Posting update: Cougar & Black Bear

[cocodel1st]

Last October I have been to Boone, NC. Visited Grandfather Mountain and their Wildlife Habitat. Fog was so dense, couldn't see my hand at times. It didn't hinder the animals being out and about though.
To all my new friends with their tips on posting. I followed your instructions. I only got the Elements 2 version that came with the 20 D and I hope to upgrade later to the CS. Another expense... I'll first want to get my glass though. This shots by the way were taken with the Pro1 (my first and now back up camera) Nothing like yours RJ but I'll keep going at it. Can't wait to receive the 100-300 f4.0 Sigma and put it on the D20. PURRRR. Then I just need to find me another good vacation spot. THought about asking a friend to join in going to Colorado. Bad thing is he goes to hunt, I don't want to get pics of dead animals... Prefer the living. May not end up being such a good idea. So, I'll plan to just visit Blackwater Wildlife Refuge in MD. We have lots of Eagles around there and the ducks should be coming in soon. Gotta start somethere....Can't wait to see how these pictures post. Please, guys, no holds barred, let me know if these are ok or what I need to do to improve.
Love the helpfulness of everyone here, and, also love to admire everyone elses work.

[sparker1]

Hi Conny, since the bear is severely underexposed, could you have used your flash with him? Or, maybe by zooming more you could have metered off the bear itself, improving the exposure. Both shots could be made brighter in PSE. By the way, I wouldn't rush to replace PSE with PS-CS. It is an expense you might rather put into lenses or other equipment. PSE will do so much, it could be years before you outgrow it.

I certainly recommend Colorado for scenery (we're going there this summer), but agree with you about hunting. Maybe your friend would be interested in taking jeep trails, a real macho activity and a great way to see the mountains.

[LazyPhotographer]

These shots are fantastic! I would love to see a cougar - but not captive and not chasing me.

I LOVE the bear shot. A tough shot to get and process technically- but the foggy pic is just too cool. I'm sure people will give you hints on how to clean it up, but don't loose the "atmosphere".

My 2 cents: I never use flash on wild animals. I think it's just unfair and too much of a human exploitation and intrusion.

[gramps]

I agree with sparker1...........don't be in a big rush to upgrade to PSCS, learn everything you can about PSE2 first, it will make the transition much easier and free up some cash for glass.

[AFCop]

I like both these shots, the bear especially. Yes, the lighting could have been better, but I think the foggy atmosphere really sets the mood for the pic. Just keep in mind when you're deciding what pics to post, "good" "great" "awesome" and "wow" are all subjective responses.
"When seeking out beauty, look into the eyes of a beekeeper with a bee in his hand, for true beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder!" --No Idea Who
;-)
Keep Posting!

[cocodel1st]

Thanks for the feed back, you are all right. The mood was the fog and if I lightened the picture up, then I would end up loosing contrast. PSE is actually pretty good. I lets me do qiet a bit with curves and some of the filter. The unsharpen mask is great, and for some "people/family" shots I have been using some of the light filters which is neat.
Hey, by the way. These animals are captive in a nature park, but not in a zoo like setting which I really loved. They still can roam in caves, grasses and trees, etc. I also agree with the NO flash on animals. I've been to some birds of prey photo set ups sponsored by the national wildlife folks and felt sorry for the flashes some folks used to capture images of these animals, specially owls with their sensitive eyes.

Thank You all so much. It's such fun doing this.

[phili1]

You can retreve detail in Photoshop with the shadow control and contrast.

I hope you do not mind but I am always trying different things in PH Cs so I adjusted yours and it is really a good shot.

[cocodel1st]

NO I don't mind. It's always great if I see that something enhances my images. Thank You.