Wide Water State Park

Before & After: Overcast Blues on Aquia Creek /  by Todd Henson

Before & After: Overcast Blues on Aquia Creek

It’s been far too long since I wrote a before & after post where I compare how an image looks straight out of the camera with the final post-processed image and talk about how I got there. So for today I chose the photo, Overcast Blues on Aquia Creek, first posted in mid-January of 2024.

Straight Out of the Camera

Before making any adjustments

First off, I absolutely loved the scene that morning and was so pleased to capture a bald eagle as it flew by. But as you can see I ended up underexposing the scene so the image straight out of the camera is a little on the dark side. I try to get better exposures in camera as that gives you more data to work with in post due to how digital sensors work. But sometimes I don’t quite get it exactly as desired and rely on the dynamic range of today’s sensors to capture enough detail in those darker shadows. You’ll see below how I adjust the exposure in Adobe Lightroom to create what I believe is a more pleasing version of the scene.

Step 1: Initial Global Exposure Adjustments

Initial global exposure adjustments

Instead of raising the exposure right off the bat I decided to raise the shadows and see if there was any detail worth revealing. While doing that I also dropped the whites and blacks a bit and added a little vibrance.

Step 2: Linear Gradient Over the Clouds

Linear gradient over the clouds

Next I decided to try bringing out a little more drama in the clouds so I created a linear gradient over the upper clouds. The areas affected by these changes are highlighted in red. In that gradient I increased the whites a fair bit to brighten them up and I dropped the blacks to darken them just a little. This begins to create a little more contrast.

Step 3: Brush Mask Over Lighter Clouds Above Horizon

Brush mask over lighter clouds above horizon

I decided to try doing something similar in the lighter area near the horizon so I used a brush to create a mask over that area which you can see highlighted in pink/red. I lowered both the shadows and the blacks which darkened those sections.

Step 4: Global Exposure Adjustment to Brighten Image

Global exposure adjustment to brighten image

Finally I got around to raising the exposure to brighten the entire image a bit.

Step 5: Additional Linear Gradient to Sky

Additional linear gradient to sky

I wanted a darker gradient in the sky so I created another linear gradient over top of the existing one and I dropped the exposure in that area, darkening it a bit.

Step 6: Linear Gradient in the Water

Linear gradient in the water

Now it was time to look at the water. I’d created linear gradients in the sky, darkening from top to center. So it seemed to make sense to do something similar in the water below as it should reflect what’s in the sky. So I created a linear gradient from bottom towards top and lowered the exposure a bit to darken that section.

Step 7: Object Mask over Bald Eagle

Object mask over bald eagle

I didn’t want the flying bald eagle to get completely lost in the darkness of the sky so I used the Object masking feature to select the bald eagle, seen in red, and I raised the overall exposure just a smidge, increased the shadows a bit to lighten them, and raised the whites quite a bit to try to make the white on the eagle pop.

Step 8: Brush Mask to Lighten Land Near Horizon

Brush mask to lighten land near horizon

I wanted more detail in the land along the horizon so I used a brush mask on that area. I increased the overall exposure in that area, as well as raising the shadows to brighten them even more. I also raised the whites to lighten some of those areas even more, and I dropped the blacks a bit to keep the darkest areas dark.

Step 9: Brush Mask Over Lighter Areas in Clouds

Brush mask over lighter areas in clouds

I decided I wanted more whites in the clouds so I used a brush to create a mask over the lighter areas and I raised the whites to make them pop a little more.

Step 10: Sharpening and Noise Reduction

Sharpening and noise reduction

At this point I’d originally thought I was just about done so I did the steps I usually save for last. I added sharpening using the masking feature to only sharpen the areas with the most detail. And I used Lightroom’s Denoise feature to reduce the noise in the image. I used an ISO of 500, which in itself isn’t all that high. But I did underexpose the image in the camera and increased exposure in post which tends to bring out any noise in the image. The new Denoise feature usually does a very good job of reducing this digital noise.

Step 11: More Global Exposure Adjustments to Lighten Scene

More global exposure adjustments to lighten scene

At some point I came back to the photo and decided it wasn’t quite there yet. So I made some global adjustments to raise the exposure more, brightening the overall image.

Step 12: Brush Mask to Brighten Near Horizon

Brush mask to brighten near horizon

I decided I wanted a brighter area near the horizon so I used a brush to create a mask and increased exposure within that region.

Step 13: Brush Mask To Lighten Sections of Clouds

Brush mask to lighten sections of clouds

As often happens, I go back and forth with things and I’ll often return to the same areas. Sometimes I’ll adjust existing masks, which I also did in this image, and other times I’ll create new masks. Here I used a brush to create a mask in sections of the sky and increased the exposure to brighten them.

Step 14: Global Exposure Updates to Further Lighten Scene

Global exposure updates to further lighten scene

Once again I decided to increase the global exposure, brightening the image even more. I also updated settings in several of the masks, further tweaking exposure in local areas.

Step 15: Post-Crop Vignette and Various Mask Updates

Post-crop vignette and various mask updates

I often add a post-crop vignette to darken the corners and edges of an image to help bring the eyes of the viewer into the scene, and I did that here, though it was a very small amount of vignetting. I also further tweaked a number of the masks, once again fine tuning local exposure adjustments.

Step 16: Chromatic Aberration and Profile Corrections

Chromatic aberration and profile corrections

Next I applied corrections for chromatic aberrations and lens profile corrections. Chromatic aberrations are strange color fringing that can happen with some lenses and in some scenes, especially in areas where light and dark meet. For profile corrections Adobe has created profiles of many lenses, measuring how they distort a scene and applying adjustments to correct these distortions. Given I was using my macro lens there likely weren’t many adjustments made but I still applied them.

Steps 1-16 Slide Show

Click on the arrows on each side of the image below to cycle through each of the steps. Though the masks do obscure the section of the photo being modified you can generally see the effects of that in the following photo. I’m hopeful this will help show some of the effects of each step in sequence.

 

Final Image

Overcast Blues on Aquia Creek: Final Image

And there you have it. After all those adjustments, all those back and forth changes and further refinements, we end up with the image above. I loved the scene when there. I was slightly concerned when I got home and realized I’d underexposed more than I’d thought. But at the end of the day I’m happy with where I was able to take this image.

Click on the image below to cycle back and forth between the before and after images.

What do you think of the process? Is there anything you’d have done differently?

Photography Prints by Todd Henson

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Silhouettes in Nature /  by Todd Henson

I’m not certain if I’ve experimented with, or shown, photographic silhouettes before. Something prompted me to try it with these two photos, and so here you are, two examples of silhouettes in nature.

Caroline wren in silhouette

When I first photographed these birds I wasn’t thinking about creating silhouettes from them. I simply didn’t think enough about the exposure with these strongly backlit subjects, which resulted in a fair bit of underexposure. I suppose that’s what sparked the idea of silhouettes.

Song sparrow in silhouette

I increased the contrast in post, darkening the darks and lightening the lights. As simple as this is, I enjoyed it and I could see myself trying this again, either with photos already in my library or actively seeking to create these in the field.

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Observing an Adolescent Cooper’s Hawk /  by Todd Henson

A beautiful example of an adolescent Cooper’s hawk

Every once in a great long while I find myself in the right place at the right time to make some great observations of a bird or animal. In this case I spotted an adolescent Cooper’s hawk perched on a snag not too far away. My father was sitting on a bench looking out at the waters around Wide Water State Park. I stepped over to talk to him and noticed something out in the woods. It was a rounded spot of lighter color that stood out to me. I quickly realized it was a perched hawk.

Thankfully, this hawk didn’t appear at all disturbed by our presence so I was able to create a number of photographs of several behaviors. I do wish the area right around the hawk had been a little less cluttered and free of distracting branches but we sometimes have to work with what we’re given, and I’m very happy with what I was given.

Yawning

One of the first behaviors I observed was the simple act of yawning. Several times it opened its beak wide and stretched. In one image it raised its head, as if it were calling out for other hawks, and yet it was completely silent. In that photo you can also see the slightly cloudy nictitating membrane over its eye.

This adolescent Cooper’s hawk might just be tired

It may appear this young Cooper’s hawk is raising its head and calling, but it was actually completely silent, just yawning. Look closely (click on the photo) and you may notice the slightly cloudy nictitating membrane over its eye.

Flexibility

I know owls have great flexibility in their necks and can turn their head to look behind them, but I didn’t know other birds share this skill. The young Cooper’s hawk at one point turned its head almost completely 180 degrees to look behind it. I don’t know if it heard something and was looking or if it was simply stretching.

With a very flexible neck this young Cooper’s hawk turns its head and looks over its shoulder. Or was it just stretching?

Preening

It’s always fun to watch birds preen. In this case the adolescent Cooper’s hawk pulled out a small section of feathers and then picked one feather at a time and ran its beak along the complete length of the feather. I love how at the end it’s looking directly at me.

Pulling up a feather and running its beak along its length, this young Cooper’s hawk is preening.

The young Cooper’s hawk has run its beak almost the entire length of the feather while preening

I love how in this image the young Cooper’s hawk is looking right at me with a feather still in its beak.

Preparing for Flight

Eventually I left the hawk to its business and followed my father back up the trail to the visitors center. But then I had the idea of trying to come at the hawk from the other direction. It was right off a trail that went along the water. So I slowly and quietly approached the hawk, hoping to get some images from the other side while still respecting the hawk by staying at a distance it was comfortable with. Unfortunately, at one point my tripod snagged on some brush and I made too much noise. This disturbed the hawk. It stretched out its feathers, then began to turn around on the branch, giving a nice view of its thick yellow legs and talons. Then it took flight, heading up towards the visitors center.

The young Cooper’s hawk spreads out the feathers of its tail and wings

While raising its wings this young Cooper’s hawk gives us a better view of its thick yellow legs and sharp talons

Having turned around on the branch, this young Cooper’s hawk prepares for flight

When I returned to the visitors center I was very pleased to see the hawk fly right back down to where it had been. So while I did disturb it, which I don’t enjoy doing, I didn’t disturb it for long. Granted, it’s unlikely it remained down there for much longer as shortly afterwards I saw a person walking their dog along that trail.

Identification

I’m not currently very skilled at identifying hawks, especially in the field. But I created enough photographs that I was able to piece together the species at home. One of the first things I noticed was the length of its tail. This seemed to point to either a Cooper’s hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk, which are both in this area and have longer tails than many other hawks.

This hawk seemed to be a somewhat chunky bird which pointed more towards a Cooper’s which is larger than the sharp-shinned.

Another difference between the two is that Cooper’s tend to have more rounded tail feathers, whereas sharp-shinned are more angular. This can be difficult to tell, as it was in this case, but the end of the tail feathers did appear a little more rounded.

I did struggle, though, in accepting that it might be a Cooper’s hawk because the coloration didn’t match the majority of the photos I’d seen. But this is what actually led to the identification of it being an adolescent Cooper’s hawk, with that nice bright white chest with streaks of dark brown. As it grows older it will lose some of that bright white in the chest and its back feathers will turn a darker grey-blue.

Resources

The resources below contain affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. This is at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support.

I used a number of resources to help with the ID. My go-to field guide is the Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America, which uses paintings. I also like using the Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America, which uses photos. In this case, though, I found Peterson’s Hawks of North America to be extremely helpful. Being specific to hawks it included more pictures and descriptions and used both paintings and photographs. Finally, to double check my own ID I used the phone apps, Seek and Merlin Bird ID, feeding them photos of the bird. Both agreed with the ID of a Cooper’s hawk.

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