So very fat!

[Steve Maxson]

This Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel was photographed at treeline on Mt. Hood in Oregon in the fall shortly before these guys begin hibernation. It was very roly-poly with fat and looked to be in good shape to survive the winter under ground. 20D, 28-135mm at 135mm,1/250, f/8, ISO 400. Hand held. Comments are welcome.

[Robert Amoruso]

Great diagonal on the rock and cool BG - colorful but not distracting. Raised paw and expression make the image.

[Steve Canuel]

Hey Steve,
This one really popped out to me. Great pose, a nice, healthy looking subject, and a nicely colored BG too. I think this guy's going to wake up this Spring still feeling a little bloated.

[Ed Cordes]

Nice and sharp with a good BG. I also like the raised paw and the bright eyes.

[John Blumenkamp]

He looks all set for winter... lol. I agree with others - really nice pose and the raised paw is great. I might try cropping alittle more left and right to make it even more of a vertical capture. Nice image!

[Ken Watkins]

A great capture of an interesting looking Squirrel. Personally I would crop closer to try to remove some of the OOF rock at the bottom and right hand side.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Steve,
I agree its a nice well rounded fellow ready for hibernation. I like the pose. The background colour attracts attention but I am ok with it. I think you can crop a bit from the right and the bottom to shed shome portions of the rock. Overall I like this image.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Arthur Morris]

Steve, I love the image, the soft light, the look on its face, the pose and head angle. And especially the BKGR.

Ask yourself, "Which part of the image adds nothing to it at all?" and you will find a much needed crop.

[John Ippolito]

Very nice, Steve. You have captured the results of hyperphagia! Nice BG, pose and colors. Agree on the crop ideas above. Well done!