insects and small fish. 

It was as if he had spotted us thought that we needed another chance to catch him in flight. If he was hunting then he wasn't very good at it because we saw no evidence of him actually catching anything.

Perhaps he simply enjoyed watching his own reflection.

Adelaide Post Processing Bootcamp

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Adelaide - Post Processing and Workflow Bootcamp - Lightroom and Photoshop 30th and 31st August 2014 - It's on!! Hi Everyone, It's official! My Post processing Bootcamp is coming to Adelaide. The workshop will be held over the weekend of 30th and 31st August 2014. The workshop will be limited to 12 people to ensure maximum learning opportunities. It is already half-full so be quick to book your spot. The venue is the Adelaide Meridien Hotel, 21 - 39 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide. We will be using the Meridien Room which will have plenty of room for our small group. This workshop is designed for the beginner to fast track entry into the world of Lightroom and Photoshop, but still caters for the more experienced user wanting to hone their skills and learn new tips and tricks. Please let me know by return email or give me a call on 0459 221 678 if you would like to attend. I will shoot you an invoice and lock you in. Price: $396.00 per person Cheers, Mark Some comments from past participants from the Brisbane bootcamp: Chris Holland wrote: This was such a useful weekend... I'm still in mental overload, but excited about putting into practice so many of the ideas that I absorbed. Thanks to Mark and the rest of the group for making it all so worthwhile. There wasn't one unanswered question!! Anne Reid wrote: Was a great weekend, yes it was a great venue. Easy parking, close to shops and beach for the lunch time breather. Must mention the great teacher and the surprises we all received with some of the things we learnt. Heather Streatfield wrote: Am feeling especially inspired after my photography Bootcamp this weekend. Alarm set for 3.45am, it's time to drag this butt out of bed for a summer sunrise! Here is a rundown of what to expect over the weekend. Phototrek - 8:30am Saturday We will all be photographing together in the surrounding area and this shoot will provide most of the imagery for the weekend's processing tuition. You will be working from scratch on images from your own camera, far preferable than working on supplied images which may have totally different characteristics than your own. Morning Tea Session 1 This session covers the basics of Adobe Bridge/Lightroom Library and Camera Raw/Lightroom Develop and de-mystifying the connections of both with Photoshop. Mark will show you how best to transfer your images to your computer and some convenient protocols for folder naming and storage. We will look at the benefits of utilising Lightroom 5 exclusively for this process. 1:00pm Lunch (BYO or purchase nearby) will split session 1 Session 2 This session will cover image adjustment and enhancement in Camera Raw / LR5 and look at a number of techniques to speed up the post-processing workflow. We will look at the various adjustment modules and tools which will become the backbone of your image processing. Session 3 - 8:30am Sunday We will start to get into some of the new user friendly aspects of Photoshop and really begin to make a difference to our RAW files to produce images with that "Wow" factor. We'll look at the best way to set up your tool panels and optimise your workspace to suit your style and needs. You will explore the different tools available in Photoshop and how and when to use them. 10:30am Morning Tea Session 4 To help speed up the workflow process we will begin to incorporate plug-ins, presets, actions and scripts. As well as providing you with many ready to use presets, Mark will guide you through the process of creating your own actions to speed up processes that you find yourself doing more often. You'll learn how to create stunning, unique and interesting backgrounds for your "studio" portraits and much more. 1:00pm Lunch (BYO or purchase nearby) will split session 4 Session 5 By this session you will have a new understanding of presets, actions, scripts, plug-ins, batch processing, curves, layers, masks, resolution, filters and many more terms.This session will put your new found knowledge and skills to work and consolidate what you have learned into a smooth and efficient workflow. We will also look at the basics of some of the hot topics of digital photography such as HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama stitching and more. If you have any special or problem files you wish to work on please bring them along (time permitting). Price: $396.00 Questions? Please give me a call on 0459 221678 or shoot me an email.

Sand, glorious Sand

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I am not usually inclined to use long focal length lenses for landscape but there are times when such lenses can provide very pleasing results.

One such time was on this year's African Photography Safari . We commenced this amazing tour in Namibia and visited the incredible and iconic Sossusvlei and Deadvlei dunes.

There were stunning patterns and structure in the sand that were inaccessible and, in fact, without the use of a telephoto lens were somewhat difficult to see.

The other issue was time. It would be wonderful to have the luxury of being able to spend days and days just studying the dunes, finding the best angles, waiting for the perfect light, but of course in the real world that is not always possible. So I improvised by shooting on the move with my Nikkor 400 f/2.8 VR and using high shutter speeds to minimise blur. We were treated to a smorgasbord of dune-scapes as drove in towards Deadvlei. Amazing!

Here is one of my favourites. I particularly like the textures, shadows, patterns and the  compression of the layers and folds of sand afforded by the use of the long lens.

Settings were 1/3200s @f/3.5 ISO 400

Click on the image for information on next year's Thirteen Day Tanzania Safari Photography Adventure Safari.