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Curious Red Fox
Hello All,
I've been reading along some time on this wonderfull forum and decided to throwone of my images before the lions :)
This shot was taken a couple of years ago, in the nature reserve 'Waterleidingduinen'. While I was observing some deer, I suddenly heard some noise behind me and this curious young red fox popped up from within the grass. I grabbed my camera and fired some shots. This is one of the 'keepers'.

Exif: Nikon D50, 1/320s at f5.6, 200 Iso, 400mm
(I know 1/320s is not fast enough, camera and lens where supported by a bagpack)
PP in LR and CC (removed some blemish/dust, midtones, sharpening), not cropped.
The only thing what disturbs me in this image is the harsh white piece of grass near his face, and the oof grass in the fore ground.
C&C welcome
Thanks Gert
Last edited by GertOoms; 12-19-2013 at 07:36 AM.
Reason: Image and text not showing in original thread
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Wildlife Moderator
Hi Gert and a warm welcome to the Wildlife forum, a nice start too.
Don't be put off if the subject isn't exotic, animals close to home are just as important and are still as rewarding to both photograph and share. I think you did very well considering the fox was trying to conceal itself in the grass and as you say both eyes are visible & sharp. With the zoom I might have pulled back more so you have both ears in shot and perhaps moving the frame a little more to the right just to place the subject a fraction of centre. The blades of grass are rather distracting over the face, but little you could have done, likewise the wood stump. I would have upped the ISO just for a bit more Shutter speed (SS) and even a little more DOF, but if you were almost on top of the fox I'm not sure if this would have helped? There is more detail in the shadow area of the eyes and especially the nose you can extract. If it was me I would just tone back the lower LH corner and the bight grass stem over the whiskers RHS.
TFS and we look forward to your participation too, as it's a great way to learn and make friends here.
Steve
Post Production: It’s ALL about what you do with the tools and not, which brand of tool you use.

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Lifetime Member
Hi Gert - Welcome to BPN and the Wildlife Forum! I'm glad you decided to post. It's a very nice first post. You did well shooting through the grass with excellent sharpness and a good low pov. I wish that you hadn't clipped the ear but since this is full frame maybe going even tighter from the top and left so it looks more purposeful and moves the fox a bit off-center is a possible solution. There's a bit of green cast to some of the whites particularly on the right side of the face as we view it. You can fix this by going into the whites in selective color and adding magenta until it's gone.
I hope you'll post more wildlife images. Also please jump right in and post your thoughts about other images. It's the best way to get the most out of BPN and helps make it a great learning community for all. We recommend posting comments on 3-5 images each time you post an image of your own. Your comments do not have to be technical, just tell us what you like or don't like about an image.
TFS,
Rachel
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BPN Member
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Steve, Rachel and Anette,
Thanks for your warm welcome here on the forum. And sure I'll post from time to time a new wildlife image and I'll try to jump in in other threads and say my thoughts (this will be the most difficult and a challenge)
Steve,
Yes I was almost spot on the fox (less than 5m), so I didn't have many options. Quickly change the 400mm prime lens in a dusty environment (sand dune) was not an option. Maybe I could have taken it in portrait mode. You're right I can recover some more details in the eyes and especially the nose. I'll try to get rid of the bright grass stem which is really distracting.
Rachel,
I don't know about the greenish cast, could it be that its comming from the out off focus grass, crossing the face ? Maybe I'll try a small crop, so it will almost get rid of the LH corner.
Anette,
Aliens ? no its a cute little fox 
Thank you all, now I know where to go with this and some improvement is still possible in PP.
Rgds
Gert
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Lifetime Member
Hi Gert - it's possible the green is from out of focus grass but I took it into PS and thought it looked better by doing a selective color adjustment adding magenta to the whites.
Rachel
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BPN Member
Nice to see you here Gert! Lovely image to start off with. I can only echo Steve and Rachel that this is a great place to participate, get inspired and learn - but this comes through diving in and sharing photos as well as critiques of others' posts.
I like the view here through the grass - nice and sharp where it counts. I agree that it could work with a tighter crop...
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