The Fish Was This Big...

Hi Folks,
I don't very often get to post in this part of the forum, but I went to visit the grey seal colony at Donna Nook on the east coast of England last weekend and wanted to share this image with you. It is one of the most photographed wildlife spectacles in the UK so I decided to try for something a little different here.
1D Mk 3 300 f/2.8 + 2xTC
ISO 400
Exp comp +.7
f/7.1 1/400
Did a variety of toning tweaks in PP - can't really remember...:confused:
Oh, and it was the very first outing for my brand new MK 3...:D
Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions.
Best regards to all,
Nicki

Nicki, First off Big Congratulations on the new camera-I'm looking forward to getting one soon!!!
Very nice image and PP looks good- it has an overall softness to it that I like. I love the pose and the sharp whiskers! To me the crop is perfect. Very nicely done.

Hi Nicki, Love the pose! Great work on the toning. I like how both the FG and BG are OOF, thereby focusing all your attention on the seal. Well done!

Hi Denise and Christopher and thank you so much for your very kind comments. I should have added that this was taken during a gale, so the OOF foreground is actually blowing sand...poor baby seal...
Denise, you will LOVE the camera...:D:D
Best regards,
Nicki

Hey Nicki! Love the pose here! I would prefer a bit less blur at the bottom but like the toning in this - very nice and natural! Might also try to lighten the underside of the front flipper just a little bit to see if you can bring out a bit more detail there.

An Mk3 you say? Man, I'm still hoping to make the jump to the 7D...

HI Jules! Yes indeed - a MK 3!!!! An early Christmas present - won't be getting any more presents for the next 10 years...
Thanks for your kind comments - can't do anything about the OOF foreground as it is blowing sand!
Best,
Nicki

Neat image Nicki, love the toning and the pose. Brought a big smile to my face. Mk III, lucky girl!