Alpine Marmot

[Markus Jais]

Alpine Marmot.

EOS 7D, 4/300L IS, handheld. f6.3, 1/80, ISO 500.
IS worked great here and with subjects like this ISO 500 on the 7D is no problem at all.

No post processing except standard sharpening for screen output on LR 4.

The image was taken at the Franz-Josefs-Höhe, a famous place in the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria. The Marmots are extremely tame and some will take food from your hands. (If you go there only feed them carrots or nuts, no chocolate, etc!).

I wanted one to be perched on a rock with a clean background (often it is just grass which does not look very good).

Hope you like it.

Markus

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Markus, I like the image and comp, the slight curvature of the body works well and there is enough space for the subject to lookout into. I'm not sure if it needs a sliver more space below or not, but either way it's not a deal breaker for me. Looking at the techs I do feel however 1/80sec is way to low unless you are supported either by tripod or it's rock steady on a bean bag or similar support, even the slightest movement can make all the difference to an image. Overall I do feel the image is a little light, (even looking at the rocks) and applying a Luminosity & Curves adjustment and some more sharpening begins to bring out a bit more richness and texture to the image & subject overall. Depending on your ethics and how you feel, I would remove the dark spot top right, tonally balance out the slightly darker patches on the left and the white streak at the base of the back on the RHS.

TFS
Steve

[Markus Jais]

Hi Markus, I like the image and comp, the slight curvature of the body works well and there is enough space for the subject to lookout into. I'm not sure if it needs a sliver more space below or not, but either way it's not a deal breaker for me. Looking at the techs I do feel however 1/80sec is way to low unless you are supported either by tripod or it's rock steady on a bean bag or similar support, even the slightest movement can make all the difference to an image. Overall I do feel the image is a little light, (even looking at the rocks) and applying a Luminosity & Curves adjustment and some more sharpening begins to bring out a bit more richness and texture to the image & subject overall. Depending on your ethics and how you feel, I would remove the dark spot top right, tonally balance out the slightly darker patches on the left and the white streak at the base of the back on the RHS.

TFS
Steve

Hi Steve, thanks for the suggestions. Very helpful.

I was a little scared that 1/80 was way too low but the original image is really sharp - as sharp as I am used to with this lens. IS was on and I was careful not to make any movements except pressing the shutter button.
I agree that 1/80 is not a good idea in those situations but I am happy that it worked here. Normally I would prefer 1/320 at least for such shots - also because of sudden movements of the marmot.

Markus

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Markus, sometimes it's a fine balance with ISO, SS & Aperture and ultimately retaining good IQ, however you will find with the 1DX you can shoot a lot higher ISO and still retaining the IQ to get the SS. Just keep the IS on, use back button focus, AI servo on and with the 1DX you can customise the 'Case' options to you shooting requirements, it's great and you nail the image!

Steve

[Markus Jais]

Hi Markus, sometimes it's a fine balance with ISO, SS & Aperture and ultimately retaining good IQ, however you will find with the 1DX you can shoot a lot higher ISO and still retaining the IQ to get the SS. Just keep the IS on, use back button focus, AI servo on and with the 1DX you can customise the 'Case' options to you shooting requirements, it's great and you nail the image!

Steve

Hi Steve, the next time I am with those marmots I will bring the 1DX together with the 4/200-400L IS 1.4x. The 4/300 was rather limited because I couldn't zoom in or out and the 4/70-200 often was too short. The marmots are tame enough for the 70-200 (even the 17-40) but if you want a clean BG, a longer focal length helps a lot. The 200-400 will be the perfect lens for the next trip to the marmots. A 100-400/80-400 would also be a good lens.

Markus

[Morkel Erasmus]

Nice scene and overall composition here Markus.
I feel you could optimise this photo, as you stated you merely output from LR4? I would definitely work on some tonal contrast and midtone dodging to add some life to the overall exposure/luminosity. I like the BG colour complementing the lichen colours.

Enjoy your 1DX - it really is liberating to work with a camera that allows you to use high ISO without too much concern over resulting IQ.

PS: You know you can post up to 1200px wide now?

[Markus Jais]

Steve, Morkel: Thanks for your suggestions.

@Morkel: Next time I will use 1200 pixels.

Markus

[Jamie Douglas]

Nice placement of the Marmot in the frame and I like everything about this. Lichen rocks are always a treat for a photogenic perch.