Reactivated this blog as my main Photography Blog.

Effective today i will be using this as my main blog for all photography related postings. Hope you enjoy and follow me here.

Noise Reduction - Canon 7D and ISO 3200

Question: "Shiv, do you do much post-processing on images shot at ISO 3200 with your 7D? I have many such photos from our Costa Rica trip and wonder if I can improve some a little by reducing "grain"."

Response: When you shoot at ISO 3200 you need to process using Canon's DPP for the initial Noise Reduction before you do any work in Aperture, Lightroom or ACR. Now you can bring the images into Photoshop and use NIK's Define if you have it or use the noise reduction in Adobe Camera Raw for further noise reduction if required - I find Define to be about the best.

Happy New Year and all the very best for 2011

It has been a year since I last posted. It's just like a new year resolution that is rarely kept. So I am going to give it another shot - may be a post a week. How about you asking a photography question and me giving it my best shot at an answer. I will see if there is a way to tag these so they can be searchable. If you are a blog follower and have another suggestion (photography related) let me know..

Canon 7D - ISO 3200

Jan 23, 2010 - Wakodahatchee Wetlands - Gator. I waited for the light to get really miserable - cranked the 7D to ISO 3200 and shot this image. The image has not been edited or cropped - i used Lightroom to export it to JPEG in the sRGB color space - no resizing. You may click on the image to see the full resolution. I AM HAPPY!!!!!!!

Gator - ISO Test

EOS 7D - 500 mm IS, 1/800 at f 10.0, -2/3 EV, ISO 3200

Low and Poor Light High ISO experiments

Saturday Jan 23, 2010 - Wakodahatchee Wetlands once more. I did not see what the forecast was but was the light poor - dark clouds with an occasional break. Time to test the 7d as I wanted to yesterday. I will post my ISO 3200 image in a subsequent blog - a straight conversion from RAW to JPEG.

Came across a family of Black Crowned Night Herons at the entrance - too separated for a good family portrait. Shot a few individuals. There is a lot of nesting activity and this female flew by just as I had put a card into my 1D.

Female Anhinga with Nesting Material

EOS 1D Mk II (my old faithful) 70 - 200 IS, 1.4x, 1/1000 at f 5.6 ISO 400

This big male gator comes swimming under the boardwalk and gets up on the island - boring - ok so after a while ......... a big yawn.

Gator Yawn

EOS 7D - 500 mm IS, 1/640 at f 8.0, ISO 1000

There has been a single spoonbill in the wetlands for a few days - always beyond the reach of my 500 and 1.4x combination. This morning this spoonbill flies over - a few flight shots (rear end mainly) but then it lands toward the entrance to the complex. As usual - one hour of him on one led head and bill tucked into his wing. An eternity and then some movement. A pick up my gear and head toward this specimen. What a display - bathing, splashing, preening, strutting - the works. Full breeding plumage - BEAUTIFUL - a mate is needed. The next three images are all the same bird.

I shot some video footage that I will try and post later.

Roseate Spoonbill Bathing

EOS 7D - 500 mm IS, 1/640 at f 5.6, -2/3 EV ISO 500

Roseate Spoonbill Preening

EOS 7D - 500 mm IS, 1/250 at f 7.1, -2/3 EV ISO 500

Roseate Spoonbill on the move

EOS 7D - 500 mm IS, 1/800 at f 5.6, -2/3 EV ISO 1000

7D ISO 1000 Test

Friday January 22 - The light just kept getting worse as the afternoon progressed. I decided to go to Wakodahatchee and push the 7D a bit - ISO 1000 hand held. I was pleasantly surprised ............, next I will push it to ISO 2000 (only when the opportunity presents itself).

Great Blue Herons Ardea herodias Courting and Nesting

EOS 7D, 70 - 200 IS, 1.4x, 1/200 at f 5.6, ISO 1000

Sanibel & Ding Darling

Monday Jan 18 - A two and a half hour drive to Little Estero lagoon in Fort Myers Beach yielded nothing. I was hoping to get an image of the white morph - Reddish Egret. On to Sanibel Ding Darling WLR - a few roseate spoonbills in the distance and the usual compliment of shore birds.

The second pond was slightly better and this Reddish was preening presenting a decent photo opportunity.

Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens Preening

EOS 7D, 500 mm, 1.4x, 1/1000 at f 7.1, ISO 320

The remainder of the loop was unfruitful so I headed on to the fishing pier in search of the nesting Osprey pair. I wanted to capture images of them bringing in nesting material but was treated to one of the adults flying in with its catch and watch it devour it.

Osprey Pandion haliaetus feeding

EOS 7D, 500mm, 1.4x, 1/800 at f 8.0, ISO 320

Returned to Ding Darling before driving back to the East Coast. The light had improved and this roseate was strutting, bathing and preening.

Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja display

EOS 7D, 500mm, 1.4x, 1/640 at f 7.1, EV -1/3 ISO 320

Green Cay Wetlands

Sunday January 17, 2010 It rained all morning but cleared up for a early afternoon trip to the wetlands. "...there is a sora in the weeds just past the first gazebo..." were the first words I heard as i approached the Nature Center. I have been trying to get a decent image of this creature but had failed on each prior attempt. Finally............

Sora - Porzana carolina

EOS 7D, 70-200mm IS, 1.4x, 1/500 at f 5.6, -1/3 EV

There are 2 or 3 pairs of Green Wing Teals in breeding plumage. The overcast sky prevents the display of the brilliant green - I need to get out there on a brighter day.

Green Wing Teal - Anas crecca

EOS 7D, 70-200mm IS, 1.4x, 1/640 at f 5.6, -1/3 EV

A decision

I know blogging is a commitment and I have finally decided to dive in.