Cayman Hawksbill

I sure wish I was under this one, but as it is I liked the way it came out. The turtle filled the frame nicely. Again I target shot this one (I didn't know better then). But the eye is on the third and I like the contrast between the blue and the green reef. I probably should have been below but couldn't catch him.

This one was taken while my strobe was not syncing. So there was no strobe at all in this shot. It was taken with the same rig, Canon digital elf in manual white ballance 0 set to sunny. No WA lens here.

despite being very blue I was able to "fix" it in photoshop with auto-levels, hue, saturation and manually adjusting levels.

Give me your honest opinion so I can lern. Image editing adice is welcome too. Feel fee to modify the image.

Thanks

Chris

Here is the photo.

On ambient light shots, you can use the channel mixer to improve the appearance of whites and yellows. Blend some of the green channel into the red channel. I've done that with yours, but it would be much better to do it before balancing.

Well it's 05.30 the next day here and I can't sleep so what better than looking at pictures.

Wow, this turtle has certainly gone from one crisis to the next dietry-wise:

Both calcium & Iron difficiencies as a youngster.

The shot itself is great, just a shame the water wasn't clearer and brighter to realise some of the colours. A strobe would have added a touch of warmth to the turtle and helped highlight it from but not isolated from its environs. Its an interesting composition allowing 3rd parties to see exactly what Caymans has.

PS can sort it out to the extent you would think your strobe was working, but this takes loadsa time. Adding to what Craig has already recommended I have left abrupt transitions in the adjusted picture so you can see a difference already. All I have done is made 2 cuts with the lasso:

1 Turtle - save selection (T1)

2 Foreground coral wall - save selection (F1)

To Isolate the latter for manipulation choose foregroung subtract turtle to work on background blues select F1 and then select inverse.

You are then free to spend as much time over as many months as you wish working down at pixel level to enhance shell detail and coral detail etc. separately from one another.

Each coral can be cut selection saved and worked on individually from main cut outs. Layers added for adjustments of colour etc. etc.

enough said

Bob, what an improvement !!!

I'd probably also crop the photo, because IMO there is a bit too much soft background now.